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Writer's pictureYaman Kumar

A brief look at the Windows subsystem for Linux.

Windows subsystem for Linux (also known as WSL) is an excellent tool that is built right into Microsoft Windows. It makes you install Linux on your Windows PC without the use of any dedicated virtualization software. So today let us take a look at WSL, its installation, and use.


What is WSL?


WSL lets you install Linux inside of your Windows operating system. Now you might know that some virtualization programs like VirtualBox do the same thing i.e., letting you install multiple operating systems on top of your main host OS. What makes WSL different from all these virtualization programs is that WSL runs Linux almost at native speed (the speed you would get if you install it directly on cold metal).


How to install WSL?


It is very simple to install WSL on any Windows 10 or 11 device. For Windows 11, WSL 2.0 has been released which also includes GUI (Graphical User Interface) elements. But the WSL in Windows 10 only has CLI (Command Line Interface). WSL 2.0 is a whole different masterpiece and deserves a separate article on it. But today, we would only be talking about WSL in Windows 10. So let us take a look at how can we install WSL in Windows 10 -


-- Open up Windows Search and search for 'Turn Windows features on or off'.


-- Click on the 'Turn Windows features on or off' option from the menu.


-- Scroll all the way down on the dialog box that opens and check the 'Windows Subsystem for Linux' option and click 'Ok'.

windows subsystem for linux diaog box
Check the 'Windows Subsystem for Linux' box

-- Give your system a restart if it demands it. It will install some updates and reboot. It is completely normal.


-- If your system reboots without any problem, then congratulations! You are now ready to install Linux on top of your Windows 10!


Installing a Linux distribution through WSL (Ubuntu) -


Now that we have enabled WSL, it is time to install a Linux distribution. There are a couple of Linux distros available on the Windows store like Ubuntu, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, Kali Linux, Debian, etc. For the sake of this blog, we would be installing the latest version of Ubuntu, which is labeled as 'Ubuntu' on the Microsoft Store.

ubuntu in the microsoft store
Search for 'Ubuntu' in the Microsoft Store.

Open up Microsoft Store and search for 'Ubuntu'. From the search results, click on 'Ubuntu' and install it. Now that the installation is complete, you are ready to launch Ubuntu CLI directly from your start menu by opening Windows Search and searching for Ubuntu. Please note that it might take some time to install on opening it for the 1st time.

ubuntu in windows subsystem for linux
It may take a few minutes to open Ubuntu for the 1st time.

After the installation is complete, you would be presented with a brand new CLI of Ubuntu. Now you can start using it as you like!


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