---
description: >-
  Start here to build install Pushkin and its dependencies on Windows 10, then
  continue to Ubuntu Linux to finish installation.
---

# Windows Subsystem for Linux

To install Pushkin, Windows users will have to install the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) 2. Note that this process will require restarting your computer multiple times. [This tutorial](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10) explains how to configure WSL 2 and install a Linux distribution from the Microsoft Store. We recommend using Ubuntu 20.04.

While we recommend following the tutorial above for the most complete information about installing WSL, in most cases you can simply run Windows PowerShell as an administrator and run:

```bash
$ wsl --install
```

This will install WSL using the default configuration. It will prompt you to reboot your machine when it finishes. Do that, and then continue on.

Pushkin requires using WSL 2. To check which version of WSL you are using, run the following command in Windows Powershell:

```bash
 wsl --list --verbose
```

![](https://2413710172-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MBpE95WB58asBviCj30%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-1f347eb43fab3f9b9df44e27179dd7ee3645f50f%2Fwsl1.gif?alt=media)

This will give you a list of your installed Linux distributions and what version of WSL they are using. If your distribution is using WSL 1, run:

```bash
 wsl --set-version <distribution name> 2
```

The distribution name should be the name given in the previous list for your Linux distribution.

As the tutorial details, you will need Windows 10 version 2004 to be able to use WSL 2. If you follow the instructions in the tutorial and cannot update to version 2004, [these steps](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/windows-10-2004-update-not-offered-heres-how-to-get-it-now/) may be able to help.

After you have enabled WSL 2 and installed Ubuntu, you will probably also want to enable copy and paste in the terminal by right-clicking on the terminal window, selecting _Properties_ and following [these instructions](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/copy-and-paste-arrives-for-linuxwsl-consoles/).

![](https://2413710172-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MBpE95WB58asBviCj30%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-787601a56170722b1f24978635d4a657c8c5a5fe%2FcopyPasteScreenshot.jpg?alt=media)

Next, run the following commands in the Ubuntu terminal to update your Ubuntu packages. This (and other commands with `sudo` in front of them) will prompt you to give the Ubuntu password you set up when you installed it. It will also prompt you to respond with `y` and press ENTER to confirm that you would like to install or update software.

```bash
 sudo apt update
 sudo apt upgrade
```

![](https://2413710172-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MBpE95WB58asBviCj30%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-c2f682f0073c4c0d6df8112a0ebc291a2f3c85d6%2Fwsl2.gif?alt=media)

(For more on package management with apt, you can see the documentation [here](https://ubuntu.com/server/docs/package-management). To learn more about the basics of the Linux command line, you can follow [this tutorial](https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/command-line-for-beginners#1-overview).)

## Next

From here, you can follow the instructions for [Ubuntu Linux](../ubuntu-install) to finish the installation.
