Add or Remove Linux from Navigation Pane in Windows 10  

Brink said:

I never feel like you have been pestering.

The registry key and values in this tutorial are not there by default. The .reg files adds them.

However, you should have the registry entries below by default when WSL gets enabled.

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}]
@="Linux"
"SortOrderIndex"=dword:00000077
"System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}\DefaultIcon]
@=hex(2):43,00,3a,00,5c,00,57,00,49,00,4e,00,44,00,4f,00,57,00,53,00,5c,00,53,\
  00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,77,00,73,00,6c,00,2e,00,\
  65,00,78,00,65,00,2c,00,2d,00,31,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}\InProcServer32]
@=hex(2):43,00,3a,00,5c,00,57,00,49,00,4e,00,44,00,4f,00,57,00,53,00,5c,00,53,\
  00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,77,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,\
  6f,00,77,00,73,00,2e,00,73,00,74,00,6f,00,72,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,2e,00,64,\
  00,6c,00,6c,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}\Instance]
"CLSID"="{4FE04BFD-85B9-49DD-B914-F4C9556B9DA6}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}\Instance\InitPropertyBag]
"DisplayType"=dword:00000002
"EnumObjectsTelemetryValue"=hex(2):57,00,53,00,4c,00,00,00
"Provider"=hex(2):50,00,6c,00,61,00,6e,00,20,00,39,00,20,00,4e,00,65,00,74,00,\
  77,00,6f,00,72,00,6b,00,20,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,76,00,69,00,64,00,65,00,72,\
  00,00,00
"ResName"=hex(2):5c,00,5c,00,77,00,73,00,6c,00,24,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}\ShellFolder]
"Attributes"=dword:a080004d
"FolderValueFlags"=dword:00000028

I tried this again, including all reg files mentioned here. Even so. I get no penguin in my favourite pane.
Version 19043.1288

Yes! And WSL2 at that! :)
I have:
Ubuntu-20.04 WSL2 version running. Can access it by typing \\wsl$ in address bar as well. Can't for the life of me make the icon appear.

Could you maybe export all the keys on your registry file and PM them to me so that I can double check that everything is as it should?

Rosmano said:

Yes! And WSL2 at that! :)
I have:
Ubuntu-20.04 WSL2 version running. Can access it by typing \\wsl$ in address bar as well. Can't for the life of me make the icon appear.

Could you maybe export all the keys on your registry file and PM them to me so that I can double check that everything is as it should?

Same..

Hello,
I have the same issue. As explained before, I updated my registry and I haven't the pinguin in File explorer.
Mounting a map drive as following: \\wsl$ I access to my Ubuntu distrib.

About my Windows 10 release, I have:
Version: 21H2
System build: 19044.2251

Any news for helping me ?

Best regards.

- - - Updated - - -

Hello,

I have the solution for Ubuntu-20.04 (and for others distrib with a little change).

Create linux.reg with the following informations:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}]
@="Linux"
"System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}]
@="Linux"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}]
@="Linux"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\ {B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}]
@="Linux"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}]
@="Linux"
"DescriptionID"=dword:00000003
"System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree"=dword:00000001
"SortOrderIndex"=dword:00000077
"LocalizedString"="Linux"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\WINDOWS\\System32\\wsl.exe,-1"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}\InProcServer32]
@="C:\\Windows\\System32\\Shell32.dll"
"ThreadingModel"="Both"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}\Instance]
"CLSID"="{0E5AAE11-A475-4c5b-AB00-C66DE400274E}"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}\Instance\InitPropertyBag]
"Attributes"=dword:00000011
"TargetFolderPath"="\\\\wsl$\\Ubuntu-20.04"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{B2B4A4D1-2754-4140-A2EB-9A76D9D7CDC6}\ShellFolder]
"Attributes"=dword:f080004d
"FolderValueFlags"=dword:00000029

Once done, double-click on it to insert infos in registry.
Reboot the PC and that's work.

If you are using another distrib, replace Ubuntu-2004 by yours in the linux.reg file.

Best regards