The Windows Subsystem for Linux, or WSL for short, makes it easy to use Linux software inside a Windows PC. You can now officially use Arch Linux in WSL, alongside existing distribution options like Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora.
You can already use several different Linux distributions in WSL, with official images available for various versions of Kali Linux, OpenSUSE, Ubuntu, Oracle Linux, Debian, Fedora, Alma Linux. Microsoft alsointroduced a new wayfor developers to create custom WSL images last year, so there are more options outside of Microsoft’s official list.
Arch Linux has now joined the official list of distributions, so no external files are required to download and set it up. You can install it with this command in PowerShell on a Windows 10 or 11 PC:
If this is your first time setting up the Windows Subsytem for Linux, you’ll have to run the below command first. Afterwards, you need to reboot your PC to apply the changes, then install Arch.
Ubuntu, Debian, or Fedora are probably still the best distributions for WSL for anyone new to Linux, since they have a stable foundation, a wide library of packages, and the ability to run Flatpak or Snap software if needed. Arch is great to have as an option, though, especially for people who already use it on other PCs. Some tools and applications are also updated in Arch before other distributions, so the Arch WSL image could be a great way to test bleeding-edge Linux software.
There is one significant limitation right now, though: the image is not available for ARM-based PCs. Thedistribution list in the WSL GitHub projectonly shows an ‘Amd64’ image, and not an ‘Arm64’ version.
The lack of ARM support means Arch can’t be installed on theSurface Pro,Dell XPS 13,Surface Laptop,Yoga Slim 7x, and other computers with Snapdragon X or other ARM chipsets. The standalone operating system version of Arch Linuxdoes not officially support ARMeither, so this isn’t much of a surprise. If you have an ARM Windows PC, you’re able to still use the other distributions.
If you’ve never used it before, WSL is a great way to use Linux software on Windows, without the extra complexity and performance drop you would normally get in a virtual machine. WSL is still based on virtual machine technology (Hyper-V), but it doesn’t boot an entire desktop environment. The Linux system in WSL also automaticallygets access to your network connection and Windows fileswithout any extra setup or configuration. You can even use GUI Linux apps when needed, and depending on the distribution, they might even show up in the Windows Start menu for easy access.
