Microsoft Confirms WSL Containers Support for Windows 10

Windows 10 support for WSL Containers has been confirmed, meaning users can run Linux containers through WSL without Docker Desktop, as Windows Latest writes.

Microsoft confirmed that WSL Containers, also called WSLc, works anywhere WSL currently runs. That includes Windows 10 version 2004, Build 19041, or newer.

The confirmation matters because early discussion around WSLc created confusion about whether the feature would require Windows 11 or arrive as part of a future WSL 3 release. Microsoft has confirmed that WSL 3 does not exist, and WSLc is simply an update to the current WSL platform.

WSL Containers Work on Windows 10

WSL Containers will not stay limited to Windows 11. Microsoft’s Craig Loewen confirmed that the feature works across the “vast majority” of supported Windows versions where WSL already works.

That means Windows 10 users can test Linux containers directly through WSL 2, without installing Docker Desktop or manually setting up Docker Engine inside a Linux distro.

The feature arrives through a WSL update, not a separate Windows 11-only platform upgrade.

How Windows 10 Users Can Enable WSL Containers

Users need WSL 2 before they can try WSL Containers. After that, they must install the pre-release WSL build and restart the WSL environment.

The basic setup involves installing WSL 2 on Windows 10, updating WSL to the latest pre-release build, shutting down WSL completely, and then checking the installed WSL Containers version with wslc –version.

If the system shows wslc 2.9.3.0, WSL Containers support has been enabled.

WSLc Is Still a Pre-Release Feature

WSL Containers remains in pre-release, so Windows 10 users should treat it as a testing feature for now.

Some users have reported a “Catastrophic failure” error with the E_UNEXPECTED code when launching a container for the first time. A full system reboot has reportedly fixed the problem in many cases.

Because of that, WSLc currently makes more sense for testing, local development, and single-container projects than important production workflows.

How WSL Containers Work

WSLc builds OCI-compatible images, which use the same container image format as Docker.

Behind the scenes, WSL Containers rely on WSL and Moby, the open-source container engine that also powers Docker. WSLc communicates directly with the WSL service that manages the Linux virtual machine.

This approach removes one of the common setup steps for Windows developers. Users no longer need to install Docker Engine inside a WSL 2 distro just to run Linux containers.

GPU Passthrough Works on Windows 10

WSL Containers also support GPU passthrough on Windows 10.

Users can pass the GPU to supported containers with the –gpus all flag. The feature uses the regular Windows NVIDIA driver, and supported CUDA libraries become available inside compatible containers.

That makes WSLc useful for local AI and GPU-accelerated development tasks. Users can test workloads with tools and frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Ollama, llama.cpp, and CUDA-based projects.

Docker Desktop Still Has Advantages

WSL Containers does not currently offer the full graphical experience that Docker Desktop provides.

Users who want a visual dashboard, easier multi-container management, or a more mature container workflow may still prefer Docker Desktop. WSLc looks more useful for developers who want a lighter command-line container option inside WSL.

Craig Loewen also has a text-based dashboard called lazywslc, which can help users manage WSL Containers without a full GUI.

What This Means for Windows 10 Users

The biggest takeaway is that Microsoft has not restricted WSL Containers to Windows 11.

Windows 10 users on version 2004 or newer can test Linux containers through WSL 2, including GPU-enabled workloads, without installing Docker Desktop. However, since WSLc remains in pre-release, users should expect rough edges and avoid relying on it for critical daily work just yet.