How to Change the Hostname in WSL

In WSL, you can change the hostname used within the Linux environment.

Setting the hostname to an easy-to-understand name is useful when switching between multiple WSL distributions or identifying the environment in the terminal.

Edit the Configuration File

The WSL hostname is configured in /etc/wsl.conf.

Add a [network] section as shown below, and specify the name you want to use for hostname.

[network]
hostname = myhostname

Here, myhostname is specified as an example.

In practice, replace it with the hostname you want to use.

Restart WSL

To apply the setting, restart WSL.

To terminate only a specific distribution, run the following command in the Windows-side terminal.

wsl -t mydistribution

Replace mydistribution with the name of the target WSL distribution.

To terminate all WSL environments, use the following command.

wsl --shutdown

After that, restart WSL, and the new hostname will be applied.

Notes

In WSL, even if you change the hostname using the same methods as in a regular Linux environment, the setting may revert.

For example, the following methods may not result in a persistent change.

hostname
hostnamectl
/etc/hostname
/etc/hosts

To fix the hostname in WSL, using the method of setting it in /etc/wsl.conf is the reliable approach.