How to Install and Manage Multiple Linux Distros in WSL
A complete walkthrough running several separate Linux distros side by side under WSL — installing additional distros, switching between them, and setting a specific one as your default.
WSL fully supports running multiple, completely independent Linux distros side by side — each with its own separate filesystem, packages, and configuration, made possible by how simply a distro is packaged underneath.
Step 1: list currently installed distros
wsl --list --verboseThis shows every currently installed distro, which WSL version (1 or 2) each is running, and which one is currently marked as default.
Step 2: see what additional distros are available to install
wsl --list --onlineThis lists every distro Microsoft’s WSL platform can install directly, including multiple versions of major distros like Ubuntu, along with Debian, Fedora, and several others.
Step 3: install an additional distro
wsl --install -d DebianThis installs the specified distro alongside any you already have — existing distros are entirely unaffected by installing a new one.
Step 4: launch a specific distro directly
wsl -d DebianThis opens a shell in the specified distro directly, regardless of which one is currently set as default.
Step 5: set a different default distro
wsl --set-default DebianThe default distro is what launches when you run the bare wsl command without specifying -d, or when a tool integrates with “your WSL distro” without letting you choose one explicitly.
Step 6: run a command in a specific distro without opening an interactive shell
wsl -d Debian -- ls -la /homeUseful for scripting scenarios where you need output from a specific distro without launching a full interactive session.
Step 7: understand that each distro is fully independent
Installed packages, configuration files, and running processes in one distro have no effect on any other — this independence is a direct consequence of each distro living in its own separate virtual disk file, not a logical restriction layered on top of shared underlying storage.
Step 8: remove a distro you no longer need
wsl --unregister DebianThis permanently deletes the distro’s entire filesystem — export a backup first if there’s any chance you’ll want its contents later.
Why running multiple distros is genuinely useful, not just a novelty
Different projects sometimes have different, conflicting toolchain or distro-version requirements — keeping a stable, general-purpose primary distro while spinning up a separate, disposable distro for a project with unusual requirements avoids polluting your main environment, and removing that secondary distro afterward is a single clean command away.