Windows Setup

This guide covers the Windows configuration required before installing WSL2, including BIOS settings and Windows features.

1. Prerequisites

  • Windows 11 (version 22H2 or later recommended)

  • Administrator access to your computer

  • Access to BIOS/UEFI settings

2. Enable hardware virtualisation in BIOS

WSL2 requires hardware virtualisation support. Most modern CPUs support this, but it may be disabled by default in BIOS.

2.1. Check current virtualisation status

  1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc)

  2. Click the Performance tab

  3. Select CPU from the left panel

  4. Look for Virtualisation: Enabled in the bottom-right section

If virtualisation shows as Disabled, you need to enable it in BIOS.

2.2. Enable virtualisation in BIOS

The exact steps vary by manufacturer, but the general process is:

  1. Restart your computer

  2. Enter BIOS/UEFI setup (typically by pressing F2, F10, F12, or Del during boot)

  3. Navigate to the CPU or Advanced settings section

  4. Look for one of these settings:

    • Intel VT-x or Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel CPUs)

    • AMD-V or SVM Mode (AMD CPUs)

  5. Enable the virtualisation setting

  6. Save and exit BIOS

If you cannot find the virtualisation setting, consult your motherboard or laptop manufacturer’s documentation. Some manufacturers hide this under Security or System Configuration menus.

3. Enable Windows features

WSL2 requires two Windows features to be enabled: Virtual Machine Platform and Windows Subsystem for Linux.

3.1. Option 1: PowerShell installation (recommended)

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

wsl --install

This command:

  • Enables the required Windows features

  • Downloads and installs the latest WSL2 kernel

  • Sets WSL2 as the default version

  • Downloads and installs Ubuntu (default distribution)

A restart is required after running this command. Save your work before proceeding.

3.2. Option 2: Manual feature installation

If you prefer to install components separately:

  1. Open PowerShell as Administrator

  2. Enable Virtual Machine Platform:

    dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart

  3. Enable Windows Subsystem for Linux:

    dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart

  4. Restart your computer

  5. After restart, set WSL2 as the default version:

    wsl --set-default-version 2

4. Update WSL

After installation, ensure you have the latest WSL version:

wsl --update

Verify the installation:

wsl --version

You should see output similar to:

WSL version: 2.3.26.0
Kernel version: 5.15.167.4-1
WSLg version: 1.0.65
...

5. Install Windows Terminal (optional but recommended)

Windows Terminal provides a modern terminal experience with tabs, split panes, and better font rendering.

5.1. Install from Microsoft Store

  1. Open the Microsoft Store

  2. Search for "Windows Terminal"

  3. Click Get or Install

5.2. Set as default terminal

  1. Open Windows Terminal

  2. Press Ctrl+, to open Settings

  3. Under Startup, set Default terminal application to Windows Terminal

  4. Under Default profile, select Ubuntu (after Ubuntu installation)

6. Verify Windows setup

Before proceeding to Ubuntu installation, verify:

  • Hardware virtualisation is enabled (check Task Manager > Performance > CPU)

  • WSL is installed (wsl --version shows version information)

  • WSL2 is the default version (wsl --status shows "Default Version: 2")

7. Next steps

Proceed to Ubuntu Installation to install and configure Ubuntu from the Microsoft Store.