Popular Linux distro for WSL is almost here, and you can help test it out TODAY

A little while ago, the Fedora Project announced plans to release an official image of its distro for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). The planned release was to coincide with the next major version, Fedora 42, and that's coming up fast.

Now, though, eager beavers can test it out before release, with February 17 marking the official Fedora test day for its WSL image. Anyone can take part, grabbing the image directly from Fedora, installing it, and playing around with it.

As it's a pre-release, you will need to manually install the image, but it's not too difficult. Fedora developers are also on hand throughout the day to provide with feedback and answer questions through their Matrix server.

To install the Fedora 42 pre-release build, head to the test day page and download the tarball you need, there is one available for x86_64 and arm64. So you're also able to participate if you're using a shiny new Snapdragon X-powered Copilot+ PC.

Once you have the file, open up Windows Terminal (or your other favorite terminal) into PowerShell and enter the following command:

wsl --install --from-file <location of file> 

Or, to make it simpler, simply right-click on the folder you saved it to, hit "Open in Terminal" and then you don't have to enter the full path, just the command followed by the file name (start typing it and then hit Tab to autocomplete for extra simplicity).

Of course, you aren't obliged to provide any feedback, but as it's a test day, it's certainly recommended. This is all to help ensure the full release is the best it can be, and as it's the first time Fedora is doing it, it doesn't hurt to be as helpful as possible.

Once the test day is over, the results will be published, and the work goes on. The desktop release of Fedora 42 is currently slated for April, so it's a decent bet that the WSL version in its final form will be targeting a similar timeline. But for now, go grab it, play with it, and let them know what you think.