Introduction

This KB will explain the basics of Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) on a Windows machine. 

Applicability

This article applies to anyone installing or supporting WSL on a Windows device. This is meant to be an introductory guide on some of the basics surrounding WSL.

Details

Table of Contents

About WSL

Installing WSL

Uninstalling a WSL instance

Launching WSL

Using WSL Command Line

Using Linux Apps

Setting up a Desktop Environment (GUI)

About WSL

What is Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)?

WSL is essentially a virtualization layer in Windows that allows you to run a variety of different Linux Distributions in a window. This virtualization layer makes it easy to seamlessly run Linux alongside Windows, without the need for messy solutions like dual booting or creating a dedicated VM. WSL comes in two versions.

What are the differences between WSL1 and WSL2?

Version 1 which was the first iteration of WSL, and version 2 which is generally the most common version available as of 2025. Generally version 2 has better compatibility with local resources, and is faster than version 1. However, should your workload require features only found in version 1, that is out of scope for this KB, and the focus will be on WSL version 2.  Please see this link from Microsoft describing the differences. It should be possible to convert a WSL instance from one version to another should there be a requirement to do so.

What are the system requirements for WSL v2?

• Windows 11
• Windows 10 at least version version 1903
• Virtualization Support enabled in the system BIOS/UEFI
• Administrative privileges on the system
  • Administrative privileges aren't necessary for ALL functions of WSL, however some features/functions will require elevated permissions such as:
    • Running an OpenSSH server
    • modifying system settings
    • installing updates
  • For IST managed devices, EPM should be leveraged with the "High Flex" profile applied.

What Distributions are available?

As of May 2025, the following are available through Microsoft:

• AlmaLinux-8
• AlmaLinux-9
• AlmaLinus-Kitten-10
• Debian
• FedoraLinux-42
• SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-15-SP5
• SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-15-SP6
• Ubuntu
• Ubuntu-24.04
• archlinux
• kali-linux
• openSUSE-Tumbleweed
• openSUSE-Leap-15.6
• Ubuntu-18.04
• Ubuntu-20.04
• Ubuntu-22.04
• OracleLinux_7_9
• OracleLinux_8_7
• OracleLinux_9_1

**It is possible to provide your own distribution to WSL, but that is out of scope for this KB.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of WSL?

Advantages:

• Simplified installation
• Shares system resources with Windows, no need to carve out dedicated resources as you would with a VM.
• Seamless integration with Windows, allowing to access files between Windows and Linux.
• Can out perform a VM in a lot of cases.
• Great for machine learning

Disadvantages:

• Windows still at the core if you need/want a full Linux environment
• Not quite as fast as Linux on bare metal.
• While a Desktop Environment (GUI) is technically available on WSL, it isn't accessed natively, but rather through an RDP session to the WSL instance. Reliability has been inconsistent.

What are some nuances to Linux compared to Windows?

• Linux commands & Files/Folders are case sensitive
• Pretty much all settings in Linux are stored in text files
• Instead of C: for the OS, the root of Linux is /
• Best practice is any user generated files be stored under the home folder (Example:  /home/JohnDoe/YourFilesGoHere)
  
  

Installing WSL

To install WSL, open up Terminal in Windows 11, or Powershell in Windows 10, the following commands will be run within Terminal.

To view available distributions available:

wsl --list --online

To install WSL with the default Ubuntu distro:

wsl --install

wsl --install --distribution <nameofdistro>

Example:
wsl --install --distribution archlinux

wsl -l

wsl --unregister <DistroName>

Example:
wsl --unregister Ubuntu

sudo <command>

cd <folder you want to change to>

Examples:
cd /               (changes to the root>
cd /mnt         (changes to the /mnt directory)
cd Desktop   (assuming your in the /home/JohnDoe folder already, this moves you into the Desktop subfolder)

apt search <appname>

Example:
apt search neofetch

sudo apt install <appname>

Example:
sudo apt install neofetch

cd /mnt/c
ls or dir (to list directory contents)

top

sudo apt install htop

then run:

htop

mkdir <folderName>

Example:
mkdir MyNewFolder

cp <filename> <destinationpath>

Example:
cp myfile /home/JohnDoe

mv <filename> <destination>

Example:
mv MyFile /home/JohnDoe

rm <filename>

Example:
rm MyFile

touch <filename>

Example:
touch mynewfile

cat <filename>

Example:
cat FileToShow

nano <filename>

Example:
nano MyFile

sudo apt update

sudo apt upgrade -y

sudo apt install tasksel -y

sudo tasksel

sudo apt install xrdp -y

ip a