Linux

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is an optional Windows 11 feature that provides a complete GNU/Linux environment in Windows, with support for command-line and graphical Linux applications. WSL is aimed at developers who need both Windows and Linux and would like to avoid the inconveniences of virtual machines (VMs) or a dual-boot configuration. But it's also an excellent and free way for any Windows 11 user to learn the Linux command-line environment.
Install Linux in Windows 11
WSL has evolved a lot since its initial implementation and there are now several different ways to arrive at a working installation. However you do it, installing WSL is still a multi-step process. But we're confident that this is the most reliable way to do so.
Install the Virtual Machine Platform
First, you should install an optional Windows 11 feature called Virtual Machine Platform. This feature, also used by the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), lets your PC emulate different operating systems, like Android and Linux.
Virtual Machine Platform is based on, but separate from, the hypervisor-based technologies that power Hyper-V, the Windows 11-based virtualization platform that lets you virtually run other operating systems--usually Windows or Linux--in VMs in Windows 11. One might think of Virtual Machine Platform as the subset of Hyper-V required for WSA and WSL.
To install Virtual Machine Platform, open Search and search for features. Then, select "Turn Windows features on or off" to open the Windows Features control panel.

Scroll down, find "Virtual Machine Platform," select it, and click "OK." Windows 11 will need to reboot to fully install this feature. Do so.
If you are running Windows 11 on a supported PC--that is, you have not installed it on unsupported hardware--Virtual Machine Platform will be supported too. That said, it's possible that your PC is not configured properly to enable virtualization features like Virtual Machine Platform, and in this case you won't be able to install this feature. A Microsoft support document explains what you need to do to enable it in this case.
Install the Windows Subsystem for Linux
To install the Windows Subsystem for Linux, open the Microsoft Store app and search for linux. Find Windows Subsystem for Linux in the search results--it should be the first item--and install it.

You can't use WSL yet--you need to install a Linux distribution first, as described below--but click the "Open" button on WSL's Store listing page just to see that it works and needs a Linux distribution.

Install your first Linux distribution
Finding a Linux distribution should be easy since you obtain one using the Microsoft Store. Sadly, this is not the case: the official Microsoft shortcut for displaying available Linux distributions, aka.ms/wslstore, only displays some of the distributions.

Another tactic is to use Store search. If you know the name of the distribution you want--Ubuntu and Debian are amon...