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# You Can Now Officially Run Arch Linux Inside Windows
- URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/arch-linux-wsl-release/
- Published: 2025-04-29T05:45:22.000Z
- Updated: 2025-04-29T05:45:22.000Z
- Description: Arch Linux is now officially available on Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).
- Author: Sourav Rudra
- Tags: Application Releases, News, #Import 2025-11-08 21:15

If you are new around here, then it's important to know that [Arch Linux](https://archlinux.org/?ref=itsfoss.com) is a lightweight, flexible, [rolling release](https://itsfoss.com/rolling-release/) Linux distribution that is known for its simplistic yet power-user-centric approach that has impressed many. 

Whereas Windows Subsystem for Linux, or [WSL](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/about?ref=news.itsfoss.com), is a compatibility layer that allows users to run a fully-fledged Linux environment inside a Windows machine without the need for a [virtual machine](https://itsfoss.com/virtual-machine/).

A few months ago, [we were the first to report](https://itsfoss.com/arch-linux-wsl-image/) that an official Arch Linux image would be coming to WSL, and as expected, it's now officially here!

## Arch Linux on WSL is Looking Good

Windows users now officially have the right to say “*I use Arch, btw*” thanks to WSL now featuring an official image of Arch Linux. This marks a notable accomplishment for [Robin Candau](https://antiz.fr/?ref=news.itsfoss.com) and the other Arch contributors who worked on setting it all up.

I took the image for a quick run on a Windows 11 machine, running commands like [pacman -Syu](https://itsfoss.com/pacman-syu/) and [Fastfetch](https://itsfoss.com/fine-control-fastfetch/). Everything went very smoothly, without any hiccups, providing me with a clean experience right from the get-go.

While I'm not an Arch user myself, it's great to see this being offered. If you ask me, it's a nice way to introduce Arch Linux to new users in an easy, approachable manner.

Those eager to try this out should keep in mind that **support for the official Arch Linux WSL image will be provided on a best-effort, low-priority basis**. So, if you encounter any issues, don't expect immediate resolutions.

## Want to Try it Out?

![wsl installation method on windows 11](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2025/04/wsl-installation-method.png)

If you don't have WSL installed on your Windows computer, install it by running the following command in PowerShell:

```
wsl --install --no-distribution
```

Reboot your computer after the installation is done and run this command to get a list of WSL images:

```
wsl -list --online
```

![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2025/04/arch-linux-wsl-installation-1.png)

![successfull installation of arch linux on wsl](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2025/04/arch-linux-wsl-installation-3.png)

**Finding Arch Linux on WSL is not that hard.*

Now, use this command to get Arch Linux installed:

```
wsl --install archlinux
```

Wait a bit for the installation to finish and then run the following command to boot into Arch Linux:

```
wsl -d archlinux
```

Before you start using Arch Linux on WSL, be sure to run the *pacman -Syu* command to update the system with all the latest packages. If you need help [using WSL](https://itsfoss.com/tag/wsl/), then you can refer to our [essential WSL commands](https://itsfoss.com/wsl-commands/) list:

[Basic WSL Commands You Should KnowYou can manage the WSL distros effectively using these commands.![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/icon/android-chrome-192x192-82.png)It's FOSSSreenath![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/thumbnail/basic-wsl-commands.png)](https://itsfoss.com/wsl-commands/)