If you're encountering ping github.com
failing inside WSL with a Temporary failure in name resolution
, you're not alone — this has been a long-standing issue, especially when using VPNs or corporate networks.
This issue is now fixed robustly with DNS tunneling, which preserves dynamic DNS behavior and avoids limitations like WSL’s former hard cap of 3 DNS servers in /etc/resolv.conf
.
DNS tunneling is enabled by default in WSL version 2.2.1 and later, meaning that if you're still seeing DNS resolution issues, the first and most effective fix is simply to upgrade WSL. Upgrading WSL updates the WSL platform itself, but does not affect your installed Linux distributions, apps, or files.
To upgrade WSL, follow these steps,
# Run all of the following in a Windows terminal (PowerShell, Command Prompt, etc.)
# 1. Check your current WSL version
wsl --version
# 2. Close all open *WSL windows* — any Linux terminals running via WSL (Ubuntu, Debian, etc.)
# 3. Shut down the WSL subsystem
wsl --shutdown
# 4. Upgrade WSL
wsl --upgrade
# 5. Verify the upgrade was successful (version should now be >= 2.2.1)
wsl --version
# 6. Open your WSL terminal and test
ping github.com
# 🎉 If it works, drop a comment on this Gist and tell us how happy you are.
If needed, explicitly enable tunneling by creating (source):
# C:\Users\<YourUsername>\.wslconfig
[wsl2]
dnsTunneling=true
That’s it. No more messing with /etc/resolv.conf
. No more weird hacks!
Preserved for historical transparency and for users unable to upgrade WSL.
# In WSL
cd /etc
echo "[network]" | sudo tee wsl.conf
echo "generateResolvConf = false" | sudo tee -a wsl.conf
# Back in Windows
wsl --terminate <DistroName> # or use wsl --shutdown
# Back in WSL
sudo rm -f /etc/resolv.conf
echo "nameserver 1.1.1.1" | sudo tee /etc/resolv.conf
echo "nameserver 8.8.8.8" | sudo tee -a /etc/resolv.conf
sudo chattr +i /etc/resolv.conf
If you're using a VPN like Cisco AnyConnect:
Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object { $_.InterfaceDescription -Match "Cisco AnyConnect" } | Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceMetric 6000
Big thanks to,
- @ThePlenkov/(comment) — the first to publicly document the DNS tunneling fix in
.wslconfig
(WSL 2.2.1+) - @skudbucket — for confirming and spreading awareness
- @MartinCaccia, @yukosgiti, @machuu, @AlbesK — for documenting earlier workarounds
- GitHub Issue #4277
- GitHub Issue #4246
- Legacy fix from #4285
- WSL DNS Tunneling Docs
- WSL Config Docs
- WSL 2.2.1 Release Notes
If you're still using manual resolv.conf hacks in 2024+, you're solving a problem that's already been solved.
BILLION DOLLAR MICROSOFT WSL BUG FIXED AFTER 13 YEARS = WSL DNS Network Failure with VPNs resulted in A TOTAL REWRITE OF WSL2 by October 2023 - PING FAILED IN WSL
Expect this WSL2 broken DNS related issues (above) to be fixed from October 2023.
N.B. Now you have to change all your WSL Linux Network configs to match the totally new design.
Eventually fixed mentioned here
Why be so angry? When I said it cost MICROSOFT BILLIONS over 13 years you laughed at me. I was right - TOTALLY VINDICATED - THIS BUG STUNG THEIR BIGGEST CUSTOMERS THE MOST SO THAT WSL WAS REJECTED! The extent to which WSL was rejected by ALL the biggest companies is staggering! Hell they all used VPNs and Docker! Thousands of the SAME bug reports GOT CLOSED BY GENIUSES that can't fix the bug or bother to reproduce it and FALSELY CLAIM "UNABLE TO REPRODUCE". The bug was there for 13 years breaking WSL1 and Microsoft biggest customers who use compulsory VPNs which broke WSL2 networking DNS and a primary symptom was Ping failures.
ORIGINAL SYMPTOMS of WSL2 Networks Breaking with VPNs RANDOMLY WORKING
ROOT CAUSE - BECAUSE WSL1 & WSL2 RANDOMLY SELECT SUBNETS, SO THE CORPORATIONS VPN (firewall) REJECTS SOME OF THEM - RANOMLY - NOT THE CORPORATIONS FAULT!
DNS on WSL2 WITH VPNs JUST BREAKS: CLOSING THOUSANDS OF BUG REPORTS ON THIS 10 YEAR OLD BUG (WHICH IS NOT FIXED FOR SUCH A LONG TIME) IS WEIRD!
Some 20 solutions claim to work but the root cause of why the bug keeps getting closed and then reopened is that WSL2 network WORKS RANDOMLY - THIS IS BY DESIGN BECAUSE WSL2 RANDOMLY SELECTS A SUBNET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thus WSL2 still looses it's DNS even if you disconnect briefly and reconnect your IPsec VPN ( RANDOM SUBNET IS CHOSEN ). Once the wrong random subnet is REJECTED by the corporations VPN you still have to reboot. (I am running WSL2 on top end Dell laptop with up-to-date bios and Windows 10.)
When running ordinary applications under Windows or on a Linux PC, any disconnection of the network and reconnection allows all applications to reconnect to the network no problem; not so with WSL! When running WSL, DNS resolution is lost even with a brief disconnection or the lease time on the network driver laps and reconnects, after that you can’t connect or even ping devices unless you reboot!
Even with millions of complaints, and thousands of bug reports, this bug has been persistent for almost a decade and NOT FEXED IN JULY 2023! This is so serious many developers avoid all Docker development under WSL and Windows. When Windows programmers write Linux network code, what could possibly go wrong?
WSL team members even close bug reports rather than combine the data from thousands of similar reports. When reports are closed so that others can’t comment the geniuses have magically fixed the major bug right? NOT! The use of Docker Desktop makes it 100 times worse, but fortunately Docker Desktop is NOT Docker and many people run WSL2 without Docker Desktop.