Change ubuntu WSL2 Hostname permanently

It’s quite simple to change hostname in WSL2.

That means you can easily change the wsl2 part in this screenshot:

Most of the time changing the name in /etc/hostname is enough. However, to change wsl2 hostname permanently, you will need to do some more work.

Step 1: Disable network auto generating config

First open/create a new file called wsl.conf under /etc/

sudo vim /etc/wsl.conf

sudo vim /etc/wsl.conf

Then put the following config:

[network]
hostname = wsl2
generateHosts = false

[network]

hostname = wsl2

generateHosts = false

Change the hostname to whatever you like. In this case, I use wsl2 as my hostname.

Save the file. You’re halfway there.

Change the hostname in /etc/hosts and /etc/hostname

Let’s open /etc/hosts

You will see something similar to this:

# This file was automatically generated by WSL. To stop automatic generation of this file, add the following entry to /etc/wsl.conf:
# [network]
# generateHosts = false
127.0.0.1       localhost
127.0.1.1      OLD_HOST_NAME.localdomain        OLD_HOST_NAME

# The following lines are desirable for IPv6 capable hosts
::1     ip6-localhost ip6-loopback
fe00::0 ip6-localnet
ff00::0 ip6-mcastprefix
ff02::1 ip6-allnodes
ff02::2 ip6-allrouters

# This file was automatically generated by WSL. To stop automatic generation of this file, add the following entry to /etc/wsl.conf:

# [network]

# generateHosts = false

127.0.0.1       localhost

127.0.1.1      OLD_HOST_NAME.localdomain        OLD_HOST_NAME

​

# The following lines are desirable for IPv6 capable hosts

::1     ip6-localhost ip6-loopback

fe00::0 ip6-localnet

ff00::0 ip6-mcastprefix

ff02::1 ip6-allnodes

ff02::2 ip6-allrouters

The line you need to pay attention to is 5. Change OLD_HOST_NAME to your desired name. In my case, that would be wsl2:

# This file was automatically generated by WSL. To stop automatic generation of this file, add the following entry to /etc/wsl.conf:
# [network]
# generateHosts = false
127.0.0.1       localhost
127.0.1.1      wsl2.localdomain        wsl2

# The following lines are desirable for IPv6 capable hosts
::1     ip6-localhost ip6-loopback
fe00::0 ip6-localnet
ff00::0 ip6-mcastprefix
ff02::1 ip6-allnodes
ff02::2 ip6-allrouters

# This file was automatically generated by WSL. To stop automatic generation of this file, add the following entry to /etc/wsl.conf:

# [network]

# generateHosts = false

127.0.0.1       localhost

127.0.1.1      wsl2.localdomain        wsl2

​

# The following lines are desirable for IPv6 capable hosts

::1     ip6-localhost ip6-loopback

fe00::0 ip6-localnet

ff00::0 ip6-mcastprefix

ff02::1 ip6-allnodes

ff02::2 ip6-allrouters

Save the file.

Next open /etc/hostname and update the old host name to your desired hostname.

Shutdown wsl

Now, close your ubuntu windows and open powershell:

wsl --shutdown

wsl --shutdown

This will shutdown wsl.

Now, you can open ubuntu and see the new hostname:

Conclusion

In this post, I’ve shown you how to change hostname permanently in ubuntu wsl2 on Windows.

Đạt Trần

I build softwares that solve problems. I also love writing/documenting things I learn/want to learn.