---
title: "Ubuntu on WSL\n    | Ubuntu"
description: Access the power of a full Ubuntu terminal environment on Windows with
  Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).
url: https://ubuntu.com/wsl?format=md
keywords: index, follow
---

# The full Ubuntu experience,  available on Windows

Access the power of a full Ubuntu terminal environment on Windows with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

Streamline web application development, build with cutting-edge AI/ML tooling, develop cross-platform applications and manage IT infrastructure without leaving Windows.

* [Download Ubuntu on WSL](https://ubuntu.com/download/wsl)

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## Develop with the best of both worlds

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### The freedom of Ubuntu

Run your choice of Linux text editors, including vim, emacs, and nano. Install applications, compilers and libraries from the Ubuntu repository, securely maintained by Canonical.

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### Highly performant AI/ML

Ubuntu is the target platform for all major open source AI/ML frameworks. NVIDIA Data Science Stack lets you maximise the performance of your Data Science and Machine Learning projects on top of native Windows NVIDIA drivers.

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### Fully flexible web applications

Build, test, and deploy Kubernetes clusters on Windows. Develop in WSL using native Windows IDEs including VS Code and IntelliJ. Use containers to improve your workflow and benefit from full NodeJS and Ruby support.

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### Ideal for cross-platform development

Create and test your CI/CD pipelines locally in an Ubuntu on WSL instance. When ready, publish to a cloud production environment running Ubuntu VMs. Develop and test graphical Linux applications using WSLg and development frameworks like Flutter or React Native.

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### Critical tools for security specialists

Leverage Linux security tools to test and harden your network. Achieve the same first-class, out-of-the-box, compliant security that is synonymous with Ubuntu.

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### Mixed IT infrastructure management

From the same workstation, manage mixed Linux and Windows infrastructure both on-prem and across public clouds.

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## Ubuntu is the number 1 choice for organizations using WSL

[Ubuntu Pro](https://ubuntu.com/pro) brings enterprise-grade security and compliance with up to 15 years of coverage for long-term support releases of Ubuntu, including:

* Security updates for the full open source stack
* Estate [monitoring and management](https://landscape.canonical.com/landscape-features) of WSL instances
* Optional weekday or 24/7 support tiers
* Security maintenance for popular toolchains on WSL, such as Python, Go, Rust, and more.

[Download the Ubuntu Pro for WSL app](https://ubuntu.com/wsl/install)
[Learn more about Ubuntu on WSL for enterprises ›](https://ubuntu.com/wsl/organizations)

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## Learn more about Ubuntu on WSL

### [Make an awesome Linux environment directly on Windows](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkA9zLm17bs)

### [Latest updates and future improvements to Windows Subsystem for Linux](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tAelKpya4g)

### [An FAQ for Data Scientists and Developers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LViy7x2Gpc4&t=55s)

### [Microsoft Partnering with Canonical to support systemd](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja3qikzd-as)

### [Get started with Ubuntu Pro for WSL on Windows](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKdAcrdjQKI)

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### Resources

### Documentation

* [Official documentation for Ubuntu on WSL](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/wsl/stable/)
* [Developing with Ubuntu on WSL](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/wsl/stable/tutorials/develop-with-ubuntu-wsl/)
* [Installing and configuring Ubuntu Pro for WSL](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/wsl/stable/tutorials/getting-started-with-up4w/)
* [Deploying WSL remotely with Pro for WSL and Landscape](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/wsl/stable/tutorials/deployment/)
* [Installing Ubuntu on WSL using different methods](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/wsl/stable/howto/install-ubuntu-wsl2/)
* [Enabling GPU acceleration with NVIDIA CUDA](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/wsl/stable/howto/gpu-cuda/)
* [Customizing an Ubuntu distro for WSL](https://documentation.ubuntu.com/wsl/stable/howto/custom-ubuntu-distro/)

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### Contact us

If you have further questions around Ubuntu on WSL or want to share your experiences, join the conversation on the [Ubuntu Discourse](https://discourse.ubuntu.com/c/wsl/27).

If you want to hear more about the benefits of securing Ubuntu on WSL at your organisation, please [get in touch](https://ubuntu.com/wsl/contact-us).

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## [Latest WSL news from our blog ›](https://ubuntu.com/blog/tag/ubuntu-wsl)

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