You can install the Ubuntu distribution alongside Windows 10 to run your favorite Linux tools without switching computers or creating a virtual machine. Microsoft is moving to get more developers to code on any platform but using Windows 10 as their main tool. However, for this to happen, the company has partnered with the guys behind Ubuntu Linux (Canonical) to expand the command line toolset on Windows 10.

Although Linux integration into Windows 10 is not included by default, installing Linux distros is not difficult once you set up the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) platform on your device.

This guide will teach you the steps to install Ubuntu on Windows 10.

  • Install Ubuntu on Windows 10 from GUI
  • Install Ubuntu on Windows 10 from WSL

Install Ubuntu on Windows 10 from GUI

To install Ubuntu on the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 and Ubuntu, use these steps:

  • Open Start on Windows 10.
  • Search for Turn Windows Features on or off and click the top result to open the Windows Features settings.
  • Check the “Virtual Machine Platform” option.
  • Check the “Windows Subsystem for Linux” option.
  • Click the OK button.
  • Click the Restart now button.
  • Open the WSL store page.
  • Click the “Get in Store app” button.
  • Click the Install button.
  • Open the Ubuntu store page. For example, “Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.”
  • Click the “Get in Store app” button.
  • Click the Install button.
  • Click the Open button to start Ubuntu on Windows 10.
  • Continue with the on-screen directions to complete the setup.

Once you complete the steps, you can start using the Linux terminal on Windows 10 to access apps, such as Git, Ruby, Python, grep, awk, sed, and many more tools. For command reference, you can use this Microsoft documentation page.

Open Start on Windows 10.

Search for Turn Windows Features on or off and click the top result to open the Windows Features settings.

Check the “Virtual Machine Platform” option.

Check the “Windows Subsystem for Linux” option.

Click the OK button.

Click the Restart now button.

Open the WSL store page.

Click the “Get in Store app” button.

Click the Install button.

Open the Ubuntu store page. For example, “Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.”

Click the Install button.

Click the Open button to start Ubuntu on Windows 10.

Continue with the on-screen directions to complete the setup.

Install Ubuntu on Windows 10 from Command Prompt

To install the Ubuntu manually with Command Prompt, use these steps:

  • Open Start.
  • Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
  • Type the following command to install the WSL and Ubuntu Linux and press Enter:
  • wsl –install
  • (Optional) Type the following command to install Ubuntu if you already have WSL installed, and press Enter:
  • wsl –install -d Ubuntu
  • Restart your computer to finish the WSL and Ubuntu installation.
  • Continue with the Linux distro setup as necessary.

After you complete the steps, the Linux distribution will install on your computer.

Open Start.

Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

Type the following command to install the WSL and Ubuntu Linux and press Enter:

wsl –install

(Optional) Type the following command to install Ubuntu if you already have WSL installed, and press Enter:

wsl –install -d Ubuntu

Restart your computer to finish the WSL and Ubuntu installation.

Continue with the Linux distro setup as necessary.