Linux Terminal for Windows 11: A Beginners Guide

In the past few days, I don’t know why, but suddenly people have shown a lot of interest in using Linux Terminals on their Windows 11 PC. However, it does mean the typical GUI is somewhere out of the picture. Maybe people are attracted to Linux terminals because of their faster response than GUIs. Following that, they are looking for ways to get such terminals on Windows 11 and use them.

I am sure some techies have already installed Linux Terminals on their PC. But still, there are massive numbers of users who have yet to get Linux Terminals on their PCs. For that purpose, we thought to prepare a guide that can explain everything from scratch and help you learn things better and in a continuous flow. Let’s take a look at the following article to learn how to get and use Linux Terminals on Windows 11.

Linux Terminal for Windows 11: A Beginner’s Guide

Linux Terminal must run on Linux Operating Systems by default, and there is no other option than to install any extensions that can run Linux on Windows. However, with Windows 11, the developers have initiated a programme called Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) that can run Linux files along with Linux command line tools and GUI apps alongside your typical Windows desktop. Windows Subsystem for Linux was released in 2016, and WSL 2 was just released a few days ago with more upgraded features. WSL’s new upgrade integrates seamlessly with Linux, boots fast, and has a small footprint.

Do note that you need to enable CPU virtualization when adding another operating system to Windows. You can do that by opening Windows 11 Task Manager >> Performance>> ensuring the Virtualization feature is on. If it is not enabled, enter the BIOS utility (Press ESC at Start-up >> Press F10) >> Advanced Mode >> Intel VMX/SVM >> Enable them >> Save & Exit >> Restart the PC. Once you have enabled CPU Virtualization, the next step is to install Linuxerminal for Windows. So, let’s look at the steps below to install Linux Terminal on Windows 11.

1. Open the Start menu and search for “Windows Features”.
2. Click on the “Turn on and Off Windows Features” panel.
3. On the next screen, select the “Windows Subsystem for Linux” option and click OK.
4. Next, click on “Restart now” to apply the changes.
5. Download the WSL 2 kernel package from here.
6. Run the .msi installer you downloaded above and install it.
7. Next, open PowerShell as an administrator and run the command “dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart”.
8. After that, download the Windows Subsystem for Linux from the Microsoft Store.
9. Now, search for “Linux” in the Microsoft Store search bar.
10. Install your desired Linux distribution from there (recommended: Ubuntu).
11. Once it finishes, you are ready to use the Linux Terminal on Windows 11.

Now, Ubuntu or your desired Linux distribution has been successfully installed on your Windows 11 PC. After opening the distribution, wait for the additional files to unpack. You can also configure and customise your Linux distribution. When all such setup is complete, you can get into the Terminal window and start using Linux Terminals from there. I hope this simple and short guide helps you easily load Linux Terminals on Windows 11. All credit goes to WSL and the Linux distribution, which made it possible in such a way.

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