Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a feature that allows you to run Linux distributions on Windows 10 and Windows 11. WSL is a great way to get the best of both worlds: the familiarity of Windows and the power of Linux.

In this blog post, I will show you how to install WSL on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 version 2004 or later
• 64-bit processor
• 2 GB of RAM
• 8 GB of available disk space

Instructions

1. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Run the following command to enable WSL:

wsl --install

3. Restart your computer.
4. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt.
5. Run the following command to list the available Linux distributions:

wsl -l

6. Run the following command to install a Linux distribution:

wsl install <distribution-name>

For example, to install Ubuntu, you would run the following command:

wsl install ubuntu

7. Once the Linux distribution is installed, you can start using it by running the following command:

wsl <distribution-name>

For example, to start using Ubuntu, you would run the following command:

wsl ubuntu

Tips

• You can change the default Linux distribution that is launched when you run the wsl command by running the following command:

wslconfig /setdefault <distribution-name>

• You can install additional Linux distributions from the Microsoft Store.
• You can use Windows Terminal to launch a WSL instance.
• You can use WSL to run Linux applications on Windows.

Conclusion

WSL is a great way to get the best of both worlds: the familiarity of Windows and the power of Linux. By following the instructions in this blog post, you can install WSL on Windows 10 and Windows 11 and start using Linux distributions on your Windows computer.