Windows Subsystem for Linux

The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a compatibility layer (interface that allows binaries for another system to run on a host system by translating the system calls into native ones) for running Linux binary executables natively on Windows.

Instalation

To use this tool you must be running Windows 10 version 2004 and higher (Build 19041 and higher) or Windows 11 as stated in the official documentation. Then, you can use wsl --install in administrator Powershell or Command Prompt to install everything You can install multiple distros under WSL and run them at the same time.

Usage

Installing a new distribution

Use wsl --install -d <Distribution Name> to install a distribution.
See which distributions are available through the online store with wsl --list --online. It is also possible to import any distro using a TAR file. For future reference, this is how you can create a custom distro.

Managing existing distributions

With wsl -l -v you can list the installed linux distributions, as well as the version of WSL of each one of them.
The wsl --setdefault <DistributionName> command allows changing the default distro used when executing commands in the Powershell.
To run a specific distro without changing the default, use wsl -d <DistributionName>, type the distribution’s name or click the icon on the Windows Start Panel.
Shutdown gracefully a distribution by using wsl -t DISTRO-NAME after wsl -l -v.
Shutdown All distributions installed using wsl --shutdown.