Shutting Down Linux Distros on WSL

This guide shows how to shut down one or all your WSL distros using the wsl.exe command-line tool.

Terminating a Single Distro:

1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as administrator.
2. List running distros: wsl --list --verbose
3. Terminate a distro (replace DISTRO-NAME): wsl -t DISTRO-NAME
   • Example: wsl -t Ubuntu-20.04

Terminating All Distros:

1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as administrator.
2. List running distros (optional): wsl --list --verbose
3. Shut down all distros: wsl --shutdown

Verifying Shutdown (optional):

• After termination, run wsl --list --verbose to confirm all distros are "stopped".

Restarting a Distro:

• Launch the distro from the Start menu or use wsl --distribution DISTRO-NAME in Command Prompt/PowerShell.