Visual Studio thinks im running WSL when im not

Question

Visual Studio thinks im running WSL when im not

Jon Jones 31

Since today Visual Studio has set the run profile or whatever to WSL which I do not have and never installed. Im on windows 10. It happened after I installed Git. I dont know how to correct it

Anna Xiu-MSFT 31,056 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-08-04T08:43:03.02+00:00

Hello, which version of Visual Studio are you using? Can you tell us how you install the Git?
Jon Jones 31 Reputation points

2022-08-04T10:36:09.197+00:00

Latest Version of Visual Studio 2022, Installed git with installer. Uninstalling git did not help. I found that I can run normal applications I made but console apps in .net cant be run because the run profile thing is WSL.

Visual studio is telling me to install ubuntu or debian, its very weird.
Jon Jones 31 Reputation points

2022-08-05T04:20:32.943+00:00

I didnt find a complete fix so I will just deal with it, seems git ruined my windows console. I'll try re-installing Visual Studio sometime.
Shobhit vaish 96 Reputation points

2022-09-29T13:26:55.577+00:00

@Jon Jones Please delete the 'launchSettings.json' file in the console project, and you should be good to go.
Scott Welker 5 Reputation points

2023-11-02T16:07:40.09+00:00

Isn't "delete... 'launchSettings.json'" heavy-handed, unnecessary, and perhaps destructive?
I merely removed the unwanted WLS profile from 'launchSettings.json' and that seems to have worked.
Deleted

This comment has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The comment was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.
Christo Angelov 0 Reputation points

2025-01-07T22:22:08.33+00:00

I don't want to have or see a WSL setting. I cannot delete it from the Properties option, because it does not show up. I can delete it from the json file, but then it comes back. What is worse, it sometimes comes back as the first option in the settings file, and so I always get an error message when I open my solution or switch code branches, and it re-loads the solution.

Accepted answer

2 additional answers

Your answer

Anna Xiu-MSFT 31,056 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2022-08-04T08:43:03.02+00:00

Hello, which version of Visual Studio are you using? Can you tell us how you install the Git?
Jon Jones 31 Reputation points

2022-08-04T10:36:09.197+00:00

Latest Version of Visual Studio 2022, Installed git with installer. Uninstalling git did not help. I found that I can run normal applications I made but console apps in .net cant be run because the run profile thing is WSL.

Visual studio is telling me to install ubuntu or debian, its very weird.
Jon Jones 31 Reputation points

2022-08-05T04:20:32.943+00:00

I didnt find a complete fix so I will just deal with it, seems git ruined my windows console. I'll try re-installing Visual Studio sometime.
Shobhit vaish 96 Reputation points

2022-09-29T13:26:55.577+00:00

@Jon Jones Please delete the 'launchSettings.json' file in the console project, and you should be good to go.
Scott Welker 5 Reputation points

2023-11-02T16:07:40.09+00:00

Isn't "delete... 'launchSettings.json'" heavy-handed, unnecessary, and perhaps destructive?
I merely removed the unwanted WLS profile from 'launchSettings.json' and that seems to have worked.
Deleted

This comment has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The comment was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.
Christo Angelov 0 Reputation points

2025-01-07T22:22:08.33+00:00

I don't want to have or see a WSL setting. I cannot delete it from the Properties option, because it does not show up. I can delete it from the json file, but then it comes back. What is worse, it sometimes comes back as the first option in the settings file, and so I always get an error message when I open my solution or switch code branches, and it re-loads the solution.

Answer 1

satya karki 996 MVP

Hi @Jon Jones ,
It will be better if you provide the exact error/warning message.
Is it happening to all console applications or only one?

However, can you check for the run option is selected for WSL like below? If it is selected to WSL then change it to your project name. Then clean and build the solution and try running.

Jon Jones 31 Reputation points

2022-08-04T12:02:29.253+00:00

Well the exact error is a popup window
error launching

WSL is not installed.
Select OK to Learn More, or Cancel to abort.

There is also the warning to install Ubuntu or Debian.

If I make a new console app (must be in a new solution as well) then it allows me to do as your screenshot shows, change the run option. But on my existing projects there is only WSL and cannot run. And on the new projects WSL is still an option. I dont know why Visual Studio is putting it as an option there.

Its not too bad now because I can run most of my projects for now, the console apps are just for testing most of them. I might try re-installing visual studio someday even though its inconvenient.

Answer 2

Shobhit vaish 96

Please delete the 'launchSettings.json' file in the console project, and you should be good to go.

Graham Like 0 Reputation points

2023-06-08T13:47:33.7833333+00:00
Thankyou @Shobhit vaish for the pointer.

I had this section in my launchSettings.json. After deleting it the problem went away

{ "profiles": { "WSL": { "commandName": "WSL2", "distributionName": "" }, ... etc... } }

Answer 3

Santiago 0

The problem is that for some reason Visual Studio is including a WSL option in launchSettings.json, just removing it makes the WSL debug profile dissapear.

Ben Adams 0 Reputation points

2025-01-29T22:44:56.0866667+00:00
I am having the EXACT same issue, but I'll tell you what did it: accidentally, in the "Set Startup Projects" dialog, having once selected "WSL" because I didn't know what it was. EVER SINCE THEN, whenever I open this or another solution, a WSL profile is added to the launchSettings.json for every project that has one. Not cool. My luaunchSettings.json files are kept small, with a single profile (the one I'm actually using when launching in VS), so it's immediately noticeable in source control that they were changed. I have to revert them all before I can do anything in the solution. What I've tried:

Deleting the hidden .vs directory in the project (OH so many times).

Deleting the following directories ENTIRELY:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\VisualStudio\

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VSCommon\

Deleting %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\VisualStudio\StartupProjects.json

devenv /ResetSettings

Install Visual Studio updates

Repair Visual Studio

Ritual sacrifice

Searching for and annihilating ANYTHING 'WSL' in the registry key 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio'

Still...it adds WSL profiles to -existing launchSettings.json- files whenever a solution is opened. I've not seen something this wacky in Visual Studio for 20 years.

I am going to try to uninstall and reinstall VS completely, but not a lot of hope, I already blew away all configuration, right?

Help, please. Thanks!

Share via

Visual Studio thinks im running WSL when im not

2 additional answers

Your answer