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Dev channel: Most recent updates, but low stability.Once you have joined Windows Insiders, you can choose the channel you would like to receive preview builds from inside the Windows settings menu to automatically receive any WSL updates or preview features associated with that build. Try the most recent features or updates to WSL by joining the Windows Insiders Program. Want to try the latest WSL preview features? We recommend following our Best practices for setting up a WSL development environment guide for a step-by-step walk-through of how to set up a user name and password for your installed Linux distribution(s), using basic WSL commands, installing and customizing Windows Terminal, set up for Git version control, code editing and debugging using the VS Code remote server, good practices for file storage, setting up a database, mounting an external drive, setting up GPU acceleration, and more. See the Best practices for setting up a WSL development environment guide to learn more. Once you have installed WSL, you will need to create a user account and password for your newly installed Linux distribution. If you run into an issue during the install process, check the installation section of the troubleshooting guide. exe in the command: wsl.exe -install -d or to list available distributions: wsl.exe -l -o. If you want to install additional distributions from inside a Linux/Bash command line (rather than from PowerShell or Command Prompt), you must use. To install additional Linux distributions after the initial install, you may also use the command: wsl -install -d.To see a list of available Linux distributions available for download through the online store, enter: wsl -list -online or wsl -l -o.Replace with the name of the distribution you would like to install. To change the distribution installed, enter: wsl -install -d.Change the default Linux distribution installedīy default, the installed Linux distribution will be Ubuntu. All future launches should take less than a second. The first time you launch a newly installed Linux distribution, a console window will open and you'll be asked to wait for files to de-compress and be stored on your machine. This command will enable the required optional components, download the latest Linux kernel, set WSL 2 as your default, and install a Linux distribution for you (Ubuntu by default, see below to change this). You can now install everything you need to run Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) by entering this command in PowerShell or Windows Command Prompt and then restarting your machine.
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If you're running an older build, or just prefer not to use the install command and would like step-by-step directions, see WSL manual installation steps for older versions.
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You can update to the latest Windows version in the Settings menu or using the Windows Update Assistant. To check your Windows version and build number, select Windows logo key + R, type winver, select OK.
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