Windows Subsystem for Linux is awesome, but storing its files on the system drive can be limiting. Here’s how to move WSL distributions to another disk.

List Containers

wsl --list

Sample output:

Windows Subsystem for Linux Distributions:
ubuntu (Default)
docker-desktop-data
docker-desktop

Move a Container

  1. Shut down WSL to avoid issues:
wsl --shutdown
  1. Export the container:
wsl --export ubuntu N:\ubuntu.tar
  1. Unregister the container:
wsl --unregister ubuntu
  1. Re-import to new location:
wsl --import ubuntu N:\WSL\ubuntu N:\ubuntu.tar --version 2
  1. (Optional) Delete the exported .tar file after verifying the setup.

This approach preserves the distro while allowing full control over its storage location.