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

URL: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-install-wsl-windows-11/
Published: 2026-08-04 | Author: Ankit Kumar
Tags: Windows 11, System, Setup, Apps
Summary: Run Ubuntu and other Linux distributions inside Windows 11 with WSL. One command installs it — here is that command, plus fixes for every common error.

## 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off in firmware, the two optional Windows features it depends on are not enabled, or the WSL kernel component is out of date.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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-enable-hyper-v-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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-check-pc-specs-windows-11/).
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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-enter-bios-uefi-windows-11/).
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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-enable-virtualization-vt-x-amd-v-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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/fix-error-0x80004005-unspecified-error-windows-11/).
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](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-run-sfc-dism-repair-windows-11/).

Related: [how to enable Hyper-V in Windows 11](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-enable-hyper-v-windows-11/), [how to use Task Scheduler](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-use-task-scheduler-windows-11/), and [how to check your PC specs](https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-check-pc-specs-windows-11/).

---
Source: https://www.mytechnician.tech/tips/how-to-install-wsl-windows-11/ — My Technician, free Windows 10/11 troubleshooting guides.
More guides: https://www.mytechnician.tech/llms.txt