In the command prompt window, use DISM to install WSL and the Virtual Machine Platform feature.ĭism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestartĭism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart.

Give consent or enter an administrator username and password as prompted.

Make sure that Command Prompt is highlighted in the results and then click Run as administrator in the list of options in the panel on the right. Type cmd in the search box in the bottom left of the taskbar.

Open the command prompt with administrator privileges.

But for now, you’ll need to perform several steps to get WSL 2 running in Windows 10. There’s a simplified WSL 2 install procedure coming to Windows 10 in the 21H2 update, which is due in the second half of 2021. It’s worth noting that at the time of writing, Windows Server doesn’t support WSL 2, you’ll need to use original WSL distributions. WSL 2 is available in Windows 10 version 1903 (build 18362) or higher (圆4) or Windows for ARM version 2004 or higher (ARM64).

Microsoft recommends using WSL 2 unless your Linux project files must be stored in the Windows file system, or you need access to a serial port or USB device, or you need to restrict the memory usage of your Linux distribution on Windows. WSL 2 runs your chosen Linux distribution in a lightweight managed VM, which doesn’t require any configuration or management on your part.įor more information on how to run Linux GUI apps using WSL, check out How to Install Linux GUI Apps in Windows 10 and Windows 11 with WSL on Petri.

WSL 2 uses a full Linux kernel, which is kept up-to-date automatically by Microsoft, to provide full system call compatibility and fast disk performance. WSL 2 uses a new architecture to provide the benefits of WSL 1 but with better performance and compatibility. For example, you can open a Linux shell in Windows Terminal or use Visual Studio Code to build, debug, and run Linux code without installing Linux in a VM. WSL provides developers with an integrated experience so they can develop and test Linux apps without ever leaving their Windows desktop. Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is an optional feature in Windows 10 that allows developers and system administrators to run Linux shells and command-line applications without installing Linux in a virtual machine (VM).

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