Ubuntu 26.04 stop working in Windows Terminal app

Question

Ubuntu 26.04 stop working in Windows Terminal app

Fred Schmid 66

I have Windows 11 Pro:

Edition Windows 11 Pro

Version 25H2

Installed on ‎12/‎27/‎2024

OS build 26200.8457

Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.26100.304.0

I setup Ubuntu in the Terminal app and it does work for a while but now I am getting this error message:

The service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it.

Error code: Wsl/0x80070422

[process exited with code 4294967295 (0xffffffff)]

You can now close this terminal with Ctrl+D, or press Enter to restart.

This is the json profile code:

           {
                "commandline": "C:\\WINDOWS\\system32\\wsl.exe -d Ubuntu-26.04",
                "guid": "{600f5935-7791-55c3-9203-34985da7057d}",
                "hidden": false,
                "name": "Ubuntu-26.04",
                "source": "Microsoft.WSL"
            },

I get a similar message if I try to run it in Powershell:

PowerShell 7.6.2

PS C:\Users\username> wsl

The service cannot be started, either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it.

Error code: Wsl/0x80070422

PS C:\Users\username>

Why does it stop working?

Fred

Fred Schmid 66 Reputation points

2026-06-13T20:49:04.1266667+00:00

When I run the command suggested I get this message:

PS C:\Users\username> Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature: Class not registered

PS C:\Users\username>

What would cause the Class to unregister itself? As I mentioned before it did work for a while.

Answer accepted by question author

Lychee-Ng 28,810 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Fred Schmid,

I can understand how confusing this is, especially since WSL was working before and suddenly stopped. “Class not registered” often means Windows feature system is partially broken. Based on your description, this is usually triggered by:

A Windows update partially breaking feature registration
Or services required by WSL being disabled.

Class usually doesn’t “unregister itself.” Given your build and recent reports, an update is the most likely what caused this. When system is updated, the components in the system would change, possibly breaking the chain. Let’s try getting it back to normal:

1 - Re-enable required services

Press Win + R > type services.msc > press Enter
Find these entries and make sure they are Running:
- Windows Update
- Virtual Machine Platform / Hyper-V services
- LxssManager (WSL service)
Set the Startup type to Automatic if anything was changed.
Then re-enable WSL features by running the commands suggested in AI answer:
- dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
- And dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart
Restart your PC after it finishes.

2 - Repair Windows feature system

Since this shouldn’t normally break, run this to be safe.
Open Command Prompt (admin), run:
- DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- sfc /scannow
Restart your PC > then run wsl --shutdown and next, wsl

If after this you're still having issues, tell me what status those services show or if any errors appear. The exact phrasing is important.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Lychee-Ng 28,810 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-17T09:30:41.38+00:00

If you're having any troubles or other questions, feel free to ask!
Fred Schmid 66 Reputation points

2026-06-20T21:41:34.23+00:00

The WSL Service was disabled so I set it to Automatic and started the service. Now Ubuntu works.

There are eleven Hyper V services and they are set to Manual (Trigger Start). Only two of them are running. (Hyper-V Host Compute Service and Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management).I found out that something is diabling the WSL service. I believe it is CCleaner.
Lychee-Ng 28,810 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-22T06:19:46.43+00:00

Sometimes third-party optimization tools do affect normal system behaviors, so that could be the reason. Anyway, I'm glad that your Ubuntu system is back to working now!

1 additional answer

Your answer

Fred Schmid 66 Reputation points

2026-06-13T20:49:04.1266667+00:00

When I run the command suggested I get this message:

PS C:\Users\username> Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux

Get-WindowsOptionalFeature: Class not registered

PS C:\Users\username>

What would cause the Class to unregister itself? As I mentioned before it did work for a while.
Lychee-Ng 28,810 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-17T09:30:41.38+00:00

If you're having any troubles or other questions, feel free to ask!
Fred Schmid 66 Reputation points

2026-06-20T21:41:34.23+00:00

The WSL Service was disabled so I set it to Automatic and started the service. Now Ubuntu works.

There are eleven Hyper V services and they are set to Manual (Trigger Start). Only two of them are running. (Hyper-V Host Compute Service and Hyper-V Virtual Machine Management).I found out that something is diabling the WSL service. I believe it is CCleaner.
Lychee-Ng 28,810 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-22T06:19:46.43+00:00

Sometimes third-party optimization tools do affect normal system behaviors, so that could be the reason. Anyway, I'm glad that your Ubuntu system is back to working now!

Answer 1

The error Wsl/0x80070422 indicates that a required Windows service for WSL is disabled or not running, so the WSL subsystem cannot start at all. That is why Ubuntu in Windows Terminal and the wsl command in PowerShell both stopped working.

Use these checks and fixes:

Confirm WSL is enabled

Open PowerShell as administrator.

Run:

      Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux

If the state is Disabled, enable it:

      dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart

Also ensure the Virtual Machine Platform feature is enabled if using WSL 2:

      dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart

Restart Windows and test wsl again.

Check the WSL-related services
1. Press Win + R, type services.msc, press Enter.
2. Look for services such as:
  - LxssManager (or similar WSL/Lxss-related service)
  - Hyper-V / virtualization-related services if WSL 2 is in use.
3. For each relevant service:
  - Startup type should be Manual or Automatic, not Disabled.
  - If it is Disabled, change it to Manual or Automatic, apply, then click Start.
4. Close Services and try wsl again in PowerShell.
Reinstall or repair WSL if needed If WSL remains broken after confirming features and services:
1. In elevated PowerShell, list installed distributions:
```
      wsl --list --verbose
```
2. If the command still fails with the same service error, repair WSL by disabling and re-enabling the feature:
```
      dism /online /disable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /norestart
      dism /online /disable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /norestart
```
  Restart, then:
```
      dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
      dism /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart
```
  Restart again and run:
```
      wsl --install
```
  This will reinstall the WSL components and a default distribution. If Ubuntu 26.04 is not the default, reinstall it from Microsoft Store and keep the existing Windows Terminal profile.
Verify WSL kernel and version If the error changes to a kernel-related one (for example when using WSL 2), follow the kernel update step described in the WSL troubleshooting article (step 4 in the manual install instructions) to ensure the WSL 2 kernel is installed and up to date.

Once the WSL feature and its services are enabled and running, the existing Windows Terminal profile JSON is sufficient; the profile itself is not the cause of this error.

References: