On Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) , it is possible to unregister a Linux distro (such as Ubuntu or Kali Linux) to reset it and start fresh with the distribution without re-downloading the container from the Microsoft Store.
When you unregister a distro on Windows 10 , it will no longer be available in the WSL environment, and all the changes made will be discarded. The next time you launch the distro from the Start menu or Microsoft Store, it will start as if it was the first time, and you will need to go through the process to set it up again.
Microsoft defines the unregistering process as a way to uninstall the WSL2 distro, but without deleting the virtual machine from the device like the rest feature available in the Settings app .
In this guide , you will learn the steps to unregister and reinstall a distribution of Linux on the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 platform.
Unregister Linux distro on WSL2
To unregister a Linux distribution on WLS2, use these steps:
- Open Start on Windows 10.
- Search for Command Prompt , right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
- Type the following command to view a list of all available distros and press Enter : wsl –list Quick tip: You can also write the command like this: wsl -l .
- Type the following command to set a distro as the new default and press Enter : wsl –unregister DISTRO-NAME In the command, replace DISTRO-NAME for the name of the distro you want to set as default (see step No. 3 ). For example, this command unregisters Kali Linux: wsl –unregister Kali-linux WSL2 unregister command
- Type the following command to confirm distros and press Enter : wsl –list
Once you complete the steps, the distro will reset and no longer be available in WSL, but it won’t be uninstalled from the computer. If you want to reinstall the distro, click the Launch button from the Microsoft Store or select it from the Start menu to start over with the setup.
On March 18, Microsoft made available yet another update (KB5001649) for Windows 10 to address more printing issues caused by the first fix released on March 15.
According to the company , after installing the update KB5001567 (March 15 update) , devices may receive unexpected results when printing from some apps or to some printers. Some problems include missing or solid color graphics, misalignment and formatting issues, or printing blank pages.
As a result of these problems, the company is now expediting a new out-of-band update to resolve the issue. The update is available as an optional update, so you need to download and install it manually through Windows Update.
You can do this by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update . Then, click the Check for Updates button, and then under the “Optional quality update available” section, click the Download and install option. After the installation, the version number will bump to build 19041.870 and 19042.870, depending on whether you are using version 2004 or 20H2.
The update is also available for download through the Microsoft Update Catalog website . Once you download the package for your version of Windows 10, double-click the file to install it.
Alongside the update for versions 20H2 and 2004, Microsoft is also making available the fixes for Windows 10 version 1909 , 1809 , 1803 , 1607 , and 1507 .
