At the moment, the USB passthrough is reserved exclusively for developers. The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) compatibility layer in Windows 11 now supports several developer-focused USB scenarios, allowing developers to use WSL to interact with USB-connected devices.
The WSL compatibility layer was designed to allow developers to use Linux binaries without leaving the comfort of their Windows workstations.
Microsoft explains that the new USB feature uses the USB/IP protocol to route USB traffic through the virtual network interface between Windows and WSL. Although the Linux kernel has supported USB/IP since 2009, several recent changes have made it easier to use in WSL.
Smoke and mirrors
Explaining the development, Ben McMorran, a senior software engineer on the Microsoft C++ team, wrote that building tools for Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code to support the development of embedded C++ devices required connecting the devices via USB. However, he could not test his tools on WSL because WSL did not support USB devices.
“While this functionality is not yet available natively in WSL, I am happy to report that our summer intern, Nelson Daniel Troncoso Aldas, has made changes to the used-win open source project to enable common USB scenarios. for developers, such as flash and Arduino or accessing a smart card reader,” McMorran shared.
McMorran wouldn’t say if the existing solution can be extended to allow USB pass-through for general users. However, as McMorran points out, the ability to use USB devices on WSL is a much-requested feature, so it shouldn’t be long before the feature makes its way to WSL.
