Pengwin is the easiest to use Linux distribution on
Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Pengwin is a Linux environment for Windows
built on work by Microsoft Research
and the Debian project.

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Work seamlessly between Windows and Linux.

Install just the tool that you need: use apt

Access to over 25,353 open-source packages to fuel your productivity. Easily install and upgrade packages using the powerful apt package management system. Add and install from official Debian-compatible repositories. Use aptitude or synaptic GUI tools to browse and install new packages.

Get ready faster

Pengwin includes pengwin-setup to help get your work environment up and running swiftly. Easily install Python, Go, Ruby, NodeJS, PowerShell, and Azure Cloud tools, among others. Pengwin-setup updates automatically to the latest version to get the latest features.

GUI applications

Use pengwin-setup to install VcXsrv or set up X410 to start at pengwin launch. Enable genuine HighDPI support, install your favorite Linux terminal like Terminator or Konsole, and create Start Menu shortcuts in Windows to all your Linux GUI apps.

Development environment

Install the most popular development environments. Instead of installing the latest version of Python or Ruby from repos, pengwin-setup installs version managers like rbenv, pyenv, poetry, n, nvm, sdkman, etc. Also, automatically setup your .Net environment for Linux.

Windows Terminal seamless integration

Pengwin installs itself as a menu entry in Windows Terminal.

We crafted the background and the color palette for the best looking and usability in Windows Terminal.

Real Linux terminalson Windows

terminator, konsole, tilix, …

Windows Terminal is an excellent terminal emulator, but Linux has mighty ones aimed at sysadmins or cloud development. Broadcast input, Bookmarks, sessions are just examples.

Work seamlessly between Windows and Linux.

Access your C:\ drive at /mnt/C automatically. Copy and paste from Visual Studio into Emacs. Open Word from zsh. Pipe ifconfig.exe output into a Python script. It is a hybrid world. Pengwin bridges the gap between Windows and Linux. Pengwin also includes wslutilities to make working in the hybrid world easier.

Fire up a web server to test your web app.

Apache, PostgreSQL, MySQL, ngnix, NodeJS, npm, and PHP. Build and run your web app on Pengwin using the best tools, plugins, and libraries that open source has to offer. Pengwin is particularly useful for frontend developers new to Linux.

Support open source indie development.

Pengwin is the first Linux distribution created specifically for WSL. It was created by WSL users who recognized the potential of the platform. The project is open source and community input is highly encouraged. Purchases through the Microsoft Store employ developers to add features, test builds, provide user support, and patch security bugs. WSL is supported by a growing online community and officially supported by Microsoft on Windows 10 and Windows Server 2019.

What is WSL?

Run on Windows:

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Blog Posts

Mar 7, 2025

Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) provides an excellent Linux environment on Windows, but performance can be impacted by memory limitations. This article explores how enabling zswap can significantly improve system responsiveness by reducing disk swap usage and optimizing memory management.

Mar 7, 2025