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Arch Linux on WSL2 — Setup Guide

Fresh WSL2 + Arch install reference. Everything after this is handled by install.sh.

1. WSL2 Prerequisites

Open PowerShell as Admin:

dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart
wsl --set-default-version 2
wsl --update

Important

Restart your PC before proceeding.

2. Install Arch via ArchWSL

  1. Go to https://github.com/yuk7/ArchWSL/releases/latest
  2. Download Arch.zip from Assets — not the source code zip
  3. Extract to D:\Arch\ — keep Arch.exe and rootfs.tar.gz together
  4. Double-click Arch.exe to install
wsl --list --verbose    # verify Arch appears as VERSION 2
wsl -d Arch             # launch

Note

Arch.exe and rootfs.tar.gz are reusable for reinstalls — never delete them from D:\Arch\.

3. Initial Arch Config

Run inside Arch (you're root by default on first launch):

pacman-key --init
pacman-key --populate archlinux
pacman -Syu

Important

Never skip keyring init — missing it causes PGP signature errors on every package install.

Keyring errors

If you see signature is unknown trust or invalid or corrupted package:

pacman -Sy archlinux-keyring --noconfirm
pacman -Syu --noconfirm

Nuclear reset if still failing:

rm -rf /etc/pacman.d/gnupg
pacman-key --init
pacman-key --populate archlinux
pacman -Syu

Enable systemd

echo -e "[boot]\nsystemd=true" | sudo tee /etc/wsl.conf
wsl --shutdown
wsl -d Arch

4. User Setup

useradd -m -G wheel yourusername
passwd yourusername
echo "%wheel ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL" >> /etc/sudoers

Set as default user from PowerShell:

D:\Arch\Arch.exe config --default-user yourusername
wsl -d Arch    # verify — prompt should show your username

5. Run install.sh

sudo pacman -S --needed git
git clone https://github.com/Chaganti-Reddy/ArchWSL-dotfiles ~/dotfiles
cd ~/dotfiles
bash install.sh

After the script finishes:

exec zsh              # activate zsh
nvm install --lts     # install Node LTS

Add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub to GitHub SSH Keys.

6. Windows Terminal

Set Arch as default in settings.json (Ctrl+, → Open JSON):

"defaultProfile": "{bf507a66-4ed0-50bd-89af-4f19a39042a1}"

Arch profile:

{
  "name": "Arch",
  "commandline": "wsl.exe -d Arch",
  "startingDirectory": "//wsl.localhost/Arch/home/karna",
  "colorScheme": "Hyprfox",
  "cursorShape": "bar",
  "font": {
    "face": "Iosevka Nerd Font",
    "size": 12,
    "weight": "medium"
  }
}

7. Uninstall & Reinstall

Backup first

cp -r ~/.config /mnt/d/ArchBackup/config
cp -r ~/.ssh    /mnt/d/ArchBackup/ssh

Uninstall

wsl --unregister Arch

Warning

Deletes everything inside Arch. No undo.

Reinstall

Double-click Arch.exe on D:\Arch\ and follow from Section 3.

8. Common Issues

Issue Solution
unknown trust / corrupted package pacman -Sy archlinux-keyring && pacman -Syu
pacman-key hangs Wait it out — can take up to 20 min, don't cancel
User not in sudoers echo "user ALL=(ALL) ALL" >> /etc/sudoers
No internet echo "nameserver 8.8.8.8" > /etc/resolv.conf
wsl --update fails Download WSL kernel manually from Microsoft
Arch not starting after reinstall D:\Arch\Arch.exe config --default-user username
Clock skew after suspend sudo hwclock -s

9. Quick Reference

wsl -d Arch                  # launch Arch
wsl -d Arch -u root          # launch as root
wsl --shutdown               # stop all WSL instances
wsl --list --verbose         # list distros
wsl --unregister Arch        # wipe Arch completely
wsl --update                 # update WSL2 + WSLg
Location Path
Windows C drive from Arch /mnt/c/
Windows D drive from Arch /mnt/d/
Arch home from Windows \\wsl.localhost\Arch\home\karna
Windows Terminal settings %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows Terminal\settings.json
WSL config /etc/wsl.conf
DNS config /etc/resolv.conf

Chaganti-Reddy · March 2026