Learn how to set environment variable permanently in WSL. Our Server Management Support team is here to help you with your questions and concerns.

WSL Set Environment Variable Permanently

Setting environment variables, in Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) or in native Windows, is key in configuring our development environment.

We can configure environment variables permanently in WSL by editing the `.bashrc` file. This file contains the configuration settings for our Bash shell.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on permanently setting environment variables in WSL and Windows.

Setting Environment Variables in WSL

1. First, open the `.bashrc` file by entering this command in the WSL terminal:

   sudo nano ~/.bashrc
2. Now, to set an environment variable for the current session, use the `export` command
   followed by the variable name and its value. For example:

      export API_KEY="123"
3. Then, save and close the file.
4. Now, we will will apply the changes to our current terminal session, with this command:

   source ~/.bashrc
5. We can verify that the environment variable is set by echoing its value:

   echo $API_KEY

Setting Environment Variables in Windows

1. We can set temporary environment variables with the `set` command In a Windows CLI.

   For example:

   set API_KEY=123
2. In order to set an environment variable permanently in Windows, follow these steps:
   1. Open the command line as an administrator.
   2. Use the `setx` command followed by the variable name, its value, and the `/M` flag to make it system-wide. For example:
      

      setx API_KEY "123" /M

   3. Close the current command line window and open a new one to apply the changes.

With these steps, we can set environment variables both in WSL and Windows systems. This makes sure that our development environment is properly configured for our needs.

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Conclusion

In brief, our Support Experts demonstrated how to set environment variables permanently in WSL.