WSL kernel stuck at 5.15 – cannot update due to dual installation conflict (Windows Features + WindowsApps)

[JaremaPiekutowski]

WSL kernel stuck at 5.15 – cannot update due to dual installation conflict (Windows Features + WindowsApps)

Environment

Windows Version	Microsoft Windows 11 25H2 [10.0.26200.7840]
WSL Version	2.4.11.0 (reported by wsl --version)
Kernel Version	5.15.167.4-microsoft-standard-WSL2
Distro	Ubuntu 24.04
Architecture	x64

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Problem

WSL was originally installed via Windows Features (the legacy method). Later, the MSI/Store package was also installed, resulting in two conflicting WSL installations coexisting:

Get-Package | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*Windows Subsystem*" }

Name                           Version          ProviderName
----                           -------          ------------
Windows Subsystem for Linux    2.4.10.0         msi
Windows Subsystem for Linux... 1.0.27           msi        ← legacy Windows Feature
Windows Subsystem for Linux... 5.10.102.1       msi        ← legacy kernel

The legacy LxssManager service (from Windows Features) cannot be removed, blocking all kernel updates.

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Steps to reproduce

1. Have WSL originally installed via Windows Features (legacy method)
2. Run wsl --update or wsl --update --pre-release
3. Observe error:

Checking for updates.
Updating Windows Subsystem for Linux to version: 2.6.3.
The older version of Windows Subsystem for Linux cannot be removed. Contact your technical support group.
Update failed (exit code: 1603).
Error code: Wsl/UpdatePackage/ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE

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Attempted workarounds (all failed)

1. wsl --update → error 1603
2. wsl --update --pre-release → error 1603
3. Manual MSI install (wsl.2.6.3.0.x64.msi via msiexec) → installs to WindowsApps but wsl --version still shows old version
4. msiexec /x {GUID} /qn for all three legacy entries → triggers "network resource unavailable" dialog asking for original wsl.msi (which no longer exists)
5. Registry removal of all three Uninstall keys → popup dialog persists on next boot, kernel unchanged
6. DISM disable/enable of Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux and VirtualMachinePlatform features + reinstall → WSL 2.6.3 installed in WindowsApps, but wsl --version still reports 2.4.11 / kernel 5.15
7. Replacing C:\Windows\System32\wsl.exe with the 2.6.3 binary from WindowsApps → wsl --version shows 2.6.3 and kernel 6.6, but running any distro fails with:

Error code: Wsl/Service/0x800706f4

This confirms the underlying LxssManager service is still the old version and incompatible with the new wsl.exe.

8. winget upgrade --id Microsoft.WSL → "No available upgrade found"

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Current state

• C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\MicrosoftCorporationII.WindowsSubsystemForLinux_2.6.3.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe exists and contains wsl.exe version 2.6.3.0
• C:\Windows\System32\wsl.exe is a HardLink pointing to C:\Windows\WinSxS\amd64_microsoft-windows-lxss-wsl_...\wsl.exe (version 10.0.26100.1) and does not redirect to the WindowsApps binary
• The legacy LxssManager service remains active and prevents the new WSL service from taking over
• Ubuntu 24.04 distro runs fine on kernel 5.15 – data is intact

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Expected behavior

wsl --update should replace the legacy Windows Feature installation with the modern MSI/Store package, including updating the kernel from 5.15 to 6.6.

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Impact

Cursor IDE terminal sandbox requires kernel >= 6.2 and is non-functional:

"Terminal sandbox is not supported on Linux kernel 5.15. Kernel 6.2 or later is required for sandboxing."

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Question

Is there an officially supported migration path from the legacy Windows Features WSL installation to the modern MSI/Store package without a full reinstall (export/unregister/import)?

If not, please consider adding a migration tool or improving the error message to guide users through the correct steps.

[github-actions]

Logs are required for review from WSL team

If this a feature request, please reply with '/feature'. If this is a question, reply with '/question'.
Otherwise, please attach logs by following the instructions below, your issue will not be reviewed unless they are added. These logs will help us understand what is going on in your machine.

How to collect WSL logs

Download and execute collect-wsl-logs.ps1 in an administrative powershell prompt:

Invoke-WebRequest -UseBasicParsing "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/WSL/master/diagnostics/collect-wsl-logs.ps1" -OutFile collect-wsl-logs.ps1
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force
.\collect-wsl-logs.ps1

The script will output the path of the log file once done.

If this is a networking issue, please use .\collect-wsl-logs.ps1 -LogProfile networking instead, following the instructions in Collect WSL logs for networking issues

Once completed please upload the output files to this GitHub issue.

See Collect WSL logs (recommended method).

If you choose to email these logs instead of attaching them to the bug, please send them to wsl-gh-logs@microsoft.com with the GitHub issue number in the subject, and include a link to your GitHub issue comment in the message body, and reply with '/emailed-logs'.

[JaremaPiekutowski]

I have added the logs:

WslLogs-2026-03-03_14-37-16.zip

[github-actions]

Diagnostic information

Detected appx version: 2.6.3.0
Detected user visible error: Wsl/UpdatePackage/ERROR_INSTALL_FAILURE

[OneBlue]

Thank you for reporting this @JaremaPiekutowski. In this specific case, the issue isn't an incompatibility (the MSI version of WSL overrides the optional component).

In this case, it's looking like the previous version of the WSL MSI package is failing to uninstall, so could you try to run this tool to force the MSI package to uninstall (the one with version 2.4.10.0) and then run wsl --update again ?

[microsoft-github-policy-service]

This issue has been automatically closed since it has not had any author activity for the past 7 days. If you're still experiencing this issue please re-file it as a new issue.

Thank you!