Ubuntu Linux is now available on the Windows Store

Jul 11, 2017 13:38 GMT  ·  By

Canonical is announcing today, through software engineer Dimitri John Ledkov, the availability of the Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) operating system as an "App" in the Windows 10 Store.

As we reported the other day, users already spotted the presence of Ubuntu Linux in Microsoft's Windows Store, as part of the Microsoft WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) initiative to help cross-platform developers test their apps on both platforms without rebooting the computer or running Linux virtualized.

But now Canonical made it official in a public announcement entitled "Windows 10 Loves Ubuntu," which published a few moments ago, announcing that its long-term supported Ubuntu 16.04 LTS operating system is available as an "app" that users can download and install from the Windows 10 Store on their Windows PCs, but only if they use the most recent Windows Insider builds.

"The newly improved app is created by Canonical in collaboration with the Microsoft WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) team as a result of the work announced at Microsoft Build 2017 Conference," says Dimitri John Ledkov, Software Engineer at Canonical. "The installation experience has been greatly improved and using Ubuntu on Windows should be now easier than before."

You need to be enrolled in the Windows Insiders program to use Ubuntu

Canonical says that you need to be enrolled in the Windows Insiders program and upgrade to the latest preview build of your Microsoft Windows 10 operating system to be able to use Ubuntu, as the "Windows Subsystem for Linux" feature is only available in Windows Insider builds.

To active it, search the "Turn Windows features on or off" feature, enable the "Windows Subsystem for Linux" option, and then install Ubuntu from the Windows 10 Store just like you install any other app. A one-time configuration will be required when launching the Ubuntu on Windows app.

For quicker access, Canonical instructs users to pin the Ubuntu on Windows app to the Start menu or the taskbar, but you can also run the "ubuntu" command from any cmd.exe terminal prompt to use the Ubuntu bash terminal or any of the pre-installed tools, including APT, DPKG, SSH, Git, and many others.

Ubuntu App on the Windows 10 Store
Ubuntu App on the Windows 10 Store

Ubuntu on Windows (2 Images)

Ubuntu on Windows
Ubuntu App on the Windows 10 Store
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