Enable the Windows Subsystem for Linux

Finally! Linux on Windows is here! With an up-to-date Windows 10 machine, it's easy to get an Ubuntu Linux subsystem running on your Windows machine. With the Ubuntu subsystem, you will be able to use common Linux tools, such as grep, awk, and sed, on your Windows machine freely without the restrictions of a virtual machine or bulky Unix-like environment.

Steps

Checking Your Computer for Compatibility

  1. Right-click on This PC and select Properties. This will list a bunch of information about your computer.
  2. Ensure that your OS Build is above 14393.0.[1]
  3. Make sure that you have the 64-bit version of Windows 10 installed.[1]

Enabling Developer Mode

  1. Open the Start Menu and click on the gear icon right above the Shutdown button.
  2. Click on Update & Security.
  3. Click on For Developers.
  4. Click on the Developer Mode radio button. Windows 10 will display a warning for all of the implications that should be considered before turning Developer Mode on. Carefully read through all of these warnings and then press the Yes button.

Turning on Windows Subsystem for Linux

  1. Navigate to the Turn Windows Features On or Off settings page. It can easily be found by typing in "Turn Windows" in the Start Menu search bar.
  2. Click on the checkbox next to Windows Subsystem for Linux (Beta).
  3. Click on the OK button. Windows 10 will now start to download a bunch of files.
  4. When prompted, restart the computer. Your computer will display a screen indicating that it's updating. This is actually Windows 10 setting up the Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Post-Installation Setup

  1. Open bash. This is easily done by searching for "bash" in the Start Menu search bar.
  2. Upon opening for the first time, Windows Bash will prompt you to create a username and password. Enter in a username and password.
    • Note that the username and password do not have to be the same as the username the password used to log into your Windows 10 machine.

Warnings

  • Windows Subsystem for Linux is still very much beta and is prone to breaking and encountering issues. There are several resources available for looking up which programs work and which programs do not work as well as resources for troubleshooting.

Things You'll Need

  • A 64-bit Windows 10 install
  • The Windows 10 Anniversary update

Sources & Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/commandline/wsl/install_guide
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