WSL closes immediately

[jmoteka]

Environment

Windows build number: Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.18363.1139]
Your Distribution version: Ubuntu 20.04
Whether the issue is on WSL 2 and/or WSL 1: WSL 2 (Linux version 4.19.128-microsoft-standard (oe-user@oe-host) (gcc version 8.2.0 (GCC)) #1 SMP Tue Jun 23 12:58:10 UTC 2020)

Steps to reproduce

Running: "Open Linux shell here" from context menu, run "wsl" from cmd or PowerShell.

Expected behavior

Shell opens. Shell opens at the location I selected "Open Linux shell here".

Actual behavior

This results in a window which closes immediately. No possibility of interacting or even taking a look a the error message.
If running in the command line this is followed by no response.

wsl only works if distro is mentioned explicitely: wsl -d ubuntu

[ghost]

Which is your default distro?

[therealkenc]

Which is your default distro?

Or better, output of wsl.exe -l -v.

[ghost]

@therealkenc You are thinking what I am thinking.

[mathball31]

EDIT: I'm afraid I actually have a different issue. wsl from powershell works fine for me. My issue is with mintty.

Original:

I have the same issue.

wsl.exe -l -v
  NAME      STATE           VERSION
* Legacy    Running         1

[ghost]

What is Legacy?

[therealkenc]

* Legacy Running 1

Well that's interesting, insofar as wsl.exe -d ubuntu launches successfully, but Ubuntu is not in your list. Which is at least a little like #6024.

You might try:

C:\> wsl.exe --set-default Ubuntu

Assuming that takes, Ubuntu will be your default. You won't need the -d parameter to wsl.exe, and with fingers crossed, it might launch from the context menu as well.

Before doing so, out of an abundance of caution, you might want to backup your Ubuntu distribution with wsl.exe --export Ubuntu <filename> (if you have any valuable data in there). You can also try installing another distribution with a different name (say Ubuntu-20.04) to see if it shows up in the wsl -l -v list. Then set Ubuntu-20.04 as the default.

No possibility of interacting or even taking a look a the error message.

Trying running wsl.exe -d Legacy from a command prompt. Presumably the Legacy distro will fail to launch.

If it fails to launch, and you like, collect WSL logs and post the backlink to the feedback item here. Although in the circumstance, you are probably shooting for WSL2 Ubuntu anyway.

What is Legacy?

It is the distribution that used to ship with the now-deprecated bash.exe. Ref some commentary in #4717, including --export and --import.

[ghost]

Same thing happens when your default distro is docker-desktop or docker-desktop-data.

[ktre2017]

Hi, I have the same issue

WSL is closing immediately

wsl.exe -l -v
NAME STATE VERSION

• Ubuntu-18.04 Stopped 1

Please advise how to fix this

[ghost]

@ktre2017 Does running wsl -d Ubuntu-18.04 work?

[ktre2017]

@ktre2017 Does running wsl -d Ubuntu-18.04 work?

I tried but it didn't work.

[ghost]

Then something is wrong with Ubuntu 18.04 distro. /cc @craigloewen-msft

[jmoteka]

@therealkenc thanks! basically the default distro was docker

[Elia-238]

The same thing happened to me.
I was able to find the problem after running as root:

 wsl -d Ubuntu-22.04 --user root

Then I did:

su my_username

And I saw that there was a problem with my shell prompt.
I fixed it, and then everything went back to normal.

[jasojone]

Not sure if any can help me with my issue. So I just got a refurb replacement note 8, and the WSL is not opening. I can't even install Ubuntu, I get this error for that,

[anayarojo]

In my case, I didn't have Ubuntu distribution.

So, I installed it, using this command:

wsl --install -d Ubuntu

Then I used the following command to set the Ubuntu distribution as default:

wsl --set-default Ubuntu

Other useful commands:

# To list all installed distributions
wsl --list --verbose
wsl -l -v

# To see the available distributions to install
wls --list --online

[majid-2002]

I can't install ubuntu distro using my wsl and open it . I tried to install the Ubuntu using this command

wsl --install -d Ubuntu

And then the Ubuntu shell opens and then it asks to press a key to continue but when I press the key the window immediately closes. And when I try to open again it shows you have no distros installed.

Windows Subsystem for Linux has no installed distributions.                                                            
Distributions can be installed by visiting the Microsoft Store:                                                        
https://aka.ms/wslstore              

I tried listing the distros using this command

wsl --list --verbose

but it shows no distros installed.

[majid-2002]

I can't install ubuntu distro using my wsl and open it . I tried to install the Ubuntu using this command

wsl --install -d Ubuntu

And then the Ubuntu shell opens and then it asks to press a key to continue but when I press the key the window immediately closes. And when I try to open again it shows you have no distros installed.

Windows Subsystem for Linux has no installed distributions.                                                            
Distributions can be installed by visiting the Microsoft Store:                                                        
https://aka.ms/wslstore              

I tried listing the distros using this command

wsl --list --verbose

but it shows no distros installed.

Finally solved this issue by doing a kernel update from the wsl docs

Kernel update for x64

[DeleMike]

@therealkenc Thank you!

[rin67630]

Same same here.
Win 10 Version 10.0.22621.2428, just updated.
Freshly installed WSL Debian from the store.
wsl-exe -l -v
issues
* Debian Stopped 1

wsl -d debian
issues
Fehler beim bereit stellen eines Ihrer Datei Systeme. Führen Sie "dmesg" aus, um weitere Details anzuzeigen.
which translates to
Error mounting one of your file systems. Run dmesg to see more details.

All partitions are clean, The usual 3 windows Partition, one ExFat, the last one is Ext4

There is no command dmesg accepted.

[ThomasSpare]

Had this problem to. Probably because some change to WSL as default.
Solution: If you already have Ubuntu installed
RUN THIS IN POWERSHELL
wsl --set-default Ubuntu

But after this when I run wsl I get stuck in some root position, something I haven´t seen before when it was working.