Microsoft’s WSL GUI Proposal: What Was Planned and What Works Now
The 2024 Dev Home WSL management screen was a proposal, not a Windows 11 release. Here is what Microsoft documented and how to manage WSL distributions today.
Correction and update (September 21, 2026): Our original 2024 article described a graphical WSL distribution manager as though it were rolling out in Windows 11. The linked Microsoft Dev Home issue was a feature exploration requesting feedback, not a release announcement. That repository was archived in June 2025, and the issue remains open. We have no evidence from that issue that the proposed Dev Home screen shipped.
What Microsoft Proposed
The proposal sketched a Dev Home page where a user could see installed Linux distributions, launch or terminate one, select a default, and install another distribution. It also listed possible later additions such as resource usage and import/export. These were proposed capabilities and priorities, not a supported Windows 11 feature list.
How to Manage WSL Distributions Today
Microsoft's current WSL command reference documents the supported management path. In PowerShell or Command Prompt:
wsl --list --verboselists installed distributions, their running state, and WSL version.wsl --list --onlineshows distributions available to install;wsl --install -d Ubuntuis an example installation command.wsl --set-default Ubuntuselects the default distribution when Ubuntu is installed.wsl --shutdownstops all running distributions and the WSL virtual machine. Save work first.
Check wsl --help and the Microsoft reference for the version installed on your machine. These examples are documentation-based; they are not a claim that we tested every command on every Windows build.
Why the Distinction Matters
A design proposal can be useful evidence of a product direction, but it should not be treated as an available feature when a team writes instructions or makes procurement decisions. For WSL onboarding, document the supported command sequence, required permissions, chosen distribution, update process, and a recovery path. If a graphical third-party manager is considered, evaluate it separately rather than assuming Windows includes the proposed Dev Home screen.
For a broader setup guide, use Microsoft's WSL development environment documentation. Our correction preserves this page's historical URL while making its status clear.
