The Error

You're partway through installing Kali Linux, everything's going fine, and then the installer just stops with:

Installation step failed An installation step failed. You can try to run the failing item again from the menu, or skip it and choose something else. The failing step is: Select and install software

No detailed reason, just a red banner telling you something broke during the package install stage.

What Actually Caused It

In my case, the fix was simple: not enough disk space allocated to the VM. The installer gets partway through unpacking and installing packages, runs out of room, and fails right at this step, package installation is exactly where disk space gets used up fastest.

If you're on a small disk allocation (I was originally on a tighter size), bump it up before retrying the install.

The Fix

  1. Shut down / cancel the installer, then power off the VM if it's still running
  2. In VMware Fusion, go to the VM's Hard Disk settings and increase the disk size (20GB is cutting it close for a full Kali install, 40GB+ is safer, more if you plan to add extra tool sets)
  3. Boot back into the installer and retry from "Select and install software" in the main menu, or restart the install if needed

📎 I wrote a full separate guide on extending LVM storage Extending LVM Storage on Linux (VMware Fusion)

Other Things Worth Ruling Out

If increasing disk space doesn't fix it for you, a couple of other common causes for this exact error:

  • Corrupted or incomplete ISO — go back to the main menu and run "Check the integrity of installation media." If it fails, redownload the ISO and verify the checksum before retrying

Recap

  1. Installer fails at "Select and install software" → usually a disk space or media issue
  2. Increase VM disk size before retrying (biggest fix, most common cause)
  3. If that doesn't fix it, check ISO integrity next
  4. Already installed and just need more room later? Use the LVM extension guide linked above

Small allocation, big headache, easy fix.