WSL2 Import/Export tool.

wsl2-importer.ps1

# WSL2 Backup and Restore Script (No Compression)
# Features: WSL check, distro listing, folder picker, overwrite prompt, cleanup residuals
Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms

# Check if WSL is installed
$wslInstalled = Get-Command wsl.exe -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if (-not $wslInstalled) {
    Write-Host "WSL is not installed. Please install it: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install"
    exit
}

Write-Host "Choose an option:"
Write-Host "1. Backup WSL2 container"
Write-Host "2. Restore WSL2 container"
$choice = Read-Host "Enter choice (1 or 2)"

function List-Distros {
    Write-Host "`nInstalled WSL Distributions:"
    wsl -l
    Write-Host ""
}

function Select-Folder {
    $dialog = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.FolderBrowserDialog
    $dialog.Description = "Select a folder to save or restore backup"
    if ($dialog.ShowDialog() -eq [System.Windows.Forms.DialogResult]::OK) {
        return $dialog.SelectedPath
    } else {
        Write-Host "No folder selected. Exiting."
        exit
    }
}

function Cleanup-Temp {
    Get-ChildItem $env:TEMP -Filter "*-backup.tar" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Remove-Item -Force
    Get-ChildItem $env:TEMP -Filter "*-restore.tar" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Remove-Item -Force
}

if ($choice -eq "1") {
    List-Distros
    $distro = Read-Host "Enter WSL2 distribution name to backup"
    $folderPath = Select-Folder
    $fileName = Read-Host "Enter backup file name (no extension)"
    $backupPath = Join-Path $folderPath "$fileName.tar"

    if (Test-Path $backupPath) {
        $overwrite = Read-Host "File already exists. Overwrite? (yes/no)"
        if ($overwrite -ne "yes") {
            Write-Host "Backup canceled."
            exit
        }
    }

    try {
        Write-Host "Exporting WSL distro... This may take a while."
        wsl --export $distro $backupPath
        Cleanup-Temp
        Write-Host "✅ Backup completed and saved as: $backupPath"
    } catch {
        Write-Host "❌ Error during backup: $($_.Exception.Message)"
        Write-Host "See: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/use-custom-distro"
    }
}
elseif ($choice -eq "2") {
    List-Distros
    $distro = Read-Host "Enter WSL2 distribution name to restore"
    $folderPath = Select-Folder
    $fileName = Read-Host "Enter backup file name (no extension)"
    $backupPath = Join-Path $folderPath "$fileName.tar"

    if (-not (Test-Path $backupPath)) {
        Write-Host "❌ Backup file not found at $backupPath"
        exit
    }

    $exists = Read-Host "Does the target container already exist? (yes/no)"
    try {
        if ($exists -eq "yes") {
            wsl --unregister $distro
            Write-Host "Existing container removed."
        }

        Write-Host "Importing WSL distro... This may take a while."
        wsl --import $distro "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Packages\$distro" $backupPath
        Cleanup-Temp
        Write-Host "✅ Restore completed."
    } catch {
        Write-Host "❌ Error during restore: $($_.Exception.Message)"
        Write-Host "See: https://github.com/microsoft/WSL/issues"
    }
}
else {
    Write-Host "Invalid choice. Please run the script again."
}