Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) for Windows 11 has been updated with new features and improvements, like the support for Linux GUI apps, changes to make it easier to install and update the platform, File Explorer integration, storage enhancements, and more.
Even though it is still considered as WSL version 2, there are many improvements to the experience, including a new faster installation process. Before, WSL 1 is needed to be enabled first through the Windows Features interface, enable the virtualization platform, and download an update for the kernel to switch to WSL 2. So that’s way too many steps, but with the new Windows 11, Microsoft is implementing two new commands, including the wsl –install and wsl –update to install and update the system more quickly.
To conclude, if the WSL is not set up on your computer, you can now run the wsl --install command to install all the components required to start using Linux on Windows 11. The command will configure the virtual machine platform, install the WSL components, download the Windows Subsystem for Linux kernel, set up the Linux GUI app support, and install the Ubuntu by default. After running the command, the only extra step is to restart the computer to apply the configuration.
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