Install WSL in 5 Minutes: Choose from 3 Easy Methods

Preparation: Quick System Check

Before starting, verify that your Windows version meets the minimum requirements: Windows 11 (all editions) ✅, Windows 10 version 2004+ (build ≥19041) ✅, Windows 10 Home (same) ✅. You can run winver (Win+R) to see the version.

Method 1: One‑Command Installation (Recommended)

Step 1 – Open PowerShell as Administrator

Start menu → Search "PowerShell" → Right‑click → Run as administrator

Step 2 – Run the install command

wsl --install

This command automatically enables the "Windows Subsystem for Linux" and "Virtual Machine Platform" features, downloads the latest Linux kernel, installs Ubuntu as the default distribution, and sets WSL 2 as the default version.

Step 3 – Restart the computer

Follow the restart prompt.

Step 4 – First‑time launch configuration

After reboot, launch Ubuntu from the Start menu. You will see prompts to create a UNIX user name and password. Note that the password entry shows no characters for security.

Step 5 – Update the Linux system

# Inside Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Method 2: Microsoft Store Installation (GUI)

Suitable for users who prefer graphical steps.

Step 1 – Enable WSL features only

# In PowerShell (admin)
wsl --install --no-distribution   # enable features without installing a distro

Step 2 – Choose a distribution in Microsoft Store

Open the Store, search for one of the following and click “Get”:

Ubuntu 24.04 – ideal for beginners

Ubuntu 22.04 – stable

Debian 12 – minimal

Fedora – for enthusiasts

openSUSE – enterprise‑oriented

Step 3 – Launch the distribution

After installation, start it as described in Method 1, Step 4.

Method 3: Manual Installation (Full Control)

Best for users who need fine‑grained control or want to script the setup.

Step 1 – Enable the WSL feature

dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart

Step 2 – Enable the Virtual Machine Platform

dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart

Step 3 – Restart the computer

Then continue.

Step 4 – Set WSL 2 as the default version

wsl --set-default-version 2

Step 5 – Install the Linux kernel update package (if wsl --update fails)

Download the MSI from the official WSL kernel page and run it.

Step 6 – Install a specific distribution

# List available distros
wsl --list --online

# Example: install Ubuntu 24.04
wsl --install -d Ubuntu-24.04

Post‑Installation Checklist (5 Essential Tasks)

1. Replace the APT source with a domestic mirror (e.g., Aliyun)

# Backup original sources
sudo cp /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.bak

# Replace URLs
sudo sed -i 's/archive.ubuntu.com/mirrors.aliyun.com/g' /etc/apt/sources.list
sudo sed -i 's/security.ubuntu.com/mirrors.aliyun.com/g' /etc/apt/sources.list

# Refresh package index
sudo apt update

Download speed can jump from tens of KB/s to several MB/s.

2. Install common tools

sudo apt install -y git curl wget vim tree htop jq unzip zip ca-certificates software-properties-common

3. Install Windows Terminal (recommended)

# From Microsoft Store or via winget
winget install Microsoft.WindowsTerminal

4. Configure Git user information

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main
git config --global core.autocrlf input   # avoid line‑ending issues

5. Create convenient symlinks to Windows folders

ln -s /mnt/c/Users/$(whoami)/Desktop ~/Desktop
ln -s /mnt/c/Users/$(whoami)/Documents ~/Docs

Common Installation Issues (FAQ)

“Virtualization not enabled”

Symptoms: VT‑x or AMD‑V error during installation.

Reboot and enter BIOS (Del/F2/F12).

Enable Intel VT‑x or AMD SVM/AMD‑V.

Save and reboot.

“0x800701bc error”

Cause: WSL 2 kernel not installed correctly.

# Update the kernel
wsl --update
# Then restart WSL
wsl --shutdown

Microsoft Store inaccessible

Workaround: use Method 1 or Method 3 (PowerShell installation) to bypass the Store.

Installation hangs at “Installing…”

Check network connectivity.

Disable proxy/VPN and retry.

Close and reopen Ubuntu.

If still stuck, run wsl --shutdown and try again.

Verification Checklist

echo "=== 1. WSL version ==="
wsl --version 2>/dev/null || uname -r

echo ""
echo "=== 2. OS info ==="
cat /etc/os-release | grep -E "^(NAME|VERSION)"

echo ""
echo "=== 3. Disk space ==="
df -h /

echo ""
echo "=== 4. Memory ==="
free -h

echo ""
echo "=== 5. Network ==="
ping -c 2 baidu.com && echo "✅ Network OK" || echo "❌ Network issue"

echo ""
echo "🎉 All checks passed – WSL is ready!"