Security News > 2021 > July > Windows 10 now lets you install WSL with a single command
Microsoft says the Windows Subsystem for Linux can now be installed on Windows 10, version 2004 or later using a single terminal command.
"In the latest Windows Insider Preview builds, you can install everything you need to run WSL just by running wsl.exe -install," Windows Developer Platform Program Manager Craig Loewen said.
To get access to this new feature, you have to update your computer to Windows 10 2004 or later via Windows Update or install the KB5004296 preview cumulative update, which also comes with fixes for fixes Windows 10 gaming issues.
How to install and use WSL. While previously you had to jump through several hoops such as installing multiple packages and toggling on several OS settings, now you only have to open a Command Prompt window as administrator and run the wsl.
Once WSL is installed, you can use wsl -update to update the Linux kernel and wsl -update rollback to switch to a previous kernel version.
WSL was released in 2018 and it is designed as a compatibility layer that makes it possible for Windows 10 users to run Linux binaries in ELF format natively on their computers, in a PowerShell or Windows 10 command prompt.
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