New here? The 2.0.0 release notes carry the full picture — what WSL Manager 2 is, every feature, the download table and how Pro works. This release lists what changed since 2.3.0.
Your instances
- Backup and restore (new): back every instance up to a folder of your choice and restore them from it again, one at a time or all together.
- WSL 1 or WSL 2 (new): see which version each installed distro runs on and switch it over, without leaving the app.
- Create from a local Docker image (new): pick an image already on your machine and turn it into a WSL instance.
- Default user (new): set the account a plain wsl opens, when you create an instance or later in its settings.
- Copy files between instances (new): pick files and folders in one instance and drop them into another.
Windows Terminal
- Every instance now shows up in the Windows Terminal dropdown, each with its own profile, and the app keeps that list in step as you add and remove instances.
- Opening an instance uses its profile, so it starts with the colours, font and starting directory you set for it.
Windows on ARM
- There is now a native Arm64 build — installer, portable ZIP and MSIX. On an ARM machine it runs without emulation instead of the x64 build.
- The root filesystems offered when you create an instance now match your machine's processor, so an ARM device is offered ARM images.
Networking
- Hosts file entries (new, optional): running instances can be kept in your Windows hosts file, so you can reach them by name instead of by a changing IP. Turn it on in Settings.
macOS VMs
- Installing a VM now reports each step as it happens, instead of a single long wait.
- A stopped VM's CPU count, memory and disk size can be changed from its menu.
- The app signs in as the account the VM actually has, rather than assuming a fixed one.
AI and snippets
- The AI features now ask once, clearly, before they are switched on. Nothing reaches an AI service until you say yes.
- The assistant chat has a resizable dock, a multi-line input box, and keeps your earlier conversations so you can pick one up again.
- Snippets that declare values now ask you for them before they run, instead of failing part-way through.
Downloads
Same as 2.0.0: Microsoft Store (recommended on Windows), the -setup.exe or portable .zip below, winget install Bostrot.WSLManager, and on Apple silicon the .dmg or brew install --cask bostrot/tap/wsl-manager. On Windows on ARM, pick the arm64 installer or ZIP.
Full Changelog: v2.3.0...v2.4.1
