Windows 10 versions 1903 and 1909 get some extra Linux love from Microsoft

Version 2004 no longer has exclusive access to WSL 2.

What you need to know


Microsoft backported Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 to older Windows 10 versions.
Windows 10 versions 1909 and 1903 can now use WSL 2 distros.
The update is available to install now via Windows Update.


Windows 10 version 2004 is no longer a necessary upgrade if you want to take advantage of the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL 2). Microsoft announced this week (via ZDNet) that WSL 2 has been backported to older Windows 10 versions. Specifically, Windows 10 versions 1903 and 1909 can now take advantage of WSL 2.

"We heard how much you liked WSL 2 and wanted to expand its accessibility, and over the last few months we worked on bringing it back to 1903 and 1909," Microsoft said in its announcement. As pointed out by Microsoft, WSL 2 has several improvements over WSL 1:



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