Windows 11 and Linux closer than ever
Windows has been opening up to other operating systems for some time. Thanks to the subsystems for Android and Linux, the applications of these two platforms run relatively normally within the Microsoft system. We already talked about all this when we published the guide on installing Android applications in Windows 11.
On this occasion, we want to focus on WSL2, Microsoft’s solution to run Linux applications without leaving Windows. We explain what are the requirements to run the subsystem for Linuxhow to download the necessary files and what steps to follow to download Linux applications on your PC.
Requirements to run WSL2
The Windows Subsystem for Linux is the runtime framework that allows you to download and install applications of this operating system on a PC.
For it to work on your computer, it must meet the following requirements:
- If you have a computer with x64 processor. Windows 11 or Windows 10 version 1903 or later, with build 18362 or later.
- On an ARM64 computer. Windows 11 or Windows 10 version 2004 or later, with build 19041 or later.
Additionally, if you haven’t done it before, you should enable the Windows Virtual Machine feature. To do this, open PowerShell as administrator and run this command:
- dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart
Then restart the computer. From this moment, you will have everything ready to implement one of the WSL-compatible Linux distributions. The complete list is this:
- Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
- Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
- OpenSUSE Leap 15.1
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP1
- kali linux
- Debian GNU/Linux
- Fedora Remix for WSL
- pengwin
- Pengwin Enterprise
- Alpine WSL
- Rafting
Let’s see how to do it.
How to install WSL2 on your computer step by step
To build this guide, we work with the assumption that you don’t already have the Windows Subsystem for Linux on your computer. If you’ve already downloaded a distribution from the Microsoft Store, skip ahead to the next section of the article to learn how to install linux apps on windows.
To get started, open a PowerShell window with administrator privileges. Best to do a search and click on Execute as an administrator.
Next, in the Windows PowerShell window, run this command:
When the installation is finished, a confirmation message similar to the one you see in the screenshot below will appear on the screen.
Also, you are informed that Ubuntu has been installed. It is the distribution that the system installs by default. It will even appear in the start menu as if it were a conventional application.
Ok, now that you are there, in the start menu, click on Ubuntu. Please note that this is a Linux installation no graphical interface. It’s not difficult to install GNOME or KDE to get a GUI session, but it’s not the focus of this post. The result is that Ubuntu will open in the Windows terminal and allow you to interact with the system via command line.
When you first open Ubuntu, you’ll need to set up a username and password. Remember the chosen credentials, since they will be needed for future operations that you carry out in the system.
Linux is ready. The time has come to download the first applications.
How to install Linux apps on Windows 11
If you already know the most basic Linux commands, surely you know what the next step is. Yes, we mean updating APT packages. Do it with the following command:
The system will ask you for the password you entered when creating the user. Upon completion, all software repositories will be up to date and ready to be queried during application installation.
We’ll start with one of the simplest programs, the Gedit text editor. Enter this command to install it:
- sudo apt install gedit -y
When the installation is finished, launch the application with the corresponding command:
It will run as normal, within its own window and with the interface it would have on any Linux distribution. The tests we did revealed that Gedit behaves excellently on Windows. All its features are enabled and fully functional.
Let’s continue with another slightly more complex installation. We refer to LibreOffice. We download this alternative office suite with the following command:
- sudo apt install libreoffice -y
And in this case, for a change, we propose don’t launch newly installed app from command line. Why? Because every time you install an application on Linux with WSL2, it appears in the folder ubuntu (or your chosen layout) from the start menu. From there, you can click on LibreOffice to run the suite.
The Linux version of Writer works perfectly on Windows.
You may be wondering what happens to the stored files. All of them, for example a LibreOffice document, are stored inside the virtual machine that contains Linux. However, Microsoft has thought of facilitating the transfer of files between the host and the guest system. Because of this, in the file explorer a section called linux, which lists all the files for each of the installed distributions. So when you save your work with an application running on top of WSL2, you’ll have access to it from Windows Explorer.
Despite this integration, there are some components that you will not be able to use. For example, the Windows Subsystem for Linux does not officially support connecting USB devices. Therefore, you will not be able to handle a memory stick or other peripherals. The open source project USBIPD-WINnot sponsored by Microsoft, tries to fix this problem.
Linux applications on Windows 11, are they worth installing?
The process to install Linux applications on Windows 11 does not require great knowledge. Actually, it is a process quite accessible to all types of users. The final question we must ask ourselves is Is this whole process really worth it? and what uses can be given to WSL2.
If we talk about performance, we have had excellent results in this regard. The applications run stably and without lag. Our tests have been carried out from a Huawei Matebook D15 with an AMD Ryzen 3500. Without a doubt, it is not the most powerful equipment, but at all times the subsystem has behaved perfectly.
Now, is it really necessary to run Linux applications inside Windows? It will depend on the type of user you are. It is a solution that saves you the implementation of a dual boot system for run applications that are only available on Linux. It is very convenient to have the full potential of this operating system without having to partition the disk.
Finally, WSL2 is also worth learning to use linux from the command line. It is evident that it is a tool that can have educational purposes, both academically and personally.
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