# How to setup WSL in Windows?

## Introduction

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a feature of Windows that allows you to run a Linux environment on your Windows machine, without the need for a separate virtual machine or dual booting.

The primary reason for developing WSL, according to Microsoft, was to allow developers who were using open-source tools to keep developing on Windows.

WSL offers numerous benefits over native windows operating system such as --

*   **Linux environment on Windows** – Use native Linux tools (`bash`, `apt`, Docker, Git) without dual-booting or virtual machines.
    
*   **Lightweight and fast** – Consumes far fewer resources than traditional VMs while delivering near-native performance.
    
*   **Cross-Platform Development** – With WSL, you can access the Windows file system from Linux & call Windows executables from Linux, or vice versa.
    
*   **Enhanced VS Code Integration** – The WSL extension lets you edit Linux files directly in VS Code and run commands in an integrated terminal—no context switching between Windows and Linux environments.
    
*   **Cost-Effective Solution** – Unlike virtual machines that require extra resources and licensing, WSL runs natively on Windows at zero additional cost.
    

## Step-by-Step Guide

### Step 1: Open Windows PowerShell as Administrator

Run this command.

```shell
## By default, it'll install Ubuntu
wsl --install
## To install a specific Linux Distro
wsl --install <distro_name>
## To install Debian
wsl --install Debian
```

You can see the list of available WSL distros by running this command.

```shell
wsl --list --online
```

### Step 2: Set username & password for your WSL distro

After the installation is successful, it'll prompt you to create a username & password for your distro. Provide a suitable username & password.

After successful setup, you'll be automatically inside WSL.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/uploads/covers/68836bd20851784e4674b062/f8241378-b967-4d44-a08f-f9e76a423e82.jpg align="center")

Now, you can start to run commands here just like inside a Linux operating system.

### Step 3: Launch WSL from Windows PowerShell

Now whenever you want to re-enter WSL, run this command in your Windows PowerShell.

```shell
wsl -d <distro_name>
## For ubuntu
wsl -d ubuntu
```

To set Ubuntu as your default WSL distro, run this command.

```shell
wsl --set-default <distro_name>
## To set ubuntu as default
wsl --set-default Ubuntu
```

## How to exit WSL?

To exit the WSL environment, you can run these commands --

`exit` -> Ends current shell session.  
`logout` -> Similar to `exit`, logs out of the shell.  
`Ctrl + D` -> Keyboard shortcut for `exit`.

These closes the current shell session but does not stop the WSL instance if other processes are running.

To gracefully shutdown all the running WSL instances, use this command.

```shell
## From Windows PowerShell
wsl --shutdown

## Inside WSL
wsl.exe --shutdown
```

## Limitations of WSL

While WSL has lots of upsides, it has some downsides too --

*   **GUI Support Limitations** – WSL does not support full GUI applications as well as a native Linux installation, which may be a drawback for users who rely heavily on GUIs.
    
*   **File System Performance Issues** – Accessing Windows files from WSL is significantly slower than native Linux file operations, impacting build times and file-heavy workflows.
    
*   **Performance Limitations** – While WSL is faster than native windows for everyday use, it can be noticeably slower than native Linux, especially for resource-intensive applications.
    
*   **Memory Issues in WSL**– When using WSL, you might encounter memory issues where WSL consumes a significant amount of RAM or runs out of memory.
    

## Conclusion

WSL is excellent for development and CLI tools, but falls short for hardware-dependent tasks, GUI applications, performance-critical workflows, and resource-constrained machines. For those use cases, dual-boot or native Linux still remains superior.