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WSL2 default user configuration

WSL2 default user configuration is the process of defining which user account is automatically logged into when a specific WSL2 distribution instance is launched.^[600-developer-tools-windows-install-multiple-ubuntu-wsl2.md] This step is typically required after manually importing or installing a new instance of a Linux distribution (such as Ubuntu) to ensure it does not default to the root user.

Configuration command

To configure the default user for a specific WSL2 distribution, the wsl command is executed with the --user parameter.^[600-developer-tools-windows-install-multiple-ubuntu-wsl2.md] This allows the specification of a username that will be used for the initial login shell.

The general syntax for the command is:

wsl -d <DistroName> -u <Username>

Alternatively, within the context of setting up a new imported instance, you can set the default user for the current session by invoking the executable directly:

<SuiteExecutable>.exe config --default-user <Username>

For example, if using a custom Ubuntu instance, the command might look like Ubuntu-20.04.exe config --default-user <Username>.^[600-developer-tools-windows-install-multiple-ubuntu-wsl2.md]

Workflow context

Configuring the default user is a standard step in the workflow of creating Multiple WSL2 instances or manually importing distribution tarballs.^[600-developer-tools-windows-install-multiple-ubuntu-wsl2.md] It follows the creation of user accounts within the Linux environment and precedes the final login verification.

  • [[WSL2]]
  • [[Multiple Ubuntu WSL2 instances]]
  • [[Windows Subsystem for Linux]]

Sources

^[600-developer-tools-windows-install-multiple-ubuntu-wsl2.md]