Install WSL from the Microsoft Store
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Brayan Diaz C

Brayan Diaz C @brayandiazc

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Install WSL from the Microsoft Store

Publish Date: Aug 9 '24
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Software developers often prefer a Unix-based system as their primary development environment. However, if you're using Windows and want access to a Unix environment without resorting to a virtual machine or dual booting, WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) is your solution.

What is WSL? 🤔

WSL is a compatibility layer that allows you to run Linux binary executables natively on Windows 10 and Windows 11. This means you can use Linux directly on Windows without needing to switch operating systems or boot up a virtual machine.

What can you do with WSL? 💡

WSL allows you to run a wide variety of Linux applications on Windows, from command-line tools like Git, Node.js, Python, to desktop and web applications like Visual Studio Code, Atom, WordPress, and Django.

WSL Versions 🔄

There are two versions of WSL:

  1. WSL 1 - Uses a virtual machine to run Linux applications but is compatible with more Linux versions.
  2. WSL 2 - Uses a real Linux kernel, making it faster than WSL 1. However, it is only compatible with certain Linux versions.

Windows Versions Compatible with WSL 🖥️

WSL is compatible with Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) and Windows 11. To check your Windows version, open Windows Settings, click on "System," and then "About." On the "About" page, you can see the version of Windows you have installed.

Check Windows version

1. Installing WSL 💾

To install WSL, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Microsoft Store on Windows and search for "WSL." Click on the first result and then "Install".
  2. Restart your computer after installation.

Windows store install wsl

2. Installing Linux on WSL 🐧

To install a Linux kernel on WSL, perform the following steps:

  1. Open the Microsoft Store on Windows and search for your preferred Linux distribution, for example, "Ubuntu." Click on the first result and then "Install".
  2. Restart your computer after installation.

Windows store install ubuntu

3. Configuring Linux on WSL ⚙️

To configure Linux on WSL, open the Linux application you installed and follow the on-screen instructions. You will be prompted to enter a username and password.

Ubuntu initial configuration

4. Installing Applications 📦

Now that you have WSL and Linux installed, you can install Linux applications on Windows. To do this, open the Linux application and run the following commands to update the package index and install the desired application:

sudo apt update
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sudo apt install application_name
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For example, to install Git, you would run sudo apt install git.

With WSL, software developers who use Windows as their primary operating system can enjoy the benefits of running Linux applications without the need for virtual machines or separate partitions. WSL provides the flexibility and ease of use necessary to carry out development tasks and run Linux applications efficiently within the Windows environment.

You can see this article in Spanish at the following link
Instala WSL desde Microsoft Store

Comments 1 total

  • Christopher Crawford
    Christopher CrawfordJun 20, 2025

    Thanks for the detailed info. a couple of corrections:

    1) there doesn't apear to be a WSL in the windows store, but you can at least install it from the command line: "wsl --install", which installs both WSL plus Ubuntu.

    2) WSL 2 is the version that uses a VM (running a true Linux kernel), which is why it is compatible with more versions of Linux and more of the API. WSL 1 has a thin layer that translates Linux system calls to the Windows kernel.

    3) note that the username and password are unique to WSL and not related to your Windows account

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