Installing Arch linux on WSL

Created April 17, 2022

• Code blog

Install Arch linux under WSL is quite straightforward.

1. Head over to ArchWsl and download the latest version
2. Extract the file
3. Launch a terminal (I highly recommend windows terminal)
4. cd into the location of the arch.exe file
5. Run it!

And just like that, arch is installed in wsl. There are further steps needed to turn it into a full fledged OS, but the above is way easier than the traditional installation steps.

Further customization

Just like that, arch isn’t quite useful. There are further steps recommended. I’ll be writing up more on this later on.

Import / Export

One of the coolest things about WSL is the ability to export then import the distro. This is how I move it from one PC to another when a lot of changes happened.
That way, I end up finding myself on the new PC with the exact same files and environment as the one on the old PC!

Export

First, export the distro:

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wsl --export <WSL Image Name> <Export file>

You can find the <WSL Image Name> by running wsl --list

Import

Importing is also done with a single command:

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wsl –import <Image Name> <Directory to store Distro> <Export file>

Note that if the you are replacing a distro that already exists, you might first need to run:
wsl --unregister

Things to watch out for

If you are coming from a linux background, you need to know that systemd doesn’t not work as expected

How to have a GUI

While you can run wsl from a windows terminal, it is also cool to start it with a window manage such as i3.
Here’s an in-depth guide on how to do that: Running arch with i3 in wsl using vcxsrv