How to Open a Linux Shell in a Folder on Windows 10

To open a Linux shell in a particular Windows 10 folder, open Windows PowerShell from that folder and run wsl. WSL starts your default Linux distribution in the current Windows working directory, so you can work on the same files from a Linux prompt. Confirm the location with pwd. This method uses the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL); it does not require a dual-boot Linux installation or a special File Explorer menu item.

Check that WSL and a Linux distribution are installed

Open Windows PowerShell or Command Prompt and run:

wsl --list --verbose

The command lists installed distributions and their WSL versions. A distribution shown as Stopped is installed; it will start when you launch it. If you see no Linux distribution, Windows has no shell to open yet. On Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041) or later, open PowerShell as an administrator and install Ubuntu with wsl --install -d Ubuntu. Restart if Windows asks, then launch Ubuntu once from the Start menu and complete its first-run setup by creating a Linux username and password. Microsoft's WSL installation guide lists the current requirements; older Windows 10 builds use the manual installation steps.

Open PowerShell in the folder you want

1. In File Explorer, browse to the Windows folder where you want to work.
2. Click the address bar, type powershell, and press Enter. On a typical Windows 10 setup, PowerShell opens with that folder as its current location.

If that shortcut does not work on your PC, open Windows PowerShell from the Start menu and change to the target folder explicitly. Replace the example path with the location shown in File Explorer:

Set-Location -LiteralPath 'C:\Users\Alex\Documents\LinuxProject'

-LiteralPath treats characters in the path literally, and the single quotes keep spaces together. You can check PowerShell's current location by running Get-Location; it should name the folder you intend to open in Linux.

Launch the Linux shell

In the PowerShell window, enter:

wsl

Press Enter. WSL opens the default distribution in an interactive shell. If you have more than one distribution, find the exact name in the wsl --list --verbose output and choose it explicitly, for example:

wsl -d Ubuntu

Use the distribution name exactly as it appears in the list; some installations use names such as Ubuntu-22.04. The WSL basic commands reference documents how to list and start distributions.

Confirm the Linux path

At the Linux prompt, run:

pwd

For the example folder C:\Users\Alex\Documents\LinuxProject, the result should look like this:

/mnt/c/Users/Alex/Documents/LinuxProject

WSL mounts the Windows C: drive under /mnt/c; a folder on D: normally appears under /mnt/d. You can run ls to check the files in the current directory. Windows paths use backslashes and drive letters, while Linux commands expect Linux-style paths. If the shell opens somewhere else, type exit, check Get-Location in PowerShell, change to the correct Windows folder with Set-Location -LiteralPath, and run wsl again.

What to know about permissions and file location

For normal work, start PowerShell without choosing Run as administrator. WSL launches the distribution’s configured default Linux user, and Linux commands started through WSL inherit the Windows administrative rights of the calling terminal. Elevation is generally only needed for system setup or a task that specifically requires it; it does not fix a wrong working directory.

Using a Windows folder through /mnt/c is convenient when you need to share files with Windows applications. For Linux-heavy builds, Microsoft's guidance on working across Windows and Linux file systems recommends keeping project files in the Linux file system, such as /home/<username>/projects, for faster performance. If your project is already in the Windows folder, you can still open it from there with the steps above.

Quick fixes

• “No installed distributions”: install a distribution such as Ubuntu, then complete its first launch.
• wsl is not recognized: check your Windows version with winver. The one-command installer requires Windows 10 version 2004/build 19041 or later; use Microsoft's manual steps on an older build.
• The shell starts in the Linux home directory: the PowerShell window was not in the target folder. Run Set-Location -LiteralPath 'C:\path\to\your\folder' in PowerShell and retry.
• You have several Linux distributions: use wsl -d <DistributionName> to select the one you want.

The older “Open Linux shell here” context-menu item can vary with Windows and distribution setup. Starting WSL from PowerShell in the folder gives you a direct way to reach the same result and makes the current path easy to verify.