USB Device Management

WSL Dashboard integrates usbipd-win, allowing you to easily attach local USB devices to a WSL instance through the GUI.

Prerequisites

Before using this feature, ensure that:

1. You have usbipd-win installed on Windows.
2. Your WSL kernel has USB support (modern WSL 2 default kernels typically include this).

Steps

1. Scan for Devices

Go to the "USB" tab. The app will automatically list all USB devices currently connected to Windows (including hubs, mice, storage devices, etc.).

2. Bind a Device

Before attaching a device to a specific WSL instance, you must first "bind" it. The bind operation requires administrator privileges — WSL Dashboard will handle the elevation request automatically.

Once bound, the device is ready to be shared with WSL.

3. Attach to an Instance

Select a running WSL instance and click "Attach".

• After a successful attachment, the USB device will disappear from Windows and appear inside the selected WSL instance.
• You can verify this inside WSL using the lsusb command.

4. Detach from an Instance

When you are done, click "Detach". The device will return to Windows control.

FAQ

• Device not found?: Try refreshing the list, or check that the device is properly connected to the host machine.
• Attachment failed?: Ensure the target WSL instance is running and that you have sufficient permissions.
• usbipd command not found?: Confirm that usbipd-win is installed and has been added to the system PATH environment variable.