Microsoft is now moving its Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) app on the Microsoft Store from preview to full release. This means version 1.0.0 of WSL is coming to the store for Windows 11 and Windows 10 users.
WSL was brought to the Microsoft Store a year ago, making it easier for users to access the service. According to the company, there are clear advantages to installing the store version of WSL. For example, users receive more frequent and faster updates, error printing is more efficient, and they can also get system support.
Microsoft also details the following benefits that are available via WSL on the Microsoft Store:
- “wsl.exe –install will now automatically install the Store version of WSL, and will no longer enable the “Windows Subsystem for Linux” optional component, or install the WSL kernel or WSLg MSI packages as they are no longer needed (The Virtual machine platform optional component will still be enabled, and by default Ubuntu will still be installed).
- wsl.exe –install` also now includes:
- –inbox Installs WSL using the optional Windows component instead of using the Microsoft Store
- –enable-wsl1 Enables WSL 1 support during the install of the Microsoft Store version by also enabling the “Windows Subsystem for Linux” optional component
- –no-distribution Do not install a distribution when installing WSL
- –no-launch Do not automatically launch the distro after install
- –web-download Download the most recent version of WSL from the internet instead of the Microsoft Store.
- wsl.exe –update will now check for and apply updates for the WSL MSIX package from the Microsoft Store, rather than updating the WSL kernel MSI
- When running WSL using the Windows optional component version, once a week we will show a message on start up indicating that you can upgrade to the Store version by running wsl –update.”
WSL
WSL 2 is Microsoft's latest version of the service that allows Linux distros to function within Windows. Distribution can run the original WSL or the updated second version, and users can switch when they want.
The Microsoft Store version of the service remains is only available to seekers. A seeker is essentially a user who will need to look for the update themselves instead of receiving an automatic bump. However, the company says it will become available to everyone automatically during December.
You can download Windows Subsystem for Linux from the Microsoft Store here.
Tip of the day: File History is a Windows back up feature that saves each version of files in the Documents, Pictures, Videos, Desktop, and Offline OneDrive folders. Though its name implies a primary focus on version control, you can actually use it as a fully-fledged backup tool for your important documents.
