Windows 11 operating system has evolved allowing us to use different systems within its kernel without requiring the use of virtual machine technology and this is achieved thanks to WSL. WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), is a function with which it is possible to run a GNU / Linux environment in which we have the tools, utilities and command-line applications of the chosen but fully functional distro in Windows 11 as we mentioned without using virtual machines or the traditional dual boot.
Windows Subsystem for Linux
- Run bash shell scripts and GNU command-line applications like vim, emacs, tmux, and more
- Download and install distributions from the Microsoft Store
- It is compatible with the languages NodeJS, Javascript, Python, Ruby, C / C ++, C # & F #, Rust, Go and more
- Supports SSHD, MySQL, Apache, lighttpd, MongoDB, PostgreSQL services
- Windows applications can be invoked through a UNIX-style command-line shell
- We can invoke GNU / Linux applications in Windows 11
In Windows 11 we will have WSL 2 which has been developed as a new version of the Windows subsystem and this allows the Windows subsystem to run the Linux ELF64 binaries without any problem. This allows you to improve file system performance and add support for system calls.
With WSL 2 the operation of Linux binaries is changed towards Windows 11 and towards the hardware of the equipment but it preserves the simplicity base of WSL.
Please note, Linux distributions can be run with either the WSL 1 or WSL 2 architecture. These distributions can be upgraded or downgraded without a problem and it is possible to run WSL 1 and WSL 2 distributions in parallel. WSL 2 makes use of a new architecture with the ability to run a real Linux kernel.
The differences between WSL 1 and WSL 2
- Increase file system performance
- Full system call support
Distributions available for use with WSL
- Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
- Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
- opens USE Leal 15.1
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1
- Kali Linux
- Debian GNU / Linux
- Fedora Remix for WSL
- They put
- They put Enterprise
- Alpine WSL
We will explain how to install WSL on Windows 11.
How to install Linux on Windows 11 via CMD
- For this process open CMD as administrator
- Run: wsl –install
- This will install each of the necessary tools
- Ubuntu will be installed by default
- Restart Windows 11 to apply the changes
- When you log in, the Ubuntu installation will continue:
- A window with Ubuntu will be launched to complete the process:
- There we enter username and password to complete the process:
- From now on we can use Ubuntu in Windows 11 without a problem and with full compatibility. Open CMD as administrator and list the available systems with the command: wsl –list –online
How to install Linux on Windows 11 via Control Panel
- Open the Control Panel
- Click on “Uninstall a program”
- We will see the following window. We click on “Enable or disable Windows features”
- In the pop-up window, we locate the box “Windows Subsystem for Linux”
- Check the box “Windows Subsystem for Linux”
- Click OK to apply the changes
- Restart Windows 11 to apply the changes
- Log in and open the Windows Store, search for Ubuntu
- Select the desired version. Install that version
- Run Ubuntu and wait for the process to finish
- Enter username and password to finish the installation of the chosen distribution
- In the File Explorer, we will find a section dedicated to WSL and the used distros
This is all we need to do to install WSL on Windows 11 and enjoy the different editions of Windows 11.
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