How to Enable Bash on Windows 10?

Posted on September 22nd, 2016

Bash for Windows is an Ubuntu-based tool that helps to run familiar Linux applications on Windows. This is not a virtual machine, container, chroot, or a full Linux distribution. It is basically a medium to run Linux applications mostly based on the terminals and Bash commands in Windows 10. It provides access to the Windows File System. This whole concept is achieved by the concept of Linux-compatible kernel interface which does not use a single line of Linux code. Bash for Windows feature allows to run Linux command-line tools and applications along with the Windows command-line, desktop, and store applications. This system only requires less amount of resources than a virtual machine.

 

Prerequisites

You will need the following:

1) A 64-bit PC running a 64-bit version of Windows 10 (sorry 32-bit users).

2) The new ‘Windows 10 Anniversary Update’ installed.

 

Enable Developer Mode

User also has the option to work in developer mode which provides extra features. Before that, the developer mode must be first enabled. To do this on Windows, go to Settings >> Update & Security >> For Developers >> Developer Mode. You may be asked to reboot.

 

Enable Windows Subsystem for Linux

After enabling the developer mode, open the Start Menu and look for “Turn Windows Features On or Off “. In the new window, tick the box next to the option “Windows Subsystem for Linux (Beta)”.

Click OK to apply your changes.

 

Reboot

In order to install the Bash feature in Windows the reboot must be done. This step cannot be skipped.

 

Open Bash

After the reboot, search for Bash in the Start Menu. Click on the icon appears. Initially you should agree to the terms and conditions of service. After this step you will be downloading the “Bash on Ubuntu on Windows” from the Windows Store. After the successful download, next step is to create a username and password for the Bash environment. The username and password of Windows have no connection with this.

 

Open Ubuntu

Search ‘ubuntu’ in the Start Menu. Click on the Ubuntu logo to launch Bash on Windows.

 

Uses of Bash on Windows

Standard GNU command line tools can be run in the Ubuntu on Windows. The features supported by Windows are:

1) GNU command line tools such as grep, sed, and awk.

2) File system and symlink support within the WSL environment.

3) Ability to run apt & apt-get for installs, updates, and package testing.

4) Basic functionality for languages such as NodeJS/npm, Python, Perl.

5) Command line tools such as Vim, Emacs, Git, and SSH.

 

If you need any further assistance please contact our support department.

 

 

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