Windows 11 users can now run Linux containers through WSL’s built-in wslc.exe command-line tool, without installing Docker Desktop for workflows it supports. Microsoft announced WSL Containers as generally available on September 29, 2026; the current Microsoft Learn overview requires WSL 2.9.3 or later. Docker Desktop remains an option, not a prerequisite for trying WSL Containers.
What Microsoft added to WSL
WSL Containers provides two ways to work with Linux containers: the wslc.exe command-line interface for users, and an API for Windows applications. Microsoft’s overview documents commands for building, running, and interacting with containers. The API is distributed as the Microsoft.WSL.Containers NuGet package, with C# and C++/WinRT projections; documented interactions include standard input and output, file mounts, networking mounts, and GPU access. See Microsoft’s WSL container overview.
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Microsoft’s release announcement states that “WSLc is generally available.” The documented requirement is WSL version 2.9.3 or later, rather than a particular Windows 11 edition. Check the version installed on your device before following the container steps.
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- Check your WSL version. Open Windows Terminal or another command prompt and run
wsl --version. - Update WSL if necessary. If the version is below 2.9.3, run
wsl --update, then check again withwsl --version. Microsoft’s current overview documents the minimum version and update command. - Confirm that the container CLI is available. Run
wslcto check that the command is available and view its usage. - Run a simple test image. The official tutorial uses
wslc run hello-worldas an initial check. - Start a Linux container. For example, the tutorial demonstrates running Ubuntu and invoking a command inside it with
wslc run ubuntu -- echo "Hello from Ubuntu". - Try a service with a published port. Start Nginx with
wslc run -d -p 8080:80 nginx, then request it from Windows withcurl localhost:8080. The port mapping makes the container’s port 80 available at localhost port 8080. - Inspect, interact with, and stop the container. Use
wslc psto list running containers,wslc execto run a command inside one, andwslc stopto stop it. Consult the tutorial for the exact command syntax for the container you started.
The tutorial also describes Visual Studio Code and Windows Terminal as optional aids, not requirements. Its June 19, 2026 instructions referred to a pre-release and suggested wsl --update --pre-release; those were preview-era directions. The current overview’s general-availability guidance is to use wsl --update and meet the stated version requirement. See Microsoft’s getting-started tutorial.
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When WSL Containers may be enough—and when to keep Docker Desktop
WSL Containers is a built-in option for people whose needs fit the documented WSL CLI or API workflows. Windows Central describes the feature as reducing software setup and management overhead, but that does not establish that it replaces every capability or workflow in Docker Desktop. Microsoft’s documentation describes WSL’s container commands and API; it does not provide a direct feature-by-feature comparison or performance benchmark.
| Decision point | WSL Containers | Docker Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Uses WSL and its built-in wslc.exe; requires WSL 2.9.3 or later, according to Microsoft’s overview. |
Separate software; Windows Central reports it remains available as an option. |
| Documented workflow | Microsoft documents running and managing Linux containers, published ports, and an API for Windows applications. | The cited sources do not establish a comparative feature list. |
| Windows application integration | Available through the Microsoft.WSL.Containers API as well as the CLI. |
The cited sources do not compare application integration. |
| Organization controls | WSL policies can control use of containers, privileged starts, and allowed image registries. | The cited sources do not compare organization controls. |
Keep the desktop tool your team already depends on if it supplies workflows or management features you have not verified in WSL Containers. Conversely, if you need the documented container operations and WSL is already part of your setup, try wslc before adding another tool. The available sources do not establish a universal winner.
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What IT administrators should check
Microsoft’s WSL policy resource documents controls for organizations managing container use. AllowWSLContainer can block WSL containers for users and Windows applications when disabled. The policy material also describes an image registry allowlist for WSL containers and applications using the API, and a control to refuse privileged-container starts. These policies can help restrict what is permitted; they are not evidence that every allowed configuration has the same isolation properties. See Microsoft’s WSL policy documentation.
Microsoft’s broader WSL security guidance cautions that integration settings do not make a WSL distribution a sandbox or isolate it from Windows resources available to the user. That statement concerns WSL integration settings generally, so it should not be read as a feature-specific finding about every WSL container configuration. Administrators should assess the host and container boundaries their organization requires. See Microsoft’s WSL security guidance.
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Defender support is a separate, version-sensitive question
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint documentation dated July 2, 2026 described WSL container support for the Defender for Endpoint WSL plug-in as a public preview, with scope tied to Defender for Endpoint Plan 2 and supported Windows devices. That document listed limitations including no ARM64 support for the plug-in, and cautioned that visibility into WSL events did not mean every Defender feature was available for the WSL logical device. Because that status is dated and was described as a preview, check the current Defender for Endpoint WSL documentation before relying on it for a deployment.
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