Manually Install Windows Subsystem for Linux on Windows 10

Posted on July 31, 2021 by - Windows, Windows 10

Here is how you can manually Install Windows Subsystem for Linux on Windows 10

Two years ago, Microsoft announced some significant new additions to Windows, including a real Linux kernel. Called the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), it is a compatibility layer for running Linux binary executables natively on a compatible version of Windows.

Currently, there are two ways to install WSL on your machine. The simple way, which is available in the latest preview builds of Windows 10 as well as Windows 11, is the use of a one-line command from the Command Prompt. However, that method is not available for users of Windows 10’s stable releases. If you are a part of the Windows Insider program and have (OS build 20262 or higher), you can head over to our guide over here.

This guide is for how to manually install WSL on Windows 10. Here is how you can do it,

Install WSL 1 on Windows 10

  1. Open Windows PowerShell by searching for it from the Start menu and type the following command, 
    dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
  2. Restart your PC.
  3. Open Microsoft Store and search for the Linux distribution you want to install on your PC. Here are a few links,
  4. Install your selected Linux distribution by clicking on Get.

The first time you launch a newly installed Linux distribution, a console window will open and you’ll be asked to wait for files to de-compress and be stored on your PC. Once it is set up, it will also ask you to create a user account and password for the new Linux distribution.

Install WSL 2 on Windows 10

Requirements for WSL 2

  • For x64 systems: Version 1903 or higher, with Build 18362 or higher.
  • For ARM64 systems: Version 2004 or higher, with Build 19041 or higher.

You can check your Windows Build version using our guide.

  1. Open Windows PowerShell by searching for it from the Start menu and type the following command, 
    dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
  2. Now type the following command to enable the Virtual Machine, 
    dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart
  3. Download the Linux kernel update package from the following link,
  4. Run the update package by clicking on the file you downloaded in the previous step.
  5. Type the following command to set WSL 2 as your default version, 
    wsl --set-default-version 2
  6. Open Microsoft Store and search for the Linux distribution you want to install on your PC. Here are a few links,
  7. Install your selected Linux distribution by clicking on Get.

The first time you launch a newly installed Linux distribution, a console window will open and you’ll be asked to wait for files to de-compress and be stored on your PC. Once it is set up, it will also ask you to create a user account and password for the new Linux distribution.