Why wslp

Examples of why wslp is useful.

Streamlined actions

Renaming

Renaming a distro requires editing the Windows Registry directly when using wsl.exe.

Without wslp

1. Open Registry Editor (regedit)

2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Lxss

3. Find the subkey for your distro by checking each DistributionName value

4. Double-click DistributionName and enter the new name

5. Run wsl --shutdown to apply the change

With wslp

1. Run wslp rename <old-name> <new-name>

2. Run wsl --shutdown to apply the change

Copying

Copying normally requires at least two steps: exporting and importing:

Without wslp

1. mkdir backup

2. wsl --export Ubuntu-24.04 .\backup\Ubuntu-24.04.tar.gz

3. wsl --import Ubuntu-24.04-copy .\backup\Ubuntu2404-copy\ .\backup\Ubuntu-24.04.tar.gz

With wslp

1. Run wslp copy Ubuntu-24.04 Ubuntu-24.04-copy

Bulk actions

Installing multiple distros with wsl.exe requires a separate command per distro.

Without wslp

1. Run wsl --install Ubuntu

2. Wait for it to complete

3. Run wsl --install Debian

4. Wait for it to complete

5. Repeat for each additional distro

With wslp

1. Run wslp install <distro1> <distro2> ....

Note

With concurrent installations, you can also reduce the time for installation.

Backing up multiple distros with wsl.exe also requires a separate command per distro.

Without wslp

1. Run wsl --export Ubuntu Ubuntu.tar

2. Wait for it to complete

3. Run wsl --export Debian Debian.tar

4. Wait for it to complete

5. Repeat for each additional distro

With wslp

1. Run wslp backup Ubuntu Debian ...

Context and feedback

Getting an overview of all distros and inspecting their properties with wsl.exe requires running multiple commands, reviewing separate outputs. For specific inspections, like Ubuntu telemetry, the registry is required.

Without wslp

1. Run wsl --list --verbose to see distro names and running state

2. Run wsl -d Ubuntu to enter a distro’s shell

3. Run distro-specific commands to inspect properties (e.g., check Ubuntu telemetry settings)

4. Exit the shell and repeat from step 2 for each other distro

With wslp

1. Start the GUI

2. View all distros and their state at a glance

3. Select a distro’s context menu to inspect its properties

Feature comparison

Feature	wsl.exe	wslp
Install a distro	✓	✓
Install multiple distros at once	✗	✓
List distros	✓	✓
Launch a distro shell	✓	✓
Terminate a distro	✓	✓
Terminate multiple distros at once	✗	✓
Unregister a distro	✓	✓
Unregister multiple distros at once	✗	✓
Backup a distro	✓	✓
Backup multiple distros at once	✗	✓
Auto backup filename and location	✗	✓
Rename a distro	✗	✓
GUI overview of distros and their state	✗	✓
Inspect per-distro properties	✗	✓