Microsoft today released the Windows 10 May 2020 (Version 2004) update, introducing a number of noteworthy new features, including the latest Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL 2).
With WSL, Microsoft is trying to bring Linux and Windows together so that users can run Linux on Windows 10.
In the Version 2004 feature update, Microsoft brings a number of improvements to Linux users, including the real kernel, and Ubuntu is the first distribution to support WSL 2.
Today, Canonical announced that for those who want to try WSL 2 in the Windows 10 May 2020 update, Ubuntu 20.04 LTS is now available for download through the Microsoft Store.
Canonical states:
Ubuntu is the first Linux distribution to support WSL, and is the first choice of many WSL users. Ubuntu 20.04 LTS for WSL has been released in parallel with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS in April this year, and Ubuntu is also ready for WSL 2. All Ubuntu versions can be upgraded to WSL 2.
The latest Ubuntu version, 20.04 LTS, can be installed directly from the Microsoft Store. For other versions of Ubuntu for WSL and other ways to install WSL, see the WSL page on the Ubuntu Wiki.
If you've downloaded and installed the Windows 10 May 2020 update on your device, you may need to manually enable WSL 2.
And all of this can be done either by "Turn Windows features on or off screen" (you can type this in the start menu to get started), or by using the PowerShell command in an advanced session.
dism.exe /online /enable-featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart
In both cases, the system needs to be rebooted to complete the activation of WSL 2.
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