✅ Fastest Way (Recommended)
1️⃣ Open Windows Terminal
- Press Win + X → Windows Terminal
(or search “Windows Terminal”)
2️⃣ Open WSL
In Windows Terminal, either:
- Click the ▼ dropdown at the top
- Select Ubuntu (or your Linux distro)
👉 You are now inside WSL 🎉
Prompt will look like:
username@PC-name:~$
✅ Command-line Way (works everywhere)
From PowerShell or Command Prompt:
wsl
Or explicitly:
wsl -d Ubuntu
🔍 Check which distros are installed
If you’re not sure what you installed:
wsl --list --verbose
You’ll see something like:
NAME STATE VERSION
Ubuntu Running 2
🧰 First-time setup inside WSL (important)
Once inside Ubuntu:
Update packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Install Azure CLI
curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash
Verify:
az --version
Install AzCopy (recommended for your work)
sudo apt install azcopy -y
Verify:
azcopy --version
📁 Access your Windows files from WSL
Your Windows drives are mounted under /mnt:
| Windows | WSL Path |
|---|---|
| C:\ | /mnt/c |
| Downloads | /mnt/c/Users/<you>/Downloads |
Example:
cd /mnt/c/Users/<your-username>
ls
🔐 Log in to Azure (inside WSL)
az login
This opens a browser on Windows and authenticates WSL too.
🧪 Quick sanity test (Azure + Blob)
az account show
az storage account list -o table
🎯 Why WSL is perfect for your ACA + azcopy work
- Same shell behavior as Linux containers
- No PowerShell quoting issues (
&,?,\) - AzCopy behaves exactly like in ACA
- Ideal for debugging SAS and scripts locally
🧠 Pro Tip (optional but nice)
Set Ubuntu as the default profile in Windows Terminal:
- Windows Terminal → Settings → Default profile → Ubuntu
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