Remove All WSL Script

WARNING: Destructive Script – Use With Extreme Caution!

This PowerShell script completely removes all WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) distributions, including:

• All installed distributions (Ubuntu, Debian, Kali, etc.)
• VHD files (ext4.vhdx, rootfs.vhdx, etc.)
• Registry entries related to WSL
• Appx packages and provisioned packages
• ProgramData WSL folders
• Disables WSL-related Windows features (optional)

Important: This script will permanently delete all data inside WSL. Make sure to backup any important files using wsl --export <distro> file.tar before running.

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Features

• Stops WSL services safely (wsl --shutdown)
• Unregisters all distributions
• Cleans registry entries (Lxss key)
• Deletes all VHD files and legacy folders
• Removes common Appx and provisioned packages
• Disables WSL-related Windows features (VirtualMachinePlatform, Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux, HypervisorPlatform)
• Optional system reboot at the end

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Requirements

• Windows 10 / 11
• PowerShell 5.1+ (built-in)
• Run as Administrator (required for registry, Appx, and Windows features cleanup)

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Usage

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator.

2. Navigate to the folder containing remove-all-wsl.ps1:

   cd "C:\Users\YourUser\Desktop"

3. Run the script:

   .\remove-all-wsl.ps1

4. Type the confirmation string exactly when prompted:

   DELETE_ALL_WSL_NOW
   

5. Wait for the script to complete.

6. Choose to reboot immediately when prompted, or reboot manually later to complete removal.

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Backup (Recommended)

Before running the script, backup all distributions:

$distros = & wsl --list --quiet
$backupDir = Join-Path $env:USERPROFILE "WSLBackups"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $backupDir -Force | Out-Null
foreach ($d in $distros) {
    if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($d)) {
        $file = Join-Path $backupDir "$($d)-$(Get-Date -Format yyyyMMdd_HHmmss).tar"
        wsl --export $d $file
    }
}
Write-Host "Backups saved to: $backupDir"

Restore a backup later with:

wsl --import <NewName> <InstallFolder> <BackupFile.tar>
# Example:
wsl --import UbuntuRestored C:\WSL\UbuntuRestored C:\Users\Khalid ALQarni\WSLBackups\Ubuntu-20250926_101010.tar

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Disclaimer

This script is destructive. The author is not responsible for any data loss or system issues caused by its use. Use only if you fully understand the consequences.

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License

Free to use for personal purposes. Use at your own risk.