Run on Windows with WSL2

1. Overview

All our applications are native Linux desktop apps built with GTK4 and libadwaita, distributed as Fedora RPM packages. Thanks to WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) and WSLg (built-in GUI support), you can run them directly on Windows 11 — no virtual machine, no dual boot, no X server setup required.

WSLg provides a full Wayland and X11 compositor that integrates Linux GUI windows into the Windows desktop. Apps appear in the taskbar and support clipboard sharing, GPU acceleration, and audio.

2. Prerequisites

• Windows 11 version 22H2 or later (Build 22621+)
• x86_64 processor (Intel or AMD, 64-bit)
• Hardware virtualization enabled in BIOS/UEFI (Intel VT-x or AMD-V)
• At least 4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)

To check your Windows version, press Win + R, type winver, and press Enter.

3. Installing WSL2

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

wsl --install

This enables the WSL2 feature, installs WSLg, and sets up a default Ubuntu distribution. Restart your computer when prompted.

After restart, verify the installation:

wsl --version

You should see WSL version 2.x and a WSLg version listed. If wsl --version is not recognized, update WSL:

wsl --update

4. Installing Fedora

Our RPM packages are built for Fedora. Install Fedora from the Microsoft Store or via command line:

Option A: Microsoft Store

1. Open the Microsoft Store and search for "Fedora"
2. Install the latest version (Fedora 43 recommended)
3. Launch it from the Start menu to complete first-time setup

Option B: Command line

wsl --install -d Fedora

On first launch, create a username and password. Then update the system:

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

5. Verifying GUI Support

Test that WSLg is working by launching a simple GUI app:

sudo dnf install gnome-calculator
gnome-calculator

A calculator window should appear on your Windows desktop. If it doesn't:

• Make sure your GPU drivers are up to date (WSLg uses GPU acceleration)
• Restart WSL: open PowerShell and run wsl --shutdown, then reopen your Fedora terminal
• Verify DISPLAY and WAYLAND_DISPLAY environment variables are set: echo $DISPLAY should show :0

6. Installing Dependencies

Our RPM packages declare their dependencies, so dnf install pulls everything automatically. However, if you want to ensure the core libraries are present:

sudo dnf install gtk4 libadwaita

Some apps require additional libraries (GtkSourceView, Poppler, libgit2, etc.) — these are listed in each app's RPM dependencies and will be installed automatically.

7. Example: Installing and Running TheGit

Here's a complete walkthrough using TheGit as an example:

Download the RPM

curl -LO http://www.uall-si.com/downloads/adw-git-0.3.0-1.fc43.x86_64.rpm

Install it

sudo dnf install ./adw-git-0.3.0-1.fc43.x86_64.rpm

This installs the application and all required dependencies.

Launch the app

adw-git

The TheGit window appears on your Windows desktop, fully integrated with the taskbar.

Access Windows files

Your Windows drives are mounted under /mnt/. For example, to open a Git repository on your C: drive:

# Your Windows home folder
ls /mnt/c/Users/YourName/

# Open a repo in TheGit
adw-git /mnt/c/Users/YourName/Projects/my-repo

8. All Available Applications

Download and install any of our applications using the same process. Each command downloads the RPM and installs it with all dependencies:

9. Tips and Troubleshooting

File access between Windows and Linux

• Windows files from Linux: /mnt/c/, /mnt/d/, etc.
• Linux files from Windows: \\wsl$\Fedora\home\yourname\
• For best performance, keep files you work on frequently inside the Linux filesystem rather than on /mnt/

Dark mode

Our apps follow the system color scheme. To switch to dark mode in Fedora on WSL:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface color-scheme prefer-dark

To switch back to light mode:

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface color-scheme default

WSL not responding

If WSL becomes unresponsive, shut it down cleanly from PowerShell:

wsl --shutdown

Then reopen your Fedora terminal normally.

Performance

• GUI rendering uses GPU acceleration via WSLg — performance is close to native
• Disk I/O across the /mnt/ boundary (Windows filesystem) is slower than native Linux filesystem access
• For file-intensive operations, prefer working within the Linux home directory

10. Uninstalling

Remove an application

sudo dnf remove adw-git

Replace adw-git with the package name of the app you want to remove.

Remove the entire Fedora installation

From PowerShell (this deletes all data inside the distribution):

wsl --unregister Fedora