WSL for Windows

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) lets you run a real Linux environment directly inside Windows — no virtual machine, no dual boot. For web development, it's the recommended setup for Windows users.

What is WSL and why use it?

Most web development tools, tutorials, and deployment servers are built for Linux or macOS. When you follow a tutorial on Windows without WSL, you'll often hit small differences — file path formats, missing commands, or tools that behave differently — that slow you down and cause confusing errors.

WSL solves this by giving you a full Ubuntu Linux environment inside Windows. You get:

• The same terminal commands used in every tutorial (ls, cd, mkdir, touch)
• Node.js, npm, and Git behaving identically to macOS and Linux
• A filesystem that's fast and compatible with all dev tools
• VS Code integration that feels completely native

1. Enable WSL via PowerShell

Open PowerShell as Administrator — right-click the Start menu and choose "Windows PowerShell (Admin)" or "Terminal (Admin)".

Run this single command:

wsl --install

This enables WSL, installs the latest WSL 2 kernel, and installs Ubuntu by default. When it finishes, restart your computer.

If you already have WSL installed and want to check the version:

wsl --version
wsl --list --verbose

2. Install Ubuntu from the Microsoft Store

After restarting, Ubuntu should open automatically and begin installing. If it doesn't, search for "Ubuntu" in the Microsoft Store and click Get.

Once Ubuntu is installed, launch it from the Start menu. The first launch will take a minute to set up the filesystem.

3. Set up your username and password

The first time Ubuntu runs, it will ask you to create a Linux username and password.

Enter new UNIX username: john
New password:
Retype new password:
passwd: password updated successfully

A few things to know:

• The username can be anything — it doesn't need to match your Windows username
• When typing your password, nothing will appear on screen — this is normal, just type and press Enter
• This password is used when running sudo commands (administrator actions in Linux)

After setup, update the package list and upgrade pre-installed packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

4. Basic WSL commands to know

Your Ubuntu terminal works like any Linux terminal. Here are the commands you'll use most:

pwd              # show current directory
ls               # list files
ls -la           # list all files including hidden ones
cd ~             # go to your home directory
cd projects      # enter a folder
mkdir my-app     # create a new folder
touch index.js   # create a new file
clear            # clear the terminal screen

Install Node.js via nvm

Always install Node.js via nvm (Node Version Manager) inside WSL — it avoids permission issues and lets you switch Node versions easily.

# Install nvm
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash
# Close and reopen your terminal, then install Node.js LTS
nvm install --lts
nvm use --lts
# Verify
node --version
npm --version

5. Open WSL in VS Code

Install the WSL extension in VS Code (ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl). Search for "WSL" in the Extensions panel and click Install.

Once installed, open your WSL terminal, navigate to your project folder, then launch VS Code with:

code .

VS Code will open with a green "WSL: Ubuntu" badge in the bottom-left corner, confirming it's connected to your Linux environment. The integrated terminal inside VS Code will also be your WSL terminal.

6. Always store project files inside WSL

This is the most important rule when using WSL: keep your project files inside the WSL filesystem, not on your Windows drive.

# Good — inside WSL filesystem (fast)
~/projects/my-app
# Bad — on the Windows C: drive mounted into WSL (slow)
/mnt/c/Users/John/Documents/my-app

Storing files on /mnt/c/ works but is significantly slower because every file operation crosses the WSL/Windows boundary. Tools like npm install can take 5–10x longer.

Create a projects folder in your WSL home directory and keep everything there:

mkdir ~/projects
cd ~/projects

Accessing WSL files from Windows Explorer

You can browse your WSL files in Windows Explorer by typing this in the address bar:

\\wsl$\Ubuntu

Or run explorer.exe . from any WSL directory to open that folder directly in Explorer.