Summary of Common WSL Commands

1.Install WSL with default Ubuntu:

wsl --install

and then reboot.

2.List Available Distributions for Installation:

wsl -l -o

output eg:

NAME                                   FRIENDLY NAME
Ubuntu                                 Ubuntu
Debian                                 Debian GNU/Linux
kali-linux                             Kali Linux Rolling
Ubuntu-18.04                           Ubuntu 18.04 LTS
Ubuntu-20.04                           Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
Ubuntu-22.04                           Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Ubuntu-24.04                           Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
OracleLinux_7_9                        Oracle Linux 7.9
OracleLinux_8_7                        Oracle Linux 8.7
OracleLinux_9_1                        Oracle Linux 9.1
openSUSE-Leap-15.5                     openSUSE Leap 15.5
SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-Server-15-SP4    SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 SP4
SUSE-Linux-Enterprise-15-SP5           SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP5
openSUSE-Tumbleweed                    openSUSE Tumbleweed

3. Install a certain distribution:

wsl --install -d Ubuntu-24.04

4. List Installed Linux Distributions and Their WSL Versions:

wsl -l -v

5. Set Default Version for New Linux Installations (WSL 1 or WSL 2):

wsl --set-default-version <Version#>

Replace with 1 or 2 to set the default WSL version for new Linux installations.

6. Set Default Linux Distribution:

wsl -s <DistributionName>

7. Run a Specific Linux Distribution:

wsl -d <DistributionName>

8. Upgrade or Downgrade a Specific Linux Distribution between WSL 1 and WSL 2:

wsl --set-version <distro name> <Version#>

9. Launch the Default Linux Distribution from Command Prompt or PowerShell:

wsl

10. Run Linux Commands without Switching Distributions:

wsl [command]

11. remove an installed Linux distribution in WSL:

wsl --unregister <DistributionName>

12. Default Storage Location:

C:\Users\<YourUsername>\AppData\Local\Packages\CanonicalGroupLimited...Ubuntu..._\LocalState\ext4.vhdx

13. Export an Existing Distribution:

wsl --export <DistributionName> <ExportFilePath>
# eg: wsl --export Ubuntu C:\backups\ubuntu.tar

14. Import to a Custom Location:

wsl --import <NewDistributionName> <TargetFolder> <ImportFilePath>
# eg: wsl --import UbuntuCustom C:\wsl\UbuntuCustom C:\backups\ubuntu.tar

WSL を使用して Windows に Linux をインストールする方法

15. sets up a port proxy from any network interface on a certain port to the local machine’s port. eg:

netsh interface portproxy add v4tov4 listenport=2358 listenaddress=0.0.0.0 connectport=2358 connectaddress=127.0.0.1

just edit /etc/wsl.conf:

[boot]
systemd=true
[user]
default=fsi
[interop]
enabled=true
appendWindowsPath=true

• Enables systemd
• Sets default user fsi
• Lets WSL run Windows apps
• Adds Windows paths to $PATH

Restart WSL to apply