How to Install and Use WSL2 on Windows 10: A Step-by-Step Guide
Learn how to install and use WSL2 on Windows 10 with our step-by-step guide. Run Linux applications natively on Windows with ease.
Prerequisites
You need to enable the WSL feature by:
- Open the Start menu and search for “Turn Windows features on or off.”
- Scroll down and check the box next to “Windows Subsystem for Linux.”
- Click “OK” and wait for the feature to be installed
Install a Linux Distro
You can choose between variety of Linux Distributions for WSL however I recommend using Debian as explained here
To install Debian, open CMD or Powershell as admin and run:
winget install -e --id Debian.Debian
Setup
- Open a Command Prompt window as an administrator.
- Type the following command and press Enter:
wsl --set-default-version 2
- Wait for the command to finish running.
Start Using it
Now that you have set up WSL2, you can start using it. To do this, follow these steps:
- Open the Start menu and search for the Linux distribution you installed.
- Click on the distribution to open it.
- Follow the prompts to set up your Linux environment.
that’s it <3