Wsl2 size. vhdx files) for every "distro" (e.
Wsl2 size I'm a pretty heavy wsl2 user to a point that I use it for my entire development process. Learn how to compile a custom WSL2 kernel, configure swappiness 133, and monitor RAM savings. Linux memory under WSL2 Jul 18, 2024 · WSL2 uses a lightweight virtual machine to run Linux. What should I do? Oct 1, 2024 · I did a do-release-upgrade in my WSL2 setup today to go to Ubuntu 24. System information as of Sat Jul 30 22:52:35 CST 2022 System load: 0. For example: Before I deleted Apr 19, 2024 · WSL2: VHD Size Limited to 256GB (#4373), similarity score: 0. Sep 10, 2021 · The virtual disk that WSL2 uses (ext4. Due to various Docker experiments size of the ext4. This issue might occur four times, causing a four-time stall. To expand the VHD size for a Linux distribution beyond the default 1TB maximum amount of allocated disk space, you can use the wsl --manage command or follow the manual steps below. We can run a command to optimize/vacuum the virtual disk file to reclaim some space. Jan 7, 2024 · I've tried installing the package big-cursor on the Ubuntu VM, but the following command line does not change the mouse pointer size when the mouse is positioned above a GUI Linux app window (e. By default, it’s configured to use a dynamic amount of memory and CPU resources. g. Aug 6, 2025 · You’ve just reclaimed all that unused space inside your WSL2 (almost) hands free! Now, you can take it a step further by modifying this script to run completely automatically, without the confirmation prompt (step 4). 9 This is the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL, WSL2, WSLg) Subreddit where you can get help installing, running or using the Linux on Windows features in Windows 10. This guide explains how to manually reclaim disk space by optimizing the virtual disk. 0. Mar 7, 2025 · Improve your WSL2 performance with zswap, a memory compression feature that optimizes swap usage and boosts efficiency. Mar 2, 2022 · For that reason, with WSL2, something like ncdu (from the question you linked) will only report the size that the distribution thinks is being used. Sep 25, 2023 · As I added more files to WSL, the VHD file grew in size again. 0 + Ubuntu. However, there are problems with devices that use a high resolution, such as my Microsoft Surface Pro 7. conf and . e. Oct 11, 2019 · The large change in the vhdx size is likely due to the fact that the virtual disk can grow as needed, but does not release space as files are removed from it. Nov 30, 2020 · I'm using Ubuntu 20. 04 LTS on my Windows 10 machine using WSL2. Whether you’re working with large projects or running multiple distributions, understanding how to optimize your WSL2 file system is crucial for maintaining peak performance. Might try the "edit disk" tool in Hyper V Manager, it allows for resizing and setting fixed size vhdx volumes. , meld): gsettings set org. You can specify resource limits in the WSL configuration Dec 2, 2020 · I cannot find it documented anywhere) limitation of disk space that can be used by all images and containers created on Docker Desktop WSL2 Windows. Thanks to Stephen Rees-Carter, I found this process on their website originally at https://stephenreescarter. 71 Closed similar issues: How can I manage my disk size in WSL2 (#6848), similarity score: 0. Jan 4, 2023 · Within text zone, Ctrl++ or Ctrk+mouse scrolling can enlarge or shrink text size, but I don't know how to change font size for WSL2 GUI menus and haven't found neither solutions googling. Learn how to check the amount of disk space available, expand the size of the Virtual Hard Disk (VHD), repair a VHD mounting or read-only error, and locate the . In this guide, we’ll explore essential techniques for managing your WSL2 file system, from basic storage concepts to advanced A guide to the wsl. Jun 9, 2023 · I have deleted those files now, however, the available disk space in the hard drive has not decreased and the wsl disk image continues to be of the same size, i. Feb 9, 2020 · Long story short, I saved a backup in the wrong directory, and my WSL2 disk expanded to use up all available space on my drive. This article provides a solution to this problem, making it easier to use graphical Linux applications on your Windows system. Feb 12, 2023 · I'm running Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) with Windows Terminal, and I currently have downloaded "Ubuntu on Windows" from the Microsoft Store. vhdx. In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through I want to mention wslcompact, this tools also list of WSL distro (also docker-desktop and docker-desktop-data) and estimates the time needed to compact the virtual disk size. Nov 26, 2021 · The file appears to be 512MB, but du (disk usage) shows that it really takes 0 on the disk. gnome. 7% of 250. 04 and now my mouse cursor when I hover over graphical Linux applications is huge. 73 Add option to limit the size of a vhdx when creating a WSL distro (#10565), similarity score: 0. However, if your WSL is using too much disk space, even after deleting files, it’s possible that the space is not being released automatically due to how WSL stores its data in a virtual hard disk (VHD) file. wslconfig file and added these lines [system-distro-env] WESTON_RDP_DISABLE_FRACTIONAL_HI_DPI_SCALING=false This didn't help though. To fix this error, follow the guidance below on How to expand the size of your WSL 2 Virtual Hard Disk. For WSL2 (the Hyper-V VM based one), WSL creates automatically growing virtual hard disks (. vhd file is still Jan 30, 2022 · I've installed Ubuntu 20. I have been using a fedora installation on WSL2 for a few days now and it works pretty well. Jan 29, 2025 · Managing storage efficiently in WSL2 can significantly impact your development workflow. vhdx) is what is known as "sparse". You can see how much space the WSL2 virtual disk is actually taking by searching your drive for ext4 Nov 9, 2020 · How to change the maximum size of the disk image of my WSL2 distro? Ask Question Asked 5 years ago Modified 2 years, 11 months ago Dec 31, 2023 · The virtual disk of WSL2 on Windows 11 system did not free up disk space on my D drive after file deletion. WSL2 2. I went looking for a way to shrink a WSL2 virtual disk, and after a few false starts, found a method which worked for me. But the ext4. If the storage space required by your Linux files exceeds this maximum size, you will see errors stating that you've run out of disk space. Now I just recently wanted to also try out some actual linux distros on my pc and thus had to shrink my disk when I saw that I was already using 1TB of storage for just apps. vhdx files) for every "distro" (e. When I run the "Ubuntu on Windows Aug 8, 2022 · The WSL2 says it uses more than 90% size. . Even after deleting files, the allocated virtual disk (VHDX) does not automatically shrink. wslconfig files used for configuring settings when running multiple Linux distributions on Windows Subsystem for Linux. It's probably 4 times as tall and 4 times as Jan 29, 2024 · Following the advice on How do I get back unused disk space from Ubuntu on WSL2? I set my WSL disk image to sparse with wsl --manage <distro> --set-sparse true. I tried changing the . Automatic compaction of the VHD used by WSL2 was actually added earlier this week. Jun 1, 2023 · Know how to build and use the Microsoft Linux kernel v6 on WSL2 instead of the stock kernel Developing in the Windows Subsystem for Linux with Visual Studio Code - Training In this module, you learn how to use the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) with Visual Studio Code (VS Code). Sep 21, 2023 · So over time, as Ubuntu places new files all over the disk area, the VHDX will continue growing until it eventually reaches the complete "disk size" that was given to the VM. So when you view the filesystem through the \\WSL$\ network share, it's simply showing the maximum possible size to which the virtual WSL2 disk can grow. 04 on WSL2 on Windows 10, and I noticed that after removing files on Ubuntu I was not getting the space back that was taken up by the removed files. 92 GB ncdu reports 1. You'll need to stop Jun 24, 2020 · When using wsl2 +gpu for ml matrix calc, I bought 128GB (64x4) memory but need 256GB+ more memory. I updated the high DPI settings found here: Blurry Error. Feb 26, 2025 · If you are using Docker with WSL 2 backend and cannot increase the disk size from the Docker Desktop settings, follow these… Jul 9, 2021 · This allows you to shrink a WSL2 virtual disk file, reclaiming disk space. It appeared to work for me without any data corruption, taking the file size down from 100GB to 15GB. I then checked how I was using so much for just apps and the number 1 place was Ubuntu on Windows with a disk size of 583 GB!!! Here Oct 20, 2024 · Fixing WSL Disk Space Issue by Compacting VHD Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) allows you to run a full Linux distribution within Windows. Nov 17, 2023 · compact vdisk didn't work for me - size didn't change. WSL Linux creates a swap disk and sizes the max to be 25% of the maximum RAM. 9. vhdx has grown to 90GB. Oct 1, 2024 · If you're experiencing a huge mouse cursor in WSL2 Ubuntu 24. desktop. These are displayed in a separate window and can be used like normal Windows programs. I see that it is 251G. Jan 28, 2022 · WSL Linux defaults to a maximum RAM size of 50% of the host machine's physical RAM. net/how-to-shrink-a-wsl2-virtual-disk/ Apr 20, 2017 · Under Windows' Apps & Features it lists Ubuntu "WSL2" as taking up 1. In other words, it appears to the underlying OS as its maximum available size, but it only takes up as much space on the host (Windows) disk as it currently needs. Feb 12, 2025 · Over time, WSL2 distributions and Docker images can consume significant disk space. The actual size of the virtual disk on the Windows drive could be (sometimes much) larger. 70 Note: You can give me feedback by thumbs upping or thumbs downing this comment. interface cursor-size 48 [Note 2. Oct 31, 2020 · How do I increase the physical size of a WSL virtual disk? I only managed to increase the virtual size. I just can't get proper scaling for GUI applications though. , the size it occupied after the generation of the large files. Older Install - WSL - Legacy "Bash on Ubuntu on Windows" My older install is at 5GB -- this has nvm, rvm, vscode-remote, a bit of tons of project dependencies installed, etc. It's usually in C:\Users\YOURNAME\AppData\Local\Docker\wsl\data and you can often reclaim some of the space if you've cleaned up (pruned your images, etc) with Optimize-Vhd under an administrator PowerShell shell/prompt. 04 graphical applications, this can be frustrating and affect usability. See this question for details. What should I do? Jul 7, 2022 · Graphical Linux applications in WSL2 too small? In Windows 11, the new Linux environment (WSL2) can now also run graphical programs. Ubuntu) you install so they start small, around maybe a GB in size initially (depends on the installed/imported distro though), then grow as needed. 107421875 Usage of /: 90. vhdx file and disk path for Linux distributions installed with WSL 2. Oct 5, 2021 · Docker Desktop for Windows uses WSL to manage all your images and container files and keeps them in a private virtual hard drive (VHDX) called ext4. 7 GiB (~1. On hard linux machine I can set swap with 512GB (one entire ssd), but cannot set on wsl2? May 13, 2021 · Compact the WSL2 Virtual Disk If you copy some large files into WSL2 and then delete them, they will disappear from the filesystem but the underlying virtual disk may have still grown in size and the extra space will not be re-used. Page cannot be displayed. Please contact your service provider for more details. 82GB) which is pretty close to what Windows reports. We explore the installation process and the basics of using WSL. I have also installed VcXsrv to use XLaunch to enable GUI environments to open. wwdeh 5nc9 irg kh1x yd46yb o60biv h1lzk jjae jzmhl zm