Installing WSL 2 onto Windows 10 isn't a hassle anymore

Ubuntu on Windows 10 (Image credit: Future)

What you need to know

You can now install WSL 2 onto Windows 10 with a single command.
Previously, you had to enable it, download components for it, and go through a setup process.
To use the new setup process, your PC needs to be on the Windows 10 May 2020 Update (version 2004) or newer.

It's now significantly easier to install WSL 2 onto Windows 10 than before. People can now just enter

wsl --install

into PowerShell to use WSL. The Windows Dev Docs team announced the change on Twitter. To use this new method to set up WSL, your PC has to run the Windows 10 May 2020 Update (version 2004) or newer.

WSL 2 is a newer version of the Windows Subsystem for Linux. It provides full system compatibility on Windows 10 PCs, but its setup process has historically been more complex.

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With WSL 1, all you had to do was enable it and reboot your PC. Setting up WSL 2 was more complex, at least until now. Our guide on how to install Linux WSL2 on Windows 10 shows how much effort was needed before.

The WSL install page has been one of our most viewed topics. While we hate to see that traffic decrease, we're happy to announce that on Windows 10 versions 2004 and newer, you now just enter:

wsl --install

with PowerShell/CMD to get started with WSL! pic.twitter.com/YPdd3mSNHSThe WSL install page has been one of our most viewed topics. While we hate to see that traffic decrease, we're happy to announce that on Windows 10 versions 2004 and newer, you now just enter:

wsl --install

with PowerShell/CMD to get started with WSL! pic.twitter.com/YPdd3mSNHS— Windows Dev Docs (@WindowsDocs) August 2, 2021 August 2, 2021

The new installation method streamlines the process of getting into WSL 2, allowing developers and anyone else to get started quickly.

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Sean Endicott is a News Writer at Windows Central, where he covers Windows 11, Surface hardware, Microsoft 365, AI, apps, and the broader PC ecosystem. Since joining the site in 2017, he has written well over a thousand articles across the Microsoft landscape, covering breaking news, analysis, and feature reporting.

He writes Windows Wrap, a weekly column covering the biggest stories in Windows and the PC industry, and what they mean for the platform going forward.

Before joining Windows Central full-time, Sean worked in journalism and media production after earning a First Class degree in Broadcast Journalism from Nottingham Trent University. Outside of tech, he is an award-winning American football coach based in Nottingham, England, and was named BAFCA Youth Coach of the Year in 2024.