Install WSL2 on Windows x64 via Pure Command Line (Including Domestic Network Workaround)

Prerequisites

Windows 10 version 1903+ (internal build 18362+) or Windows 11 on x64 architecture, and administrator rights for all PowerShell commands.

1. Enable System Features

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

# Enable Virtual Machine Platform
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart

After the two commands complete, restart the computer before proceeding.

2. Install the WSL2 Kernel Update Package

Primary method (when the network works)

wsl --update

If the connection to Microsoft servers times out, use the fallback method.

Fallback method (recommended for domestic users)

Manually download the kernel MSI and install it silently:

# Download x64 kernel update package
$url = "https://wslstorestorage.blob.core.windows.net/wslblob/wsl_update_x64.msi"
$output = "$env:TEMP\wsl_update_x64.msi"
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $url -OutFile $output -UseBasicParsing

# Silent install without user interaction
Start-Process msiexec.exe -ArgumentList "/i \"$output\" /qn /norestart" -Wait

# Clean up temporary file
Remove-Item $output -Force

If the URL is still inaccessible, download the MSI via a browser and run:

Start-Process msiexec.exe -ArgumentList "/i C:\Temp\wsl_update_x64.msi /qn /norestart" -Wait

3. Set Default Version and Install Ubuntu

# Set WSL2 as the default version
wsl --set-default-version 2

# Install Ubuntu (latest LTS by default)
wsl --install -d Ubuntu

After installation, you will be prompted to create a Linux username and password.

Verify the installation:

# VERSION column showing 2 indicates success
wsl -l -v

4. Basic Configuration

Inside the Ubuntu terminal:

Replace apt sources with domestic mirrors

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

# Replace with Aliyun mirrors for Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy)
sudo bash -c 'cat > /etc/apt/sources.list << EOF
deb https://mirrors.aliyun.com/ubuntu/ jammy main restricted universe multiverse
deb https://mirrors.aliyun.com/ubuntu/ jammy-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb https://mirrors.aliyun.com/ubuntu/ jammy-security main restricted universe multiverse
EOF'

# Update package index
sudo apt update

💡 If your Ubuntu version is not 22.04, replace jammy with the appropriate codename (e.g., focal for 20.04, noble for 24.04). Check the version with lsb_release -c .

Set timezone

sudo timedatectl set-timezone Asia/Shanghai

Verify with date; the output should show Beijing time.

Common Issues

❌ Kernel package download timeout : Use the fallback manual download method described in step 2.

❌ Error code 0x80070422 : The LxssManager service is not running. Start it with:

# Run in administrator PowerShell
Start-Service LxssManager
Set-Service -Name LxssManager -StartupType Automatic

❌ "WSL 2 needs to update its kernel component" : The kernel package was not installed successfully; repeat step 2.

❌ Network error when running wsl --install : WSL2 needs to download a Linux distribution. If the network is restricted, install Ubuntu offline from the Microsoft Store or complete the first three steps before handling the distribution installation separately.

Related Links

Microsoft official documentation:

WSL installation guide: https://learn.microsoft.com/zh-cn/windows/wsl/install
WSL2 kernel manual download: https://learn.microsoft.com/zh-cn/windows/wsl/install-manual

Domestic mirror sources:

Aliyun Ubuntu mirror: https://mirrors.aliyun.com/ubuntu/
USTC Ubuntu mirror: https://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/ubuntu/