Press the '[[wp:Windows key|windows' key]] <kbd>⊞ Win</kbd> and type <code>winver</code> to run the Windows Version utility in order to see your current Windows version.
== Cheatsheet ==
Once you have WSL plus a distribution installed, all you need to do to open a Linux shell is open the Windows PowerShell, and type <code>wsl</code> which will start the default distro.
<pre>Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Usage: wsl.exe [Argument] [Options...] [CommandLine] Arguments for running Linux binaries: If no command line is provided, wsl.exe launches the default shell. --exec, -e <CommandLine> Execute the specified command without using the default Linux shell. --shell-type <Type> Execute the specified command with the provided shell type. Types: standard Execute the specified command using the default Linux shell. login Execute the specified command using the default Linux shell as a login shell. none Execute the specified command without using the default Linux shell. -- Pass the remaining command line as-is. Options: --cd <Directory> Sets the specified directory as the current working directory. If ~ is used the Linux user's home path will be used. If the path begins with a / character, it will be interpreted as an absolute Linux path. Otherwise, the value must be an absolute Windows path. --distribution, -d <Distro> Run the specified distribution. --user, -u <UserName> Run as the specified user. --system Launches a shell for the system distribution. Arguments for managing Windows Subsystem for Linux: --help Display usage information. --debug-shell Open a WSL2 debug shell for diagnostics purposes. --event-viewer Opens the application view of the Windows Event Viewer. --install [Distro] [Options...] Install a Windows Subsystem for Linux distribution. For a list of valid distributions, use 'wsl.exe --list --online'. Options: --no-launch, -n Do not launch the distribution after install. --web-download Download the distribution from the internet instead of the Microsoft Store. --mount <Disk> Attaches and mounts a physical or virtual disk in all WSL 2 distributions. Options: --vhd Specifies that <Disk> refers to a virtual hard disk. --bare Attach the disk to WSL2, but don't mount it. --name <Name> Mount the disk using a custom name for the mountpoint. --type <Type> Filesystem to use when mounting a disk, if not specified defaults to ext4. --options <Options> Additional mount options. --partition <Index> Index of the partition to mount, if not specified defaults to the whole disk. --release-notes Opens a web browser to view the WSL release notes page. --set-default-version <Version> Changes the default install version for new distributions. --shutdown Immediately terminates all running distributions and the WSL 2 lightweight utility virtual machine. --status Show the status of Windows Subsystem for Linux. --unmount [Disk] Unmounts and detaches a disk from all WSL2 distributions. Unmounts and detaches all disks if called without argument. --update Update the Windows Subsystem for Linux package. Options: --web-download Download the update from the internet instead of the Microsoft Store. --pre-release Download a pre-release version if available. Implies --web-download. --version, -v Display version information. Arguments for managing distributions in Windows Subsystem for Linux: --export <Distro> <FileName> [Options] Exports the distribution to a tar file. The filename can be - for standard output. Options: --vhd Specifies that the distribution should be exported as a .vhdx file. --import <Distro> <InstallLocation> <FileName> [Options] Imports the specified tar file as a new distribution. The filename can be - for standard input. Options: --version <Version> Specifies the version to use for the new distribution. --vhd Specifies that the provided file is a .vhdx file, not a tar file. This operation makes a copy of the .vhdx file at the specified install location. --import-in-place <Distro> <FileName> Imports the specified .vhdx file as a new distribution. This virtual hard disk must be formatted with the ext4 filesystem type. --list, -l [Options] Lists distributions. Options: --all List all distributions, including distributions that are currently being installed or uninstalled. --running List only distributions that are currently running. --quiet, -q Only show distribution names. --verbose, -v Show detailed information about all distributions. --online, -o Displays a list of available distributions for install with 'wsl.exe --install'. --set-default, -s <Distro> Sets the distribution as the default. --set-version <Distro> <Version> Changes the version of the specified distribution. --terminate, -t <Distro> Terminates the specified distribution. --unregister <Distro> Unregisters the distribution and deletes the root filesystem.{{References}}</pre>
