Then, it's just a matter of typing wsl -install -d to install the required distribution. If you prefer working with another Linux distribution (such as Debian or Kali), you can get the full list of options by typing wsl -list -online. Per distribution? Yes, you can install multiple Linux distributions! Read on. This may take a while, but it will only happen once. WSL successfully installedĪfter restarting your Windows machine, a new console window will open to complete the installation. This simple command will install everything you need: it will enable the required optional components, download the latest Linux kernel, set WSL 2 as your default version, and install a Linux distribution (which, by default, is Ubuntu).

Now, type the following command: wsl -install Running Windows Powershell as Administrator Once you confirm your machine is eligible, you will need to run Windows Powershell or Command Prompt as an administrator (by right-clicking or selecting the desired option on the right). It's very likely that you are already running a compatible version, but you can quickly confirm this by pressing ⊞ + R and typing 'winver'. In order to install it, you will need to be running Windows 10 version 2004 and higher (Build 19041 and higher) or Windows 11. Here's everything we will cover in this article:

Then, we will also configure Git for version control. The best part? You can install WSL on most Windows machines and the entire process shouldn't take more than five minutes. Programmers that enjoy working on Windows can now run a GNU/Linux environment in all its glory (including common CLI tools and frameworks like Ruby or Python) without the performance hit of installing full-blown virtual machines or the hassle of running a dual-boot setup. The Windows Subsystem for Linux brought the best of both worlds to developers.

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