How to Install and Set Up WSL 2 with Debian on Windows

Windows Linux - a marriage or miscarriage?

Coming from a Linux - sometimes Arch, sometimes Debian or Ubuntu background.. I was interested to try the WSL setup on Windows

26th Jan 2023

windowsLinuxWSLDebian

Problems

I had many years developing on Windows at my place of work. None of which I have particularly happy memories of, the struggles with visual studio and the like or worse. Home was always a happy place tinkering with Linux distros. Docker enabled me to take a lot of my windows only work and transition my dev to Linux fulltime. I thrived there but working in a windows shop.. there was always a challenge here and there.. vpn issues with ipsec tunnels.. phone system setups.. none of if ever worked perfectly. So when wsl came along I thought I would give it a try.

Here’s a quick guide on setting up WSL 2 with Debian on Windows:

Step 1: Enable WSL and Install WSL 2

  1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.
  2. Run this command to enable WSL: 
    wsl --install
    This installs WSL with the latest version, WSL 2, as the default. Windows will prompt you to restart.

Step 2: Install Debian

Once WSL is enabled:

  1. Open Microsoft Store and search for "Debian."
  2. Select Debian from the list and click Get to install.
  3. Launch Debian from the Start Menu, which will prompt you to set up a new Linux user and password.

Step 3: Update and Upgrade Debian

Once Debian is running:

  1. Run the following commands to update and upgrade your packages: 
    sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 4: Set WSL 2 as the Default Version

If you have multiple versions of WSL installed, make sure WSL 2 is the default by running:

wsl --set-default-version 2

Step 5: Install Essential Packages (Optional)

Depending on your needs, you may want to install some additional packages. Here’s a quick setup for some essentials:

sudo apt install build-essential curl git -y

Step 6: Access Files from Windows and Debian

Your Windows drives are automatically mounted under /mnt (e.g., /mnt/c for C: drive). To access files, navigate to this directory in Debian:

cd /mnt/c/Users/YourUsername/Documents

Now you have WSL 2 with Debian fully installed and ready to use on Windows! You can install other development tools and set up your environment just like on a native Linux system.