How to Install openSUSE with WSL on Windows 11

This brief tutorial shows students and new users how to install and run openSUSE Linux on Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2).

In 2017, Windows released Windows Subsystem for Linux that lets developers run a GNU/Linux environment, including most command-line tools, utilities, and applications directly in Windows without setting up a virtual machine or dual-boot.

WSL2 has since been released, an improvement over version 1. The new and improved version has a performance boost and complete system call compatibility. It is built with a new architecture that delivers features that make WSL a fantastic way to run a Linux environment in Windows.

To install WSL 2 on Windows 10, these two requirements must be met:

• Windows 10 May 2020 (2004), Windows 10 May 2019 (1903), or Windows 10 November 2019 (1909) or later
• A computer with Hyper-V Virtualization support

Installing openSUSE with WSL on Windows 11 can provide users with a powerful Linux environment directly within Windows. With the help of WSL, users can run openSUSE command-line utilities, including bash, ssh, git, apt, and many more, without the need to set up a virtual machine or dual-boot.

This can be especially useful for developers who need to run Linux-based tools and applications within Windows. Additionally, openSUSE with WSL on Windows 11 can provide a more seamless and integrated experience for users who frequently switch between Windows and Linux environments.

Since you can now install Linux systems, including openSUSE Linux, directly in Windows, let’s go ahead and install openSUSE Linux. Before you can do that, you must enable WSL or WSL2 in Windows.

When you’re ready to enable WSL 2 on Windows 10, follow the steps below:

Enable WSL in Windows

To enable WSL in Windows, you will want to open the PowerShell terminal as administrator. Click on Start, then begin typing PowerShell.

Next, right-click the Windows PowerShell app and choose to run as administrator.

When the console opens, run the commands below:

dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart

After installing, you should get a success message similar to the lines below:

Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 10.0.19041.844

Image Version: 10.0.19042.844

Enabling feature(s)
[==========================100.0%==========================]
The operation completed successfully.

Enable Virtual Machine Platform

WSL 2 requires Windows 10 Virtual Machine Platform to be enabled. This is not Hyper-V. To enable the VM platform feature in Windows, run the commands below from the same PowerShell administrator’s console.

dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart

If you’re using Windows 10 version lower than 2004, then use the commands below:

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlatform -NoRestart

When you’re done running the commands above, restart your computer for all the configuration changes to apply. If you don’t restart, the below command might not be recognized.

After restarting your computer, log back in and launch PowerShell as administrator. Then, run the commands below to configure WSL 2 as the default version of WSL.

wsl --set-default-version 2

If you get an error about not having Linux kernel installed, get it from the link below and run it in Windows, then try the command above again.

https://wslstorestorage.blob.core.windows.net/wslblob/wsl_update_x64.msi

Install openSUSE on Windows 10

Now that WSL 2 is installed and ready to be used, open the link below to download and install a copy of openSUSE from the Windows store.

Get openSUSE Leap 15.3 – Microsoft Store

openSUSE on Windows allows you to use openSUSE Terminal and run openSUSE command line utilities, including bash, ssh, git, apt, and many more.

Click the Get button and install. After installing openSUSE, you’ll want the option to launch openSUSE from the Windows WSL environment.

After downloading and installing, you will get a Launch button.

After launching openSUSE, it should begin the setup wizard.

Create your account

When you’re done, the setup should be complete.

That should do it!

Some troubleshooting commands to run when you run into issues.

wsl --set-default-version 1
bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype auto start

Now, simply launch openSUSE from Windows and start by searching for it. You can also pin it to the taskbar and always have it launch from there.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

This post showed you how to install WSL 2 on Windows 10 and install openSUSE. If you find any error, please report it in the comment form below.

Frequently Asked Questions