Summary
- Microsoft now officially supports Fedora Linux on WSL, enabling easy installation within Windows.
- To install Fedora, use "wsl --install FedoraLinux-42" and "wsl -d FedoraLinux-42" commands.
- Fedora on WSL allows graphical applications to run with Flatpak after installation.
Not many people know that you can run Linux distros in Windows without the need for a virtual machine or dual-booting. It's called the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), and while it's always great to have an officially supported way to use Linux tools within Windows, it does depend on Microsoft maintaining it with new distros and updates.
If you've been holding out for Microsoft to add official support for Fedora Linux, today's your lucky day. The company has announced that, after years of waiting, fans of the distro can finally officially install Fedora Linux via WSL.
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Fedora arrives on Windows Subsystem for Linux
In a post on the Microsoft Dev Blogs, Jeremy Cline of Linux Community Engineering for Microsoft breaks down what this release means for you. If you just want to cut to the chase and get Fedora Linux installed already, here's how you do it:
To install it, run
wsl –-install FedoraLinux-42and then launch it withwsl –d FedoraLinux-42. You’ll be prompted for a username, and then you’ll be ready to go. By default, your user does not have a password and is part of thewheelgroup which allows you to usesudoto run commands that require elevated privileges.
Otherwise, Jeremy recommends you check out the Fedora documentation for all the how-tos when using this distro. Jeremy does note that Fedora can use Flatpak for graphical applications, but Flatpak doesn't come installed on WSL by default. You need to use the command "sudo dnf install flatpak" to get it working on your device, then follow this Flathub guide to make installing apps super easy.
Jeremy does note that this is " just the beginning for Fedora on WSL," stating that there is currently "ongoing work to enable graphical applications to take advantage of hardware acceleration, and there are opportunities to improve the flatpak experience." But if you just want to give Fedora Linux a spin, you can do that right now.
If you're wondering why on earth we're discussing Linux and Windows in the same sentence, why not give WSL a spin yourself? To get started, follow our guide on how to set up and install WSL on Windows 10 and 11, then check out these resources we've published: