deputyOS on Windows with WSL2
Run deputyOS on Windows through WSL2. Import a tarball and it runs as a distribution — no VM manager, no dual boot.
- Setup time
- ~10 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Cost
- free
- Acceleration
- WSL2
On Windows, deputyOS runs as a WSL2 distribution. This is the fastest way to try it on hardware you already have.
Prerequisites
Windows 10 2004+ or Windows 11, with WSL2 installed:
wsl --install
wsl --set-default-version 2Reboot if that was a fresh install.
Import
Download the wsl2 tarball from the picker, then:
mkdir C:\deputyos
wsl --import deputyos C:\deputyos deputyos-wsl2-standard.tar.gz --version 2
wsl -d deputyosThe wizard starts on first launch. Open http://localhost:8080 in Windows —
WSL2 forwards localhost automatically.
What differs under WSL2
- No systemd by default on older WSL builds. Recent versions support it via
/etc/wsl.conf; deputyOS sets this during import. - Networking is NAT’d. The device is reachable from Windows but not from other machines on your LAN without extra port proxying.
- It stops when WSL stops. This is a workstation setup, not an always-on appliance. For always-on, use a Pi, a mini-PC or a VPS.
Memory
WSL2 claims up to half your RAM by default. Constrain it in
%USERPROFILE%\.wslconfig:
[wsl2]
memory=8GB
processors=4Then wsl --shutdown and restart.
Moving on
WSL2 is a good place to evaluate. When you want it always-on, the same profile and configuration transfer to any other target — the image differs, the assistant does not.