Microsoft will update Windows Subsystem for Linux so that it can be installed from the Windows 10 app store very soon.
Microsoft said that Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) will move out of the preview phase and into the Windows 10 Microsoft Store. The announcement means that users will not only find it easier to use WSL. However, also that Linux apps with a graphical user interface will be possible to run. The technology also confirmed that the version will be installed by default in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Hence, making it easier to start up.
Craig Loewen, a product manager at Microsoft, said that people asked for WSL to be added to the Windows 10 Store. At Build 2020, the company said that it would be possible to run Linux apps with a graphical user interface without losing performance. But the Linux Subsystem version didn’t come out until a preview version in the Windows 11 Microsoft Store.
This means that to install the Store version, we can use the command wsl.exe —install. If you do this, the optional “Windows Subsystem for Linux” part will no longer be turned on, and neither the WSL kernel nor the WSLg packages will be installed, since they are not needed. Users who use the optional component to run WSL will be asked to upgrade to the Store version.
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Important change to the Windows Subsystem for Linux
Loewen says that when WSL is replaced by the app store, users will be able to get to subsystem features faster. Let’s remember that WSL is an optional part of the operating system. Thus, the binary files that make up the logic are part of its image. Changes to the subsystem are tied to Windows updates under this plan.
The WSL is not tied to a specific version of Windows, so it can be used to port binaries to an application. Updates to the subsystem come in the same way that updates to other programs come, which makes the process easier. You only need to turn on the Virtual Machine Platform component in Turn Windows features on or off.
With the deployment come a few more changes to the commands for installation. Users of Windows 10 can add any of the following to wsl.exe —install.
—inbox Use the optional Windows part instead of the Microsoft Store to install the WSL.
—enable-wsl1 Enables WSL 1 support during the installation of the Microsoft Store version by also turning on the optional “Windows Subsystem for Linux” component.
—no-distribution When you install WSL, it does not install any distribution.
—no-launch After installation, it does not start the distribution by itself.
—web-download Instead of going to the Microsoft Store, get the latest version of WSL from the web.
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Windows 10 Microsoft Store WSL installation
For the WSL to be available in the Microsoft Store, the operating system must be version 21H1, 21H2, or 22H2. In the same way, you must have the KB5020030 or KB5019157 updates for Windows 10 or Windows 11. For now, only a few people can use it. But Microsoft has said that everyone will be able to use it by mid-December.
Once it arrives, all you’ll need to do is run the command wsl —install as administrator from a terminal. If you already use the Microsoft Store, all you have to do to get the latest version is type wsl —update.