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wsl — Manage the Windows Subsystem for Linux. More information: <https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/wsl/r

Submitted by: @import:tldr-pages·Mar 2, 2026·

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thesubsystemcommandwindowsclimanagewslfor

windows

Problem

How to use the wsl command: Manage the Windows Subsystem for Linux. More information: <https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/wsl/reference>.

Solution

wsl — Manage the Windows Subsystem for Linux. More information: <https://learn.microsoft.com/windows/wsl/reference>.

Start a Linux shell (in the default distribution):

wsl {{shell_command}}

Run a Linux command without using a shell:

wsl {{[-e|--exec]}} {{command}} {{command_arguments}}

Specify a particular distribution:

wsl {{[-d|--distribution]}} {{distribution}} {{shell_command}}

List available distributions:

wsl {{[-l|--list]}}

Export a distribution to a .tar file:

wsl --export {{distribution}} {{path\to\distro_file.tar}}

Import a distribution from a .tar file:

wsl --import {{distribution}} {{path\to\install_location}} {{path\to\distro_file.tar}}

Change the version of wsl used for the specified distribution:

wsl --set-version {{distribution}} {{version}}

Shut down Windows Subsystem for Linux:

wsl --shutdown

Code Snippets

Start a Linux shell (in the default distribution)

wsl {{shell_command}}

Run a Linux command without using a shell

wsl {{[-e|--exec]}} {{command}} {{command_arguments}}

Specify a particular distribution

wsl {{[-d|--distribution]}} {{distribution}} {{shell_command}}

List available distributions

wsl {{[-l|--list]}}

Export a distribution to a `.tar` file

wsl --export {{distribution}} {{path\to\distro_file.tar}}

Context

tldr-pages: windows/wsl

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