Kali Linux is a rolling-release Linux distribution. The term “rolling release” means that the software packages of Kali Linux are kept as updated as possible. To get the most updated software packages on Kali Linux, you need to update Kali Linux more frequently than the Linux distributions like Ubuntu/Debian or Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

In this article, we will show you how to update the Kali Linux packages to the latest version.

Topic of Contents:

1. Opening a Terminal Program in Kali Linux
2. Updating the Kali Linux Package Repository Cache
3. Updating the Kali Linux Packages
4. Restarting the Kali Linux Machine
5. Conclusion

Opening a Terminal Program in Kali Linux

To open a Terminal app in Kali Linux, click on the Terminal icon from the top-left menu bar of Kali Linux as marked in the following screenshot:

A Terminal app should be opened.

Updating the Kali Linux Package Repository Cache

To update the Kali Linux package repository cache, run the following command:

The Kali Linux package repository cache should be updated.

Updating the Kali Linux Packages

To update all the Kali Linux packages to the latest version, run the following command:

To confirm the update, press Y and then press <Enter>.

The updates are being downloaded from the internet. This takes a while to complete.

The updates are being installed on Kali Linux. It takes a while to complete.

Kali Linux should be updated.

Restarting the Kali Linux Machine

For the changes to take effect, restart your Kali Linux machine with the following command:

Conclusion

We showed you how to update Kali Linux to the latest version. Since Kali Linux is a rolling-release distro, you should keep your Kali Linux updated to get the latest software versions and security patches.