Canonical predicts that Ubuntu usage on Windows 11 will surpass desktop installations in the near future. Company officials state that Ubuntu installations via Linux for Windows Subsystem (WSL) are rapidly increasing.

Jon Seager, Vice President of Engineering at Canonical, states that the WSL user base is showing significant growth. Seager claims that with the continuation of this trend, the number of people using Ubuntu via WSL will soon surpass those who prefer Ubuntu as their primary desktop operating system.

Why Has WSL Become So Popular?

This data does not mean that Windows has surpassed Linux in overall usage. Canonical is comparing desktop computers where Ubuntu is installed as the primary operating system with systems where it is run via WSL.

Microsoft initially launched WSL to allow developers to access Linux tools without leaving their Windows environment. Today, this feature transforms many Windows computers into Linux development machines.

This procedure offers significant convenience, especially for developers working in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Professionals using Windows computers provided by their employers often choose to install Ubuntu directly via WSL instead of switching operating systems or dual-booting when their workloads require Linux.

Practical Solutions for Developers

Duration 2026, Microsoft made significant improvements to WSL in areas such as document performance, networking, and deployment processes. These improvements made the environment much more useful for powerful development processes.

The company also introduced the WSL Containers feature, which allows developers to create and run Linux containers directly within Windows. These technological innovations further solidify Windows 11’s place in the developer ecosystem.

This data shared by Canonical reveals how usage habits are changing in the Linux world. How do you think these conveniences offered by WSL will affect Linux’s presence on the desktop side in the future?