Running AlmaLinux 10 on WSL 2

Summary

Start (or reconnect to) your AlmaLinux 10 distro from Windows Terminal, check whether it's currently running, and shut it down when you're done.

If you are not using WSL 2, connect via SSH with PuTTY.

Open Windows Terminal.

Start AlmaLinux 10 by executing:

wsl -d AlmaLinux-10

OR

Locate the app selector dropdown in Windows Terminal's title bar and click AlmaLinux-10. This will open a new tab connected to AlmaLinux 10.

To run your applications using WSL 2, you always need to be connected to your AlmaLinux 10 distribution. For this, all you need to do is to launch it from a terminal, file explorer or an IDE. Once launched, you can close the tool you launched it from. It will stay connected until you shut it down manually or reboot your computer.

Check if AlmaLinux 10 is running

From Windows Terminal, execute:

wsl -l -v

Look for the AlmaLinux-10 row — its STATE column reads Running if it's currently active, or Stopped otherwise.

Shut down AlmaLinux 10

To stop just the AlmaLinux 10 distro, leaving any other distros untouched:

wsl -t AlmaLinux-10

To shut down all currently running WSL 2 distros at once:

wsl --shutdown

Next step

Continue to Virtualhosts to start hosting your projects.

FAQ

Q: What if AlmaLinux-10 doesn't appear in the tab selector dropdown?

A: Confirm it's actually installed by running:

wsl -l -v

If it's missing from the list entirely, revisit Install AlmaLinux 10. Restarting Windows Terminal after installation also helps it pick up the new tab profile.

Q: What if wsl -d AlmaLinux-10 fails to start?

A: Run the below command to confirm the distro is installed and check its current state:

wsl -l -v

If another distro is using the same resources, stop it first with the below command, then retry:

wsl -t <distro-name>