How to Connect Visual Studio Code to WSL?

To troubleshoot the error you encountered, it is likely that the issue stems from the absence of Linux distributions installed on the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

To address this, follow these steps:

1. Restart your machine after installing WSL.
2. Verify the correct installation of WSL by executing the command wsl --version in the command line. Example output of a properly installed WSL:

   C:\Users\usman>wsl --version
   WSL version: 1.2.5.0
   Kernel version: 5.15.90.1
   WSLg version: 1.0.51
   MSRDC version: 1.2.3770
   Direct3D version: 1.608.2-61064218
   DXCore version: 10.0.25131.1002-220531-1700.rs-onecore-base2-hyp
   Windows version: 10.0.19045.3448
   

3. Check if the correct version of Linux is installed by running the command wsl --status in the command line. Example output indicating the correct version:

   C:\Users\usman>wsl --status
   Default Distribution: Ubuntu
   Default Version: 2
   

4. If the installation is successful, launch WSL by executing the wsl command in the command line before attempting to connect Visual Studio Code to WSL. Example output upon running WSL:

   C:\Users\usman>wsl
   Welcome to Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS (GNU/Linux 5.15.90.1-microsoft-standard-WSL2 x86_64)
   
    * Documentation:  https://help.ubuntu.com
    * Management:     https://landscape.canonical.com
    * Support:        https://ubuntu.com/advantage
   
   This message is shown once a day. To disable it please create the
   /home/usmanfarooq90/.hushlogin file.
   usmanfarooq90@DESKTOP-8OOB3I3:/mnt/c/Users/usman$
   

By following these steps, you can ensure that the necessary Linux distributions are correctly installed on WSL, thereby resolving the error you encountered.