Search code examples
windowsvisual-studio-codewindows-subsystem-for-linuxvscode-remote

How do I open a wsl workspace in VS Code for a different distro?

I have both Ubuntu and Debian installed for WSL. When I open a WSL workspace using VS Code remote development, it always opens Ubuntu. How can I open a workspace under the Debian install using WSL in VS Code?

Solution

  • The VS Code Remote - WSL extension always uses the default WSL distro. You can change the default distro using the wsl command (wslconfig on earlier windows versions):

    # List the available distributions
wsl --list

    Listing distributions with the wsl --list command

    # Set the default version to debian
wsl --setdefault debian

    Switch the default distro with the wsl --setDefault command

    After changing the default for WSL, make sure to restart VS Code