The Wslregisterdistribution failed with error: 0x800701bc error occurs when Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) distribution with the Windows operating system is already registered or when there is a problem with the distribution package. Another cause of the error is that the distribution is incompatible with your Windows version, or the installation is incomplete.
How to fix Wslregisterdistribution failed with error: 0x800701bc
The easiest way to fix the Wslregisterdistribution failed with error: 0x800701bc is by installing the latest WSL2 Linux kernel update package for x64 machine package.
You need to download the ARM64 package rather than the standard one if you are working on an ARM64 system.
You can use the command prompt or PowerShell and enter the following command if you are unsure of the type of computer you have: systeminfo | find “System Type.”
If you are using a version of Windows that is not written in English, you may need to alter the search text to translate the “System Type” string.
If the above solution is not working, you can try unregistering the distribution using the command “wslconfig /unregister <DistributionName>” and re-registering it.
You can also check the distribution version is compatible with your Windows version before installing it.
If you are having trouble with Windows 11, try the following commands.
wsl --update
wsl --shutdown
If the issue persists, you can reinstall the distribution, which you can do by using the wsl –install -d <Distribution Name> command.
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a compatibility layer for running Linux binary executables natively on Windows 10.
The WSL allows you to run an entire Linux environment on Windows without needing a virtual machine or dual-booting.
While doing the setup of WSL, there are one error most developer faces which is Wslregisterdistribution failed with error: 0x800701bc error in today’s post; we will see what this error is and how to fix it.
Conclusion
The “Wslregisterdistribution failed with error: 0x800701bc” error is raised when the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) distribution with the Windows operating system is already registered or when there is a problem with the distribution package and fixed by installing the latest package of the WSL2 Linux kernel update package for x64 machine.
That’s it.