Install WSL 2 to Run Linux on Windows

These notes provide instructions on how to install a Linux environment on a Windows operating system.

First, run PowerShell as Administrator, then run the following command:

wsl --install

Windows PowerShell will then start the installation.

Downloading: Windows Subsystem for Linux 2.6.3
[==========================61.2%====                       ]

Figure 1: Completed installation of WSL 2

Once completed, you will be prompted to enter a username and password to access the Ubuntu instance.

One can also test the installation in another shell by running the following command:

wsl --list --verbose

which returns an output of the type,

  NAME      STATE           VERSION
* Ubuntu    Running         2

Finally, make sure version 2 is used by default if not, set it by running:

wsl --set-default-version 2