> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://itsfoss.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Essential WSL Commands - URL: https://itsfoss.com/wsl-commands/ - Published: 2024-07-03T11:22:06.000Z - Updated: 2025-02-05T11:02:20.000Z - Description: You can manage the WSL distros effectively using these commands. - Author: Sreenath - Tags: Using WSL, #docs These are some essential WSL commands that you should be aware of. 💡 The command line utility, `wsl`, used throughout this article, is also available from inside a WSL distribution. In order to access inside a Linux distribution, you need to use `wsl.exe` instead of `wsl`. ## List available WSL distributions There are several distributions, that you can install directly from either Microsoft store or through terminal commands. When it comes to listing these distributions, it is easier to use the terminal commands. Open a terminal in Windows and run: ``` wsl --list --online ``` ![List all the available distributions is showed in terminal, that can be installed using either terminal or from Microsoft store.](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/wsl-list-online.png) List available distributions ## Install Ubuntu, the default distribution As specified in the above listing command, there are various distributions available, like Ubuntu and several versions of it, Debian, openSUSE, etc. But in WSL, Ubuntu is set as the default distribution, if you didn't tweak that explicitly. So, if you want to install Ubuntu, you can open a terminal in Admin mode and run the command: ``` wsl --install ``` ![Install the default distribution, that is Ubuntu using the install option](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/wsl-install.png) Install default distribution ## Install Debian or some other distribution Not a fan of Ubuntu? Don't worry! You can install the other distributions, that are available by using the command: ``` wsl --install --distribution OR wsl --install -d ``` ![Install Debian in WSL. Since Debian is not the default distribution, we need to specify it explicitly.](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/wsl-install-distribution-debian.png) Install Debian in WSL You should make sure that, the `distribution_name` should be same as the name shown in the output of the `wsl --list --online` command. ## List installed distributions If you have multiple distributions installed, it is important to list those for future management. In order to do that, use the command: ``` wsl --list --verbose OR wsl -l -v ``` ![List the installed distributions in WSL. The verbose option will give you the details of each installed distribution as well.](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/wsl-l-v.webp) List installed distributions As you can see, this will give the proper name of the installed distributions, including its current status (running or stopped) and the WSL version it is using. ## Run a distribution from Windows terminal If you have installed the distribution from the store, you can launch it from the start menu. But that's not always the case. Sometimes, you may need to rely on the terminal to run a distribution. In that case, you can run a distribution by using: ``` wsl -d ``` 📋 ****Remember:** The `distribution_name` is the one that appears on the output of `wsl -l -v`. ## Terminate a running distribution I have covered this as a separate article as, how to [shut down a WSL system](https://itsfoss.com/shut-down-wsl-distros/). In short, if you want to terminate a running WSL distribution, run: ``` wsl --terminate ``` Or, if you intend to shut down the entire WSL system, use: ``` wsl --shutdown ``` ## Get the WSL version installed on your system There are two major versions for WSL; WSL 1 and WSL 2\. WSL version 2 has several advanced features and is better compared to WSL 1\. But how would you check the version of WSL on your system? To do that, you can execute the command: ``` wsl --version ``` ![Get the WSL version details using the --version option](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/wsl-version-2.png) Get WSL Version In the screenshot above, this command will print the version of WSL, the kernel version it is using, etc. You can see that I am running WSL 2 version. ## Check WSL Status You can check the status of WSL, its configuration, etc. using the `--status` option. ``` wsl --status ``` ![Check the status of WSL on your system.](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/wsl-status.png) Check WSL status Here, you can see that, I use WSL 2 as the default version. It also mentions that, WSL 1 is not configured properly, and what I should do to make it work. ## Change the WSL version of a distribution Let's say you are running a distribution using WSL 1, and you want to change the WSL version to 2 so that you can install Linux GUI apps with that system. For this, you can open a terminal in Admin mode and use the command below: ``` wsl --set-version ``` ![Changing WSL version between 1 and 2 for an installled Ubuntu distribution.](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/changing-wsl-version.png) Changing WSL version So, in my case, I will use: ``` wsl --set-version Ubuntu 2 ``` 🚧 You should be cautious when changing the WSL version of a distribution. Since WSL 1 and WSL 2 use different architectures, failures resulting in data losses are possible. ## Export a distribution Backing up data is always important, if you are dealing with critical information. In Linux distributions, we have tools like Timeshift, to create comprehensive system backups. What about WSL? Yes, WSL provides a built-in method to take a backup of your installed distribution along with all the data. 💡 It is better to create a two separate folders called `WSL_Exports` and `WSL_Imports` to keep the exported files and imported distributions. This way, you can avoid cluttering and easy data retrieval. To export a distribution, use the command inside the `WSL_Exports` folder (for convenience): ``` wsl --export ``` You are exporting the distribution along with the data to a tar file. The `distribution_name` should be the proper name, as in the output of the command `ws -l -v`. ![Export a WSL distribution to tar file.](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/take-a-backup-of-ubuntu-1.png) Export a distribution ## Import a distribution You have exported a distribution. Now, how will you restore it so that you can work with the data it carries? For this, on an elevated terminal, run the command: ``` wsl --import ``` Here, for future convenience, I am using a dedicated installation folder for the imports. So, my command will look like: ![Import a distribution from tar file](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/import-a-distribution-1.png) Import a distribution This will import the distribution from the file. The imported distribution won't have a start menu entry so that you can open easily. This is the case, even if the original distribution had a start menu entry. 🚧 While importing a distribution, make sure that there is no naming conflict. That means, if there is a distro with the name `Ubuntu` already in place, use some other name. ## Unregister a distribution To remove a distribution from the system, you can use the `--unregister` option of WSL. First, list the distribution using `wsl -l -v`. Note the name of the distribution and then perform the command: ``` wsl --unregister ``` ![Unregister a wsl distribution](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/unregister-a-wsl-distribution.png) Unregister a WSL distribution If you have installed the distribution from the list of available distributions (`wsl --list --online`), you may also need to uninstall the app from the system too. ## Update WSL To update WSL from the command line, you can use the command below on an elevated terminal: ``` wsl --update ``` ![Update a WSL distribution from command line.](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/wsl-update.png) Update WSL ## Get help There are many options and sub commands for WSL, that you can utilize to get the most out of WSL. So, if you need any assistance regarding some options, always use the built-in help mechanism. ``` wsl --help ``` ![Get help for various WSL commands and options.](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2024/04/wsl-help.png) WSL help system ## Wrapping Up I have gone through several important commands, that you can use to manage various distributions. If you are curious, you can download the cheat sheet given below, that lists some more commands, and their purposes. [WSL-commands-cheat-sheetDownload essential WSL commands cheat sheet.WSL-commands-cheat-sheet.pdf70 KBdownload-circle](https://itsfoss.com/content/files/2024/04/WSL-commands-cheat-sheet.pdf "Download")