Canonical announces Ubuntu Pro for WSL

Ubuntu Pro for WSL provides turnkey security maintenance and enterprise support for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS WSL instances on Windows. The subscription will also enable comprehensive management for system administrators.

Canonical today announced the general availability of Ubuntu Pro for WSL, which can be installed from the Microsoft Store. Source and beta releases are also on GitHub.

Canonical and Microsoft have a fantastic partnership building the WSL experience. This work will benefit enterprise developers who use WSL to build production Linux solutions.

Craig Loewen, Product Manager for WSL at Microsoft

Ubuntu Pro delivers enterprise-grade security maintenance and support across desktops, servers, and IoT devices. Now, the same proven value proposition comes to WSL, addressing the security and compliance needs of IT managers and paving the way for broader enterprise adoption.

Power to developers, peace of mind for IT teams

WSL offers developers, system administrators and power users a native Linux experience on Windows, without the overhead of a full virtual machine or dual boot. It allows users to run Linux command-line tools, utilities, and graphical Linux applications directly on Windows. Working with NVIDIA, WSL 2 delivers near-native GPU-accelerated performance, allowing applications in Ubuntu to access GPU drivers directly on the Windows host. Ubuntu Pro transforms this developer-focused tool into a fully supported, enterprise-ready solution with up to 15 years of security maintenance.

For many enterprises, strict security and compliance policies have been a barrier to adopting WSL given the risks of unmonitored and unsupported open source software. Ubuntu Pro for WSL ensures Extended Security Maintenance (ESM) is enabled, providing CVE security updates that can be applied subject to administrative policy. Canonical provides up to 15 years of CVE security patching for software packaged and published through Ubuntu’s repositories. Ubuntu Pro subscriptions also cover security maintenance for popular toolchains on WSL, such as Python, Go, Rust, and more. This key solution ensures that security vulnerabilities are fixed quickly and reliably, making WSL a viable option for enterprise environments.

Ubuntu Pro for WSL will also enable system administrators to manage instances using LandscapeCanonical’s system management tool for Ubuntu. The WSL management feature of Landscape is in beta today, and customers interested in sharing feedback on the feature, and shaping its future, can do so in a self-hosted Landscape server, or by sign up for Landscape SaaS. Landscape will monitor all WSL instances deployed once Ubuntu Pro is configured for WSL, and identify which Windows hosts are compliant and which are not compliant with your WSL provisioning and configuration policies.

Seamless installation with Microsoft ecosystem tools

Personal users benefit from a point-and-click installation of Ubuntu Pro for WSL from the Microsoft Store. As a standard MSIX package, Ubuntu Pro for WSL integrates seamlessly into existing enterprise management workflows, enabling easy installation and configuration using Microsoft’s enterprise tools. Ubuntu Pro for WSL can be installed and configured using cloud-based tools such as Microsoft Intune, or via group policies defined in Microsoft Active Directory.

In addition to being available in the Microsoft Store, images of Ubuntu on WSL are available for download and distribution behind a firewall, giving enterprises the option of hosting images internally, with centralized control over which WSL images are available to employees.

Comprehensive enterprise support

Beyond security and ease of deployment, Ubuntu Pro for WSL introduces a new support model for developers using WSL. Canonical offers an Ubuntu Pro subscription level that includes comprehensive phone and ticket support (Ubuntu Pro + Support). It provides a clear and streamlined way for Windows native developers to get expert help with their Linux environment.

Ubuntu Pro for WSL brings Canonical’s security and support capabilities into the Windows ecosystem. Free subscriptions for personal users and paid subscriptions are available through Canonical.

Next steps

About Canonical

Canonical, the publisher of Ubuntu, provides open source security, support and services. Our portfolio covers critical systems, from the smallest devices to the largest clouds, from the core to containers, from databases to AI. With customers that include top tech brands, emerging startups, governments and home users, Canonical delivers reliable open source for everyone.

Learn more at canonical.com