Last Updated on October 12, 2021 by Mathew Diekhake

Microsoft has added the automatic distro installation to wsl --install in Windows 10 insiders preview build 20246. The automatic distro installation makes it easier to install Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) due to the fact that all the components you need for a successful installation will be automatically handled by Windows itself.

All the benefits of this new feature are reaped when you run the wsl --install command into the command line; that’s the only command you need now to end up with a full WSL install on your computer.

When you run the wsl --install command it will install Ubuntu which is one of the most popular Linux distributions people install. However, you can still install any other distro of your choice by running the wsl --install -d <Distro> command instead.

You’ll need to be specific when adding your Linux distros. If you don’t know the precise distro names, you can find them from the same command line by entering the wsl --list --online command.

The lead Program Manager for the Windows Developer Platform is Craig Loewen. You can Google search his name and then find him on Twitter if you want to communicate with him.

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