Installation steps of WSL – Windows Subsystem for Linux

Step 1 – Enable the Windows Subsystem for Linux

You must first enable the “Windows Subsystem for Linux” optional feature before installing any Linux distributions on Windows.

Open PowerShell as Administrator (Start menu > PowerShell > right-click > Run as Administrator) and enter this command:

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

We recommend now moving on to step #2, updating to WSL 2, but if you wish to only install WSL 1, you can now restart your machine and move on to Step 6 – Install your Linux distribution of choice. To update to WSL 2, wait to restart your machine and move on to the next step.

Step 2 – Check requirements for running WSL 2

To update to WSL 2, you must be running Windows 10…

• For x64 systems: Version 1903 or later, with Build 18362.1049 or later.
• For ARM64 systems: Version 2004 or later, with Build 19041 or later.
• or Windows 11.

Step 3 – Enable Virtual Machine feature

Before installing WSL 2, you must enable the Virtual Machine Platform optional feature. Your machine will require virtualization capabilities to use this feature.

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

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

Restart your machine to complete the WSL install and update to WSL 2.

Step 4 – Download the Linux kernel update package

The Linux kernel update package installs the most recent version of the WSL 2 Linux kernel for running WSL inside the Windows operating system image. (To run WSL from the Microsoft Store, with more frequently pushed updates, use wsl.exe –install or wsl.exe –update.).

Step 5 – Set WSL 2 as your default version

Open PowerShell and run this command to set WSL 2 as the default version when installing a new Linux distribution:

wsl --set-default-version 2

Step 6 – Install your Linux distribution of choice

Open the Microsoft Store and select your favorite Linux distribution. The following links will open the Microsoft store page for each distribution:

Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
openSUSE Leap 15.1
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1
Kali Linux
Debian GNU/Linux
Fedora Remix for WSL
Pengwin
Pengwin Enterprise
Alpine WSL
Raft(Free Trial)
Alma Linux

From the distribution’s page, select “Get”.

The first time you launch a newly installed Linux distribution, a console window will open and you’ll be asked to wait for a minute or two for files to de-compress and be stored on your PC. All future launches should take less than a second.

You will then need to create a user account and password for your new Linux distribution.

CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve successfully installed and set up a Linux distribution that is completely integrated with your Windows operating system!

Src:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-manual