Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) on Windows 11 makes it possible to run Linux distributions with full GUI support, thanks to WSLg. In this article, I’ll walk through the steps I used to install Kali Linux on WSL2 and set up a graphical environment that allows GUI applications like xeyes and Firefox to run seamlessly.

Step 1: Install Kali Linux on WSL

First, open Terminal (PowerShell or Windows Terminal) as an administrator and run the following command:

wsl --install -d kali-linux

This command installs Kali Linux as a WSL2 distribution. Once the installation is complete, launch Kali Linux from the Start Menu and complete the initial setup (username and password).

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Step 2: Check the GUI Environment (WSLg)

To confirm that GUI applications can be displayed via WSLg, check the following environment variables inside Kali Linux:

echo $WAYLAND_DISPLAY
echo $DISPLAY

If you see output similar to the following:

wayland-0
:0

then one or both variables are set, which means there is a high chance that GUI applications will work via WSLg.

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Step 3: Update Package Lists

Before installing additional software, update the package lists:

sudo apt update

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Step 4: Install X11 Test Applications

Next, install some basic X11 applications to test GUI functionality:

sudo apt install -y x11-apps

After installation, run a simple GUI test:

xeyes

If a small window with animated eyes appears, your GUI environment is working correctly 🎉

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Step 5: Install Firefox (GUI Application)

Now, let’s install a real GUI application—Firefox ESR:

sudo apt install -y firefox-esr

Once installed, launch Firefox with:

firefox-esr

Firefox should open in its own window on your Windows desktop, running directly from Kali Linux inside WSL2.

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Conclusion

With Windows 11 and WSL2, running Kali Linux GUI applications has become extremely straightforward. Thanks to WSLg, there’s no need to configure an external X server—GUI apps work out of the box.

This setup is especially useful for:

• Security testing tools in Kali Linux
• Linux GUI application development
• Learning and experimenting with Linux on Windows

If you haven’t tried WSLg yet, Windows 11 makes it an excellent time to do so.

Happy hacking! 🚀