How to Install WSL on Windows 11 (and Fix It When It Fails)

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Ankit Kumar
Windows 11SystemSetupApps

The Problem

WSL — the Windows Subsystem for Linux — runs a real Linux kernel inside Windows 11, so you get bash, apt, and Linux tooling without dual-booting or setting up a virtual machine by hand. On a current build the whole installation is one command.

It fails for a small, predictable set of reasons: hardware virtualization is switched off in firmware, the two optional Windows features it depends on are not enabled, or the WSL kernel component is out of date. Each has a distinct error code, and the codes below tell you which one you have.

Want a full virtual machine with its own desktop instead? That is a different tool — see how to enable Hyper-V in Windows 11.

Symptoms

  • wsl --install reports the command is not recognised.
  • Installation stops with 0x80370102 — the virtual machine could not be started.
  • WslRegisterDistribution failed with error: 0x800701bc — the WSL 2 kernel needs updating.
  • 0x8007019e — the Windows Subsystem for Linux feature is not enabled.
  • Ubuntu installs but the terminal closes immediately on launch.

Step 1: Check the Requirements

  1. Press Windows + R, type winver, press Enter. You need Windows 11 (any build) or Windows 10 build 19045 or later.
  2. Open Task Manager → Performance → CPU and look for Virtualization: Enabled at the bottom right. If it says Disabled, fix that first — go to Step 4.
  3. WSL needs a 64-bit CPU with virtualization support. Every processor sold in the last decade qualifies.
  4. Check your specs if unsure: how to check your PC specs.
  5. Windows 11 Home is fully supported. Unlike Hyper-V, WSL does not require Pro.

Step 2: Install With One Command

  1. Right-click Start → Terminal (Admin).
  2. Run: 
    wsl --install
  3. This enables both required features, downloads the Linux kernel, sets WSL 2 as the default, and installs Ubuntu.
  4. Restart the PC when it tells you to — the installation is not finished until you do.
  5. After the reboot, an Ubuntu window opens and asks you to create a username and password. The password is for Linux sudo and is unrelated to your Windows account. Nothing appears as you type it; that is normal for Linux.

Step 3: Enable the Features Manually If That Failed

If wsl --install is not recognised, or you saw 0x8007019e, turn the features on directly.

  1. Press Windows + R, type optionalfeatures, press Enter.
  2. Tick Windows Subsystem for Linux and Virtual Machine Platform. Leave Hyper-V alone — WSL does not need the full role.
  3. Click OK and restart.
  4. Or from Terminal (Admin): 
    dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart

    dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart
  5. Restart, then run wsl --install again.

Step 4: Enable Virtualization in Firmware

Error 0x80370102 means the CPU's virtualization extensions are switched off. This is a firmware setting, not a Windows one.

  1. Enter firmware setup: how to enter BIOS or UEFI.
  2. Look for Intel Virtualization Technology / VT-x on Intel boards, or SVM Mode on AMD boards — usually under Advanced, CPU Configuration, or Security.
  3. Set it to Enabled, save, and exit.
  4. Confirm in Task Manager → Performance → CPU that Virtualization now reads Enabled.
  5. Full walkthrough including where each vendor hides it: how to enable virtualization (VT-x / AMD-V) in the BIOS.

Step 5: Update the WSL Kernel

Error 0x800701bc means the kernel component is missing or old.

  1. In Terminal (Admin): 
    wsl --update
  2. Then set the default version explicitly: 
    wsl --set-default-version 2
  3. If wsl --update fails, download the WSL2 Linux kernel update package from Microsoft's official documentation and run the installer.
  4. Check what you have with: 
    wsl --version

Step 6: Choose and Install a Distribution

  1. List what is available: 
    wsl --list --online
  2. Install a specific one: 
    wsl --install -d Ubuntu-24.04
  3. Debian, Kali, openSUSE, and Oracle Linux are all available the same way.
  4. See what you already have installed, and which version each uses: 
    wsl --list --verbose
  5. Convert an older WSL 1 distribution to WSL 2: 
    wsl --set-version Ubuntu 2

Step 7: Fix the Remaining Common Errors

  1. "The requested operation could not be completed due to a virtual disk system limitation" — the distribution's virtual disk is in a compressed or encrypted folder. Right-click the folder → Properties → Advanced → untick Compress contents to save disk space.
  2. Terminal opens and closes instantly — reset the distribution: Settings → Apps → Installed apps → the distro → Advanced options → Reset. This erases its files, so export first (Step 8).
  3. No internet inside WSL — restart the subsystem from Terminal: 
    wsl --shutdown
    Then reopen it. If DNS is still broken, a VPN is usually the cause; disconnect and retry.
  4. Conflicts with VirtualBox or VMware — older versions cannot share the hypervisor with WSL 2. Update them to a current release. Related: fix error 0x80004005.
  5. Memory integrity blocking it — Windows Security → Device security → Core isolation details. Try turning Memory integrity off, reboot, and retest.

Step 8: Learn the Handful of Commands Worth Knowing

  1. Reach your Windows files from inside Linux at /mnt/c/Users/<yourname>.
  2. Reach your Linux files from Windows by typing \\wsl$ into File Explorer's address bar.
  3. Stop everything cleanly — the correct way to restart WSL: 
    wsl --shutdown
  4. Back a distribution up before doing anything risky: 
    wsl --export Ubuntu D:\ubuntu-backup.tar
    and restore it with: 
    wsl --import Ubuntu D:\wsl\Ubuntu D:\ubuntu-backup.tar
  5. Remove one completely: 
    wsl --unregister Ubuntu
    ⚠️ This permanently deletes that distribution and everything in it, with no recycle bin. Export first.

What Not to Do

  • Don't edit files in \\wsl$ with Windows tools that rewrite line endings unless you mean to. Mixed CRLF and LF endings break shell scripts in confusing ways.
  • Don't store project files under /mnt/c if you care about speed. Cross-filesystem access is much slower than keeping them inside the Linux filesystem.
  • Don't run wsl --unregister to "reset" a distribution. It deletes everything. Export first.
  • Don't leave memory integrity off permanently if turning it off was only a test — it is a genuine security protection.

Still Not Working?

If virtualization is enabled in firmware, both features are on, the kernel is current, and installation still fails, check whether an employer policy or a third-party security suite is blocking the hypervisor. Repair Windows itself as a last step: how to run SFC and DISM.

Related: how to enable Hyper-V in Windows 11, how to use Task Scheduler, and how to check your PC specs.

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