Turn Windows into a Powerful Linux Development Environment with Windows Terminal & WSL

Install Windows Terminal

Open the Microsoft Store, search for Windows Terminal, and install it. The store does not require a Microsoft account, so you can download it directly.

Windows Terminal provides a modern, tabbed interface similar to macOS iTerm, offering a much richer command‑line experience than the classic cmd.

Install Ubuntu Subsystem

Enable the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) feature: open the Control Panel → Programs → "Turn Windows features on or off", scroll down, check "Windows Subsystem for Linux", and confirm.

Then, open the Microsoft Store, search for Ubuntu, choose the LTS version, and install it. The Ubuntu distribution will appear as an app.

Post‑configuration

After launching Ubuntu from the Windows Terminal dropdown, you can treat it like any regular Linux system.

First, replace the default apt sources with faster mirrors. Edit /etc/apt/sources.list and replace its content with:

deb https://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/ubuntu/ bionic main restricted universe multiverse
deb https://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/ubuntu/ bionic-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb https://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/ubuntu/ bionic-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb https://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/ubuntu/ bionic-security main restricted universe multiverse
deb https://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/ubuntu/ bionic-proposed main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src https://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/ubuntu/ bionic main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src https://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/ubuntu/ bionic-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src https://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/ubuntu/ bionic-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src https://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/ubuntu/ bionic-security main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src https://mirrors.ustc.edu.cn/ubuntu/ bionic-proposed main restricted universe multiverse

Install the Zsh shell and the popular oh‑my‑zsh framework to improve the terminal appearance:

sudo apt install zsh

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

For additional themes, visit https://terminalsplash.com/ and choose a style you like.

To access Linux files from Windows, run the following commands inside Ubuntu:

cd /home
explorer.exe .

This opens the current Linux directory in Windows Explorer, allowing you to copy files between the two environments. You can also map the Linux home directory to a Windows drive (e.g., Z:) for quicker access.

Conclusion

By combining Windows Terminal, WSL, and Ubuntu, you get a seamless development setup that lets you run Linux tools, customize the shell, and interact with Windows files—all without leaving the Windows desktop.