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To develop with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), install WSL and a Linux distribution, keep your active project in the Linux filesystem, and connect your editor to that environment. The common VS Code setup uses the Windows app with its WSL extension; add Git and other services as your project needs them.
1. Install WSL and a Linux distribution
Microsoft’s current development setup guide documents wsl --install as the standard starting point. On supported systems, it installs WSL 2 and Ubuntu by default and handles the required components and Linux kernel. The command requires Windows 10 version 2004 (Build 19041) or later, or Windows 11; a restart may be required. See Microsoft’s WSL installation guide for installation steps and options for other distributions.
After installation, launch the distribution from the Start menu or a terminal and complete its first-run setup. Ubuntu is the default in the documented install flow, but you can choose another distribution if your project or team requires it. Update its packages using the distribution’s package manager, following Microsoft’s WSL development environment guide.
2. Keep active project files in the Linux filesystem
Create development projects in your Linux home directory, for example /home/<user>/projects. WSL’s Linux filesystem is distinct from Windows NTFS. Microsoft recommends keeping Linux development files there because accessing files across the Windows–Linux boundary can be slower, particularly during builds and file watching.
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Windows drives remain accessible from Linux under mounted paths such as /mnt/c. Use those paths when you need to work with Windows-side files, but prefer the Linux filesystem for active Linux projects. The performance guidance is qualitative; Microsoft’s Dev Containers guide does not specify a benchmark or a universal speed difference.
3. Open the project in VS Code from WSL
The usual VS Code workflow installs the editor on Windows and connects it to the Linux environment through the WSL extension. This lets you use Linux tools in the project while editing with the Windows app. Follow Microsoft’s VS Code with WSL tutorial for the current setup.
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- Install VS Code on Windows.
- In VS Code, install the WSL extension.
- Open a WSL terminal and change to your project directory, such as
cd ~/projects/my-app. - Run
code .to open that folder in a VS Code session connected to WSL.
Use the integrated terminal and Linux development tools in that WSL-connected session. VS Code’s WSL workflow also supports debugging and extensions in the Linux environment. Visual Studio is a separate option documented by Microsoft, including for C++ cross-platform development; choose it when that toolchain fits the project better.
4. Configure Git for the Linux-side project
Install and configure Git in the environment where you will run it—inside your WSL distribution for a Linux-side project. Set your Git identity and credentials, and consider line endings when Windows and Linux tools both touch the same files. Microsoft’s Git on WSL tutorial explains the setup and the distinction between the WSL filesystem and Windows NTFS.
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5. Add only the services your project needs
A basic WSL setup does not require a database, container workflow, GPU configuration or Linux GUI application. Microsoft’s development environment guide covers these as project-specific additions, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, SQL Server and SQLite, as well as GPU acceleration and Linux GUI apps.
Use a Dev Container when the project needs a defined environment
A Dev Container can describe a project’s development environment in a devcontainer.json file. For the documented Windows setup, the prerequisites are WSL 2, Docker Desktop using its WSL 2 backend, VS Code and the Dev Containers extension. Keep the project in the Linux filesystem for this workflow as well; Microsoft notes that accessing Windows-side files can be slower for Dev Container workloads, without publishing a specific benchmark in its Dev Containers guidance.
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Choose the setup that matches the project
| Consideration | Direct WSL setup | WSL with a Dev Container |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Projects that need Linux tools and a Linux development environment. | Projects that benefit from a defined development environment in devcontainer.json. |
| Core components | WSL, a Linux distribution and your editor/toolchain. | WSL 2, Docker Desktop with its WSL 2 backend, VS Code and the Dev Containers extension. |
| Project location | Prefer the WSL Linux filesystem for active development files. | Prefer the WSL Linux filesystem; Microsoft warns Windows-side access can be slower for this workload. |
For C++ cross-platform development, Microsoft also documents Visual Studio as an editor option. Whichever workflow you choose, base the toolchain and optional services on the project’s actual requirements rather than installing every available component.
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