These are some of the frequently asked questions regarding WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux). WSL 2 is a massive improvement over WSL 1. WSL 2 brings Full System-Call Compatibility and Much Faster I/O Performance. If you want to know about how to install/upgrade to WSL 2, check out THIS link.
How to set Default Username in your distro ?
-
Method 1: Using PowerShell
-
Open PowerShell and type the command:
distroName config --default-user username
- Command:
cd
- Command:
touch /etc/wsl.conf
- Command:
nano /etc/wsl.conf
Method 2: Using your distro
Edit the wsl.conf file with the following:
[user]
default=username
Save and Exitwsl --shutdown
How to MOVE your WSL distro (Version 1 or 2) to another drive (outside of C:) ?
Here I am MOVING my Ubuntu distro from C: drive to a folder in D: drive named "Ubuntu_20.04_LTS"
- Open PowerShell
- Command:
cd D:\
- Command:
wsl --export Ubuntu ubuntu-wsl.tar
[This exports the curent wsl distro (Ubuntu) as a .tar file
(ubuntu-wsl.tar in this case)]
- Command:
wsl --unregister Ubuntu
[This deletes/unregisters the current wsl distro (Ubuntu)]
-
Command:
wsl --import Ubuntu .\Ubuntu_20.04_LTS\ .\ubuntu-wsl.tar
[This imports/creates a new wsl distro named "Ubuntu" inside the
folder "Ubuntu_20.04_LTS" using the ubuntu-wsl.tar file]
- Copy all your files into your home/username/ directory of your wsl distro
- Command:
wsl --set-version Ubuntu 2
[Converts the wsl distro from version 1 to 2]
How to increase the capacity of the wsl 2 distro (the vhdx capacity) ?
-
First check the current capacity of your distro with Command:
df -h
- Locate your vhdx file
- Open PowerShell to get the PackageFamilyName
-
Command:
Get-AppxPackage -Name "*Ubuntu*" | Select PackageFamilyName
- Locate the vhdx file: Open RUN > appdata > Local > Packages > PackageFamilyName > LocalState > disk.vhdx
- Open PowerShell and type command:
diskpart
- Command:
Select vdisk file="PathToVHDX"
- Command:
expand vdisk maximum="SizeInMB"
- Command:
Exit
-
Open PowerShell and type command:
wsl --shutdown
- Open your wsl distro (Ubuntu in my case)
- Command:
sudo mount -t devtmpfs none /dev
-
Command:
mount | grep ext4
[Copy the name of the entry: /dev/sdXX] - Command:
sudo resize2fs /dev/sdXX
-
If resize2fs is not installed then install by command:
sudo apt install resize2fs
-
Open PowerShell and type command:
wsl --shutdown
-
Open your wsl distro and type following command to verify the
change:
df -h
-
It's (Ubuntu in my case) default location can be found by:
How to change Ownership and Write Permissions of a directory/folder in linux ?
-
Command:
sudo chown -R username pathToDirectory
[Changes the Ownership]
- Command:
sudo chmod -R 755 pathToDirectory
[Changes the Write Permissions]
How to uninstall a wsl distro ?
-
Open PowerShell and type:
wsl --unregister distroName
- Then manually Uninstall the Microsoft Store App from the Start Menu or Windows Settings.