If you want to remove WSL entirely from your Windows machine, you need to disable the underlying Windows features.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Lxss
If you removed WSL but later want it back, reinstalling is straightforward: uninstall wsl
Before removing the WSL framework, you should delete the actual Linux data (like Ubuntu or Debian) to ensure no virtual hard disks (VHDX files) are left behind.
Once complete, a restart is recommended to ensure all background services are terminated and kernel changes take effect. If you want to remove WSL entirely from
# Disable WSL Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux
Even after uninstallation, some configuration folders may remain in your user profile. uninstall wsl
: Open PowerShell or Command Prompt as an administrator and type: wsl --list