1. What is WSL?
The Windows Subsystem for Linux(WSL) allows developers on windows operating system to install Linux distributions(such as Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Kali, Debian, Arch Linux, etc) while still accessing the power of a windows machine.
2. Prerequisites
Your machine must be running on Windows 10 version 2004 and higher (Build 19041 and higher) or Windows 11
To confirm, open command prompt and type ver. You should see the following:
IMPORTANT
In PowerShell, running as admin, type the following command,
optionalfeatures.exe
and check the following boxes if not checked:
- Windows Subsystem for Linux
- Virtual Machine Platform
- Hyper-V (if available) select okay and restart your machine to apply changes
3. Install WSL Command
Press start, type powershell and select "run as administrator"
Enter the wsl command as in below and then reboot your machine
wsl --install
4. Install desired Linux distribution
- Type the command below to see a list of the available Linux distributions(distros)
wsl --list --online
- Select desired distribution and type the command as follows, replacing the with the chosen distribution NAME
e.g Ubuntu-24.04
wsl --install -d Ubuntuand press enter - Restart your machine
5. Launching UBUNTU
After the restart, on the start menu, search for Ubuntu and click it to launch.
Create a default user account by creating a username and password
CONCLUSION
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) allows users to run a Linux distribution directly on a Windows machine without dual-booting or virtual machines. After installation, users can work in a full Linux environment to practice commands, install development tools, and run applications, making WSL a powerful and convenient setup for development and learning.
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