Windows Subsystem for Linux Documentation

The Windows Subsystem for Linux lets developers run Linux environments -- including most command-line tools, utilities, and applications -- directly on Windows, unmodified, without the overhead of a virtual machine.

You can:

1. Choose your favorite Linux distributions from the Windows Store.
2. Run common command-line utilities such as grep, sed, awk, etc.
3. Run Bash shell scripts and Linux command-line applications including:
   • Tools: vim, emacs, tmux
   • Languages: Javascript/node.js, Ruby, Python, C/C++, C# & F#, Rust, Go, etc.
   • Services: sshd, MySQL, Apache, lighttpd
4. Install additional Linux tools using the distribution's built in package manager (apt-get, for example).
5. Invoke Windows applications from the Linux console.
6. Invoke Linux applications on Windows.

Getting started

• Install Linux on Windows
• Visit the command reference
• Read frequently asked questions

Team Blogs

• Overview post with a collection of videos and blogs
• Command-Line blog
• Windows Subsystem for Linux Blog

Posts & Articles

• Run Bash on Ubuntu on Windows
• Developers Can Run Bash And Usermode Ubuntu Linux Binaries On Windows 10
• Ubuntu on Windows – The Ubuntu Userspace for Windows Developers

Provide Feedback

• GitHub issue tracker
• Command-line UserVoice portal