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Setting Up Nvidia Graphics on Kali Linux (Bare Metal)

· 2 min read
Hirusha Adikari
Hirusha Adikari
Student interested in Tech

If you're running Kali Linux on bare metal and want to get your Nvidia graphics card up and running, here's a straightforward guide to help you install the necessary drivers. Don't worry, I'll walk you through the process step by step.

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1. Upgrade Your System​

Before we start with the Nvidia driver installation, let’s make sure your system is up-to-date. Open up a terminal and run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This ensures all your packages are fresh and updated.

2. Install Nvidia Drivers​

Now that your system is up-to-date, it's time to install the Nvidia drivers. You can do this by running the following command:

sudo apt-get install nvidia-driver -y

During installation, you might see a conflict warning. Don’t stress about it—just continue with the installation.

3. Disable the Open Source Nouveau Driver​

Kali Linux might come with the open-source nouveau driver, which can conflict with the Nvidia proprietary driver. We need to disable it. To do this:

  1. Open the modprobe blacklist file:

    sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf

  2. Add these lines to the file:

    blacklist nouveau
    options nouveau modeset=0
    alias nouveau off

  3. Save and exit the editor (Ctrl+X, then press Y to confirm).

4. Update Initial Ramdisk​

After blacklisting the Nouveau driver, we need to update the initramfs so the changes take effect:

sudo update-initramfs -u

5. Reboot​

Finally, reboot your system to apply all the changes:

sudo reboot

Once your system restarts, you should have the Nvidia drivers running on your Kali Linux installation. You can confirm everything’s working by checking the Nvidia settings or running the nvidia-smi command.

And that's it! You're all set to enjoy the full power of your Nvidia graphics card on Kali Linux. Happy hacking!