While there may not be any visual differences between WSL 1 and WSL 2, there are differences that separate the two based on their functions and performances. Here are the differences between WSL 1 and WSL 2. Now that you have seen the differences between WSL 1 and WSL 2, let’s take a look at how you can install WSL 2 on your Windows 11 PC.
How to Install WSL 2 on Windows 11 / 10 PC
System Requirements
WSL 2 can be installed on Windows 10 as well as Windows 11 PCs. While WSL 2 can be installed on any Windows 11 PC, there is a certain requirement that needs to be met if you wish to install WSL 2 on Windows 10. Windows 10 x64 Systems
Version 1903 or newerBuild 18362 or newer
Windows 10 ARM64 systems
Version 2004 or newerBuild 19041 or newer
If your Windows 10 system is not on a build that is newer than the mentioned ones, it is recommended that you update it to the latest available version, or simply install Windows 11 on your PC provided it passes the system requirements for Windows 11. If you simply thought that you could install and run WSL 2 on your system, you are wrong. In fact, you will have to first enable two features in order to get WSL 2 working on your system.
Enable Windows Subsystem for Linux.
This is an optional feature that is available in Windows 10 as well as Windows 11 systems. However, to get WSL 2 working on your system, you need to enable this feature. Follow these steps
Enable Virtual Machine Platform
In order to run WSL 2 on your system as well as run various Linux distros right away, your system will have to have virtualization capabilities and features in order to run WSL 2. Here is how you can enable the Virtualization features Now that you have enabled these features on your Windows PC, it is time to download the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 to your PC. There are two ways you can follow to download the WSL 2 package. Let’s take a look.
How to Install WSL 2
Method 1
The first method of installing WSL 2 onto your system is by using the command line. Here is how you can install WSl 2 on your Windows PC.
Method 2
The second method to installing WSL 2 on your Windows PC is by installing it from the Microsoft Store. Here is how you can install it from the Microsoft Store. And this is how you can install WSL 2 on your Windows PC. With WSL 2 installed, you can now install any Linux Distro on your Windows PC. In fact, you will also be able to run the OS natively without you having to dual boot or install a new OS to your system.
Download and Install Linux Distros
The Microsoft Store is a great place where you can get a variety of Linux distros to install and use on your PC. You can download the following Linux distros from the Microsoft Store right away.
Alpine WSLDebianFedora Remix for WSlKali Linuxopen SUSE LeapPengwinPengwin EnterpriseRaftSUSE Linux Enterprise ServerUbuntu
Once you have downloaded the distro that you want, you need to restart your PC. With the PC restarted, simply search for the distro that you downloaded in the Start menu and launch it. The distro will now load up and will be ready for you to use. And this is how you can run Linux on your Windows PC without having to dual boot or install it as a partition on your Windows PC.
Conclusion
This is how you can install WSL 2 on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PCs. The process is simple and easy to follow. Now that you are able to run Linux distros within Windows, which will your go-to Linux distro that you will be using? Let us know in the comments below. If you have any queries, feel free to leave them below as well. Also Check:
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