You Can Now Install WSL on Windows 10 Using a Single Command

Jul. 31, 2021

Earlier this year, Microsoft started testingsupport for Linux GUI appson Windows 10. The company implemented it through Windows Subsystem for Linux GUI (WSLg) on Insider builds. Alongside this exciting development, Microsoft also streamlined the installation process of WSL for Insiders with a single install command. The Redmond giant has now brought the WSL installation command to older Windows 10 builds.

“The process will automatically enable the WSL optional features required, install the Ubuntu distribution by default, and install the latest WSL Linux kernel version onto your machine. When it’s completed and you restart your machine, your distribution will start after you boot up again, completing the installation,”saidCraig Loewen, Program Manager, Windows Developer Platform.

You can also use thecommand ‘wsl –list –online’to see the list of available Linux distributions. Moreover, the command ‘wsl –update’ lets you update your WSL Linux kernel manually. Other commands include ‘wsl –update rollback’ to roll back to a previous WSL Linux kernel version and ‘wsl –status’ to see the details of your current WSL installation.

While getting started with the command is fairly straightforward, you can check our guide onrunning GUI-based Linux programs on Windows 10to see the command in action. As for WSLg, it’s already live on Windows 11. You can follow the same steps to run Linux GUI apps on Windows 11.

Subin writes about consumer tech, software, and security. He secretly misses the headphone jack while pretending he’s better off with the wireless freedom.