Linux users will soon be able to benefit from support from more Windows 10 builds to work with.

Microsoft has announced it will be including Windows 10 1903 and 1909 builds in support for Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2), allowing the open-source software to run on more versions than ever before.

Previously, WSL2 users had been limited to the more recent Windows 10 2004 or higher releases.

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"We heard how much you liked WSL 2 and wanted to expand its accessibility, and over the last few months we worked on bringing it back to 1903 and 1909," Microsoft Windows Servicing employees Ty Citrin and Mitchell Minkoff wrote in a blog post announcing the launch.

"We’ve heard great customer feedback on how many users have enjoyed using WSL 2, and the primary goal for this backport is to make WSL 2 available to more Windows users."

The pair say that WSL 2 is, "a new version" of the architecture in WSL that changes how Linux distributions interact with Windows. Each Linux distribution can run as WSL 1 or as WSL 2, and can be switched between at any time. 

All the features for WSL 2 distros will now be available for an even larger user base, with the pair promising a full Linux kernel built into WSL 2.

They are also bringin file system performance now on par with Mac and Linux speeds, improved System Call Support for all Linux applications notably, and Docker Desktop support.

The update is only for x64 systems as it stands, with users on ARM64 versions needing to upgrade to Windows 10 version 2004 and you’ll gain full access to WSL 2.

The news comes shortly after Microaoft also announced it would be bringing graphics processor support to Linux on Windows 10 through WSL, with Nvidia, Intel and AMD also announcing their support.

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Via ZDNet