Kali Linux Installation Guide for Microsoft Surface RT

Prerequisites

  1. USB Flash Drive: At least 2 GB, formatted in FAT32.
  2. USB A to USB A Cable: To connect the Surface RT to another device.

Download the following files

  1. Kali Linux Image for Surface RT: Link
  2. Surface RT UEFI Downstream Boot v1: Link
  3. Raspberry Pi Imager (v1.7.5): Link

Steps to Follow

Step 1 – Copy the files from “Surface RT UEFI Downstream Boot v1”

  1. Download and unzip the files.
  2. Copy all extracted files to the FAT32-formatted USB drive.

Step 2 – Completely power off the Surface RT

  1. Press and hold the power button until it turns off.

Step 3 – Boot from the USB Flash Drive

  1. Insert the USB drive into the Surface RT.
  2. Hold Volume Down (−) and press the Power button.
  3. Keep holding Volume − until text appears on the screen.
  4. Use Volume ± to navigate and the Windows button to confirm.

Step 4 – Select “USB Mass Storage – eMMC”

  1. Navigate using Volume ± and confirm with the Windows button.

Step 5 – Prepare to Install Kali Linux

  1. Remove the USB drive.
  2. Connect the Surface RT to a PC using the USB A to USB A cable.

Step 6 – Write the Kali Linux Image to the Surface RT

  1. Launch Raspberry Pi Imager on your PC.
  2. Select the Kali-Surface-RT.img.gz image.
  3. Choose the Surface RT as the target device.
  4. Click Write to flash Kali Linux onto the Surface RT.

Step 7 – Finalize Installation

  1. When flashing is done, safely eject the Surface RT.
  2. Hold the power button to shut it down completely.
  3. Press the power button again to start it normally.

Step 8 – Wait for Kali Linux to Boot

  1. The device will boot and may reboot a few times.
  2. After setup completes, the Kali Linux desktop will appear.

Note: If the keyboard doesn’t appear when clicking a text field, click the Onboard (yellow & blue) icon at the top panel.

Screen Power Management (Optional)

To change or disable the screen timeout, edit the file ~/.xprofile.

A. Modify the Inactivity Time

sudo nano ~/.xprofile

xset s 120
xset dpms 120 120 120

Replace 120 with the desired number of seconds (e.g. 300 for 5 minutes).

Save with Ctrl + O, Enter then Ctrl + X. Apply immediately:

source ~/.xprofile

B. Disable Auto-Off

sudo nano ~/.xprofile

#xset s 120
#xset dpms 120 120 120

Save and reload configuration:

source ~/.xprofile

✅ Congratulations!

You have successfully installed and configured Kali Linux on your Microsoft Surface RT.