Feature available in the latest Windows Insider build

Jun 13, 2019 08:02 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has finally released Windows Subsystem for Linux 2, or WSL 2, as part of the latest Windows 10 preview build shipped to users participating in the Windows Insider program.

Integrated into Windows 10 build 18917, WSL 2 comes with substantial performance improvements, and Microsoft recommends placing Linux files in the Linux root file system.

“We understand that we have spent the past three years telling you to put your files into your C drive when using WSL 1, but this is not the case in WSL 2. To enjoy the faster file system access in WSL 2 these files must be inside of the Linux root file system. We have also made it possible for Windows apps to access the Linux root file system,” Craig Loewen, Program Manager, Windows Developer Platform, says.

Additionally, this early build requires users to access Linux network applications with a dynamic IP address, as localhost support is still in the works and should be part of a future update.

Rollout later this year maybe?

There are also several new commands to help manage WSL versions and distros, and you should check the box at the end of the article to find them all, together with additional information to help get you started.

WSL 2 was announced earlier this year at the Build developer conference, and it will work alongside the first version on Windows 10 devices. Microsoft says its goal is to continue improving the experience with this new-generation WSL with the help of user feedback, and this is the reason the company releases it so early as part of the Windows Insider program.

WSL 2 is expected to roll out for all users in the fall with Windows 10 19H2 (whose testing hasn’t started just yet), although Microsoft could very well wait for the spring of 2020 feature update for the launch.