wsl.exe not found on windows 11

Question

Hello, I am using windows 11 since a year now. I have also frequently used wsl2. Today, I have run a casual windows update.

Currently I have version 10.0.26100 Build 26100.

After the update, suddenly, my wsl is nonexistent. Neither can i start it from powershell or cmd, nor can I find the executable via windows search.

When trying to click the wsl-link on my desktop, that worked before the update, it cannot be found.

The error messages showing up in the terminal is: "The system could not find the given path"

Answer 1

Here is something simple to try. If you haven't done so already, open PowerShell as and administrator (requires elevated priv) and type the following:
wsl --install

Hope this helps

Answer 2

Hello,

If you are encountering an issue where wsl.exe is not found on your Windows 11 installation, you can try the following steps to check the issue:

1、Ensure that the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) feature is installed on your system. You can check this by opening the “Turn Windows features on or off” dialog.

2、If WSL is not installed, you can install it by following these steps:

Open PowerShell as an administrator.

Run the command: wsl --install.

After the installation completes, restart your computer.

3、 If automatic installation fails or if you prefer to do it manually, you can enable WSL by running the following command in PowerShell as an administrator:

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

And if you want to use WSL 2, you’ll need to enable the Virtual Machine Platform feature as well:

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

wsl --set-default-version 2

Then, restart your computer.

Ensure that your Windows 11 installation is up-to-date. WSL requires certain updates to function correctly, so it’s important to install all the latest updates.

If wsl.exe is still not found, you might need to re-register the WSL service. You can do this by running the following command in PowerShell as an administrator:

wsl --shutdown

wsl --update

Best Regards,

Hania Lian

============================================

If the Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.