In 2018, Microsoft acquired GitHub for $7.5 billion. Similarly, Microsoft joined Canonical (the software company behind Ubuntu) as a partner, to bring Linux support to Windows 10. In Windows 10 Anniversary update, Microsoft introduced Windows Subsystem for Linux. And, in the fall creators update, it became a stable feature. Now you can run Ubuntu, Kali Linux, Debian, and OpenSUSE on the latest Windows. More Linux distribution support will be coming soon. If you’re a programmer or student and want to learn Linux Commands. Then, this article will help you to enable the Linux Bash Shell on Windows 10. Also, I will tell you, how to upgrade the Windows subsystem Linux from WSL1 to WSL2. WSL2 offers a lot of new improvements.
What is Linux Bash Shell in Windows 10?
The first thing you need to know is, It is not a virtual machine or an application like Cygwin. It is a Linux system that works inside Windows 10. Basically, you can run the Linux Bash shell that you find out in a Linux Distribution. And, it is based on Microsoft’s abandoned Project Astoria. That was started to port Android apps to Windows 10 Mobile. You can install Ubuntu and other Distro in Windows like a regular application. It is a good way to learn Unix/Linux commands. So no need to dual boot Linux and install a virtual machine.
Linux Bash Shell is just the opposite of the Wine compatibility layer. That was developed to run Windows applications on an operating system like Linux, macOS, & BSD. And, In Windows, Linux Bash Shell allows you to run a Linux terminal and run Linux command-line utilities. That includes bash, ssh, git apt, and many more. But, there are some limitations. Like, it doesn’t support background server software. And, it won’t officially work with graphical Linux desktop applications. Even, not all command-line applications work. But, you can Install some command-line applications like VI text editor. You can now even Install Linux Distros on Android Without Root.
Enable the Linux Bash Shell on Windows 10
Enabling a Linux bash shell in Windows 10 is quite simple. You have to enable a few settings and features first. After that, you can download the Linux distribution of your choice from Microsoft Store.
Enable Windows Developer Mode.
1. Press Windows + I key simultaneously to open the Settings App.
2. Click on Privacy & Security from the left pane.
3. After that, click on “For Developers”.
3. You will now see the Developer Mode option, turn it on.
Turn on Windows Subsystem for Linux Feature
Make sure Windows 10 is up-to-date, or else you won’t find this feature.
1. Click on the Search icon in Windows 10 and look for “Turn Windows features on or off”. And, click on Open.
2. Windows feature window will get open. Scroll down and look for “Windows Subsystem for Linux”, mark it to enable, and click on OK.
3. Once, the feature get enabled windows will ask you to restart Windows. Click on “Restart now”. Or, you can manually restart Windows 10.
Enabling a Linux bash shell in Windows 10 is quite simple. You have to enable a few settings and features first. After that, you can download the Linux distribution of your choice from Microsoft Store.
Install Ubuntu from Microsoft Store.
1. After rebooting Windows, Open Microsoft and search for Linux. You can find out many Linux distributions in search results. If you’re trying Linux first time then Install Ubuntu App. Click on the Get and then Install button.
2. When the Ubuntu App installation gets done. Do restart Windows again to apply changes.
3. Now, search for Ubuntu from the start menu and open it.
Installing will appear.
4. After that, It will ask you for a UNIX username and password. After that Linux Terminal will be ready to use.
That’s it, You have enabled Linux Bash Shell on Windows 10. You can use many commands and will work flawlessly. Also, you can upgrade Ubuntu to the latest build with this command: Sudo apt upgrade.
So that’s how you can install Linux Bash Shell on Windows 10. If you want to know, what you can do with it. Then feel free to Comment.