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Added keep alive setting #41109

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e0665ff
Added keep alive setting
craigloewen-msft Jul 17, 2026
2118d20
Updated to use DistroTimeout instead
craigloewen-msft Jul 27, 2026
96056f9
Merge branch 'master' into user/crloewen/wsl-keep-alive
craigloewen-msft Jul 27, 2026
a6ef903
PR fixes
craigloewen-msft Jul 31, 2026
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27 changes: 27 additions & 0 deletions localization/strings/en-US/Resources.resw
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -1985,6 +1985,18 @@ You can also access more VS Code Remote options through the command palette with
<data name="Settings_VMIdleTimeout.Description" xml:space="preserve">
<value>The number of milliseconds that a VM is idle, before it is shut down.</value>
</data>
<data name="Settings_KeepWslRunning.Header" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Keep WSL running</value>
</data>
<data name="Settings_KeepWslRunning.Description" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Keep running distributions, and the WSL virtual machine hosting them, from being automatically shut down after they have been idle.</value>
</data>
<data name="Settings_KeepWslRunningToggleSwitch.AutomationProperties.Name" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Keep WSL running.</value>
</data>
<data name="Settings_KeepWslRunningToggleSwitch.AutomationProperties.HelpText" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Keep running distributions, and the WSL virtual machine hosting them, from being automatically shut down after they have been idle.</value>
</data>
<data name="Settings_VMIdleTimeoutResetButton.Content" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Reset timeout</value>
</data>
Expand All @@ -1994,6 +2006,21 @@ You can also access more VS Code Remote options through the command palette with
<data name="Settings_VMIdleTimeoutTextBox.AutomationProperties.HelpText" xml:space="preserve">
<value>The number of milliseconds that a VM is idle, before it is shut down.</value>
</data>
<data name="Settings_InstanceIdleTimeout.Header" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Distribution idle timeout</value>
</data>
<data name="Settings_InstanceIdleTimeout.Description" xml:space="preserve">
<value>The number of milliseconds that a distribution is idle, before it is terminated.</value>
</data>
<data name="Settings_InstanceIdleTimeoutResetButton.Content" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Reset timeout</value>
</data>
<data name="Settings_InstanceIdleTimeoutTextBox.AutomationProperties.Name" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Distribution idle timeout</value>
</data>
<data name="Settings_InstanceIdleTimeoutTextBox.AutomationProperties.HelpText" xml:space="preserve">
<value>The number of milliseconds that a distribution is idle, before it is terminated.</value>
</data>
<data name="Settings_ApplyChangesButton.Content" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Apply changes</value>
</data>
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1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions src/windows/inc/WslCoreConfigInterface.h
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Expand Up @@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ enum WslConfigEntry
KernelPath,
SystemDistroPath,
KernelModulesPath,
InstanceIdleTimeout,
};

enum NetworkingConfiguration
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11 changes: 11 additions & 0 deletions src/windows/libwsl/WslCoreConfigInterface.cpp
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Expand Up @@ -195,6 +195,10 @@ WslConfigSetting GetWslConfigSetting(WslConfig_t wslConfig, WslConfigEntry wslCo
static_assert(std::is_same<decltype(wslConfigSetting.StringValue), decltype(wslConfig->Config.KernelModulesPath.c_str())>::value);
wslConfigSetting.StringValue = wslConfig->Config.KernelModulesPath.c_str();
break;
case InstanceIdleTimeout:
static_assert(std::is_same<decltype(wslConfigSetting.Int32Value), decltype(wslConfig->Config.InstanceIdleTimeout)>::value);
wslConfigSetting.Int32Value = wslConfig->Config.InstanceIdleTimeout;
break;
default:
FAIL_FAST();
}
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -560,6 +564,13 @@ unsigned long SetWslConfigSetting(WslConfig_t wslConfig, WslConfigSetting wslCon
wslConfigSetting.StringValue,
wslConfig->Config.KernelModulesPath);
}
case InstanceIdleTimeout:
return SetWslConfigSetting(
wslConfig,
ConfigSetting::InstanceIdleTimeout,
defaultConfig.InstanceIdleTimeout,
wslConfigSetting.Int32Value,
wslConfig->Config.InstanceIdleTimeout);
default:
FAIL_FAST();
}
Expand Down
1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions src/windows/wslsettings/Contracts/Services/IWslConfigService.cs
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Expand Up @@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ WslConfigEntry.SystemDistroPath or

WslConfigEntry.ProcessorCount or
WslConfigEntry.InitialAutoProxyTimeout or
WslConfigEntry.InstanceIdleTimeout or
WslConfigEntry.VMIdleTimeout => WslConfigValueKind.Int32,

WslConfigEntry.MemorySizeBytes or
Expand Down
3 changes: 2 additions & 1 deletion src/windows/wslsettings/LibWsl.cs
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Expand Up @@ -43,7 +43,8 @@ public enum WslConfigEntry
HardwarePerformanceCountersEnabled = 23,
KernelPath = 24,
SystemDistroPath = 25,
KernelModulesPath = 26
KernelModulesPath = 26,
InstanceIdleTimeout = 27
}
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public enum NetworkingConfiguration
Expand Down
106 changes: 106 additions & 0 deletions src/windows/wslsettings/ViewModels/Settings/OptionalFeaturesViewModel.cs
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Expand Up @@ -16,12 +16,16 @@ public partial class OptionalFeaturesViewModel : WslConfigSettingViewModel
private IWslConfigSetting? _sparseVHD;
private IWslConfigSetting? _vMIdleTimeout;
private int _defaultVMIdleTimeout;
private IWslConfigSetting? _instanceIdleTimeout;
private int _defaultInstanceIdleTimeout;
private int _previousInstanceIdleTimeout;

public OptionalFeaturesViewModel()
{
InitializeConfigSettings();

VMIdleTimeout_ResetEnabled = !Equals(_defaultVMIdleTimeout, _vMIdleTimeout!.Int32Value);
InstanceIdleTimeout_ResetEnabled = !Equals(_defaultInstanceIdleTimeout, _instanceIdleTimeout!.Int32Value);
}

protected override void InitializeConfigSettings()
Expand All @@ -33,8 +37,13 @@ protected override void InitializeConfigSettings()
_safeMode = wslConfigService.GetWslConfigSetting(WslConfigEntry.SafeModeEnabled);
_sparseVHD = wslConfigService.GetWslConfigSetting(WslConfigEntry.SparseVHDEnabled);
_vMIdleTimeout = wslConfigService.GetWslConfigSetting(WslConfigEntry.VMIdleTimeout);
_instanceIdleTimeout = wslConfigService.GetWslConfigSetting(WslConfigEntry.InstanceIdleTimeout);

_defaultVMIdleTimeout = wslConfigService.GetWslConfigSetting(WslConfigEntry.VMIdleTimeout, true).Int32Value;
_defaultInstanceIdleTimeout = wslConfigService.GetWslConfigSetting(WslConfigEntry.InstanceIdleTimeout, true).Int32Value;

var configuredInstanceIdleTimeout = _instanceIdleTimeout!.Int32Value;
_previousInstanceIdleTimeout = configuredInstanceIdleTimeout < 0 ? _defaultInstanceIdleTimeout : configuredInstanceIdleTimeout;
}

public List<string> MemoryReclaimModes
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -72,6 +81,46 @@ public bool IsOnSparseVHD
set { Set(ref _sparseVHD!, value); }
}

// Keeping WSL running is driven by the distribution idle timeout: a negative value tells the
// service to never idle-terminate a distribution, and because the VM is only considered idle
// once every distribution has stopped, this keeps the WSL VM running as well.
public bool IsOnKeepWslRunning
{
get { return _instanceIdleTimeout!.Int32Value < 0; }
set
{
if (value)
{
var currentInstanceIdleTimeout = _instanceIdleTimeout!.Int32Value;
if (currentInstanceIdleTimeout >= 0)
{
_previousInstanceIdleTimeout = currentInstanceIdleTimeout;
}

Set(ref _instanceIdleTimeout!, -1, nameof(IsOnKeepWslRunning));
}
else
{
Set(ref _instanceIdleTimeout!, _previousInstanceIdleTimeout, nameof(IsOnKeepWslRunning));
}

OnPropertyChanged(nameof(InstanceIdleTimeout));
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OnPropertyChanged(nameof(InstanceIdleTimeoutEnabled));
OnPropertyChanged(nameof(VMIdleTimeoutEnabled));
InstanceIdleTimeout_ResetEnabled = !Equals(_defaultInstanceIdleTimeout, _instanceIdleTimeout!.Int32Value);
}
}

public bool VMIdleTimeoutEnabled
{
get { return !IsOnKeepWslRunning; }
}

public bool InstanceIdleTimeoutEnabled
{
get { return !IsOnKeepWslRunning; }
}
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public string VMIdleTimeout
{
get
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -120,4 +169,61 @@ private void VMIdleTimeout_ResetExecuted(string? param)
}

public ICommand VMIdleTimeout_ResetCommand => new RelayCommand<string>(VMIdleTimeout_ResetExecuted);

public string InstanceIdleTimeout
{
get
{
return _instanceIdleTimeout!.Int32Value.ToString();
}
set
{
if (ValidateInput(value, Constants.IntegerRegex))
{
if (Int32.TryParse(value, out int parsedValue))
{
Set(ref _instanceIdleTimeout!, parsedValue);
if (parsedValue >= 0)
{
_previousInstanceIdleTimeout = parsedValue;
}

OnPropertyChanged(nameof(IsOnKeepWslRunning));
OnPropertyChanged(nameof(InstanceIdleTimeoutEnabled));
OnPropertyChanged(nameof(VMIdleTimeoutEnabled));
}
else
{
OnPropertyChanged();
}
}
}
}

public void SetInstanceIdleTimeout_ResetEnabled(string? value)
{
if (Int32.TryParse(value, out Int32 parseResult))
{
InstanceIdleTimeout_ResetEnabled = !Equals(_defaultInstanceIdleTimeout, parseResult);
}
else
{
InstanceIdleTimeout_ResetEnabled = true;
}
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}

private bool _instanceIdleTimeout_ResetEnabled;

public bool InstanceIdleTimeout_ResetEnabled
{
get => _instanceIdleTimeout_ResetEnabled;
set => SetProperty(ref _instanceIdleTimeout_ResetEnabled, value);
}

private void InstanceIdleTimeout_ResetExecuted(string? param)
{
InstanceIdleTimeout = _defaultInstanceIdleTimeout.ToString();
}

public ICommand InstanceIdleTimeout_ResetCommand => new RelayCommand<string>(InstanceIdleTimeout_ResetExecuted);
}
19 changes: 18 additions & 1 deletion src/windows/wslsettings/Views/Settings/OptionalFeaturesPage.xaml
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Expand Up @@ -41,7 +41,10 @@
<ctControls:SettingsCard x:Uid="Settings_SparseVHD">
<ToggleSwitch x:Uid="Settings_SparseVHDToggleSwitch" HorizontalAlignment="Right" MinWidth="0" IsOn="{x:Bind ViewModel.IsOnSparseVHD, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
</ctControls:SettingsCard>
<ctControls:SettingsExpander x:Name="VMIdleTimeoutExpander" x:Uid="Settings_VMIdleTimeout">
<ctControls:SettingsCard x:Uid="Settings_KeepWslRunning">
<ToggleSwitch x:Uid="Settings_KeepWslRunningToggleSwitch" HorizontalAlignment="Right" MinWidth="0" IsOn="{x:Bind ViewModel.IsOnKeepWslRunning, Mode=TwoWay}"/>
</ctControls:SettingsCard>
<ctControls:SettingsExpander x:Name="VMIdleTimeoutExpander" x:Uid="Settings_VMIdleTimeout" IsEnabled="{x:Bind ViewModel.VMIdleTimeoutEnabled, Mode=OneWay}">
<TextBlock Style="{StaticResource TextBlockSettingStyle}" Text="{x:Bind ViewModel.VMIdleTimeout, Mode=OneWay, Converter={StaticResource MillisecondsStringConverter}}"/>
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<ctControls:SettingsExpander.Items>
<ctControls:SettingsCard HorizontalContentAlignment="Left" ContentAlignment="Left" Margin="{StaticResource SettingsExpanderItemMargin}">
Expand All @@ -55,6 +58,20 @@
</ctControls:SettingsCard>
</ctControls:SettingsExpander.Items>
</ctControls:SettingsExpander>
<ctControls:SettingsExpander x:Name="InstanceIdleTimeoutExpander" x:Uid="Settings_InstanceIdleTimeout" IsEnabled="{x:Bind ViewModel.InstanceIdleTimeoutEnabled, Mode=OneWay}">
<TextBlock Style="{StaticResource TextBlockSettingStyle}" Text="{x:Bind ViewModel.InstanceIdleTimeout, Mode=OneWay, Converter={StaticResource MillisecondsStringConverter}}"/>
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@benhillis benhillis Jul 28, 2026

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When the toggle is on, InstanceIdleTimeout is -1, and MillisecondsStringConverter only special-cases ulong 0, so this collapsed summary ends up reading literally -1 ms. Same thing shows up in the apply-changes dialog, since SettingsApplyHelper.FormatValue runs the new entry through Settings_MillisecondsStringFormat - so toggling Keep WSL VM alive produces a confirmation line like Distribution idle timeout: -1 ms for a field the user never touched.

Could we have the converter return null (or something like Never) for negative values, and map the toggle to Settings_KeepVMAlive/Header in the apply summary?

@craigloewen-msft craigloewen-msft Jul 31, 2026

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I actually prefer it showing -1 as it is clearly communicating what it's setting. I think changing it to show 'Never' while making it more readable, makes it less clear on what actual settings are changing.
So I'd prefer to stick with displaying it as -1 as that is what gets truly set in the file.

<ctControls:SettingsExpander.Items>
<ctControls:SettingsCard HorizontalContentAlignment="Left" ContentAlignment="Left" Margin="{StaticResource SettingsExpanderItemMargin}">
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
<TextBox x:Name="InstanceIdleTimeoutTextBox" x:Uid="Settings_InstanceIdleTimeoutTextBox" Style="{StaticResource TextBoxFilePathStyle}" Margin="{StaticResource InputControlSpacingMargin}"
Text="{x:Bind ViewModel.InstanceIdleTimeout, Mode=TwoWay, UpdateSourceTrigger=LostFocus}" TextChanged="InstanceIdleTimeoutTextBox_TextChanged"/>
<Button x:Uid="Settings_InstanceIdleTimeoutResetButton" Style="{StaticResource ButtonSettingStyle}" Margin="{StaticResource InputControlSpacingMargin}"
Command="{x:Bind ViewModel.InstanceIdleTimeout_ResetCommand}" IsEnabled="{x:Bind ViewModel.InstanceIdleTimeout_ResetEnabled, Mode=TwoWay, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}"
Click="Settings_ResetButton_Click"/>
</StackPanel>
</ctControls:SettingsCard>
</ctControls:SettingsExpander.Items>
</ctControls:SettingsExpander>
</StackPanel>
</ScrollViewer>
</Grid>
Expand Down
11 changes: 11 additions & 0 deletions src/windows/wslsettings/Views/Settings/OptionalFeaturesPage.xaml.cs
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Expand Up @@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ private void OnPageLoaded(object sender, Microsoft.UI.Xaml.RoutedEventArgs e)
{
OptionalFeaturesPageRoot.Focus(FocusState.Programmatic);
RuntimeHelper.SetupExpanderFocusManagementByName(this, "VMIdleTimeoutExpander", "VMIdleTimeoutTextBox");
RuntimeHelper.SetupExpanderFocusManagementByName(this, "InstanceIdleTimeoutExpander", "InstanceIdleTimeoutTextBox");
}

override protected void OnNavigatedFrom(NavigationEventArgs e)
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -62,4 +63,14 @@ private void VMIdleTimeoutTextBox_TextChanged(object sender, TextChangedEventArg
TextBox? textBox = sender as TextBox;
ViewModel.SetVMIdleTimeout_ResetEnabled(textBox!.Text);
}

private void InstanceIdleTimeoutTextBox_TextChanged(object sender, TextChangedEventArgs e)
{
if (sender is not TextBox textBox)
{
return;
}

ViewModel.SetInstanceIdleTimeout_ResetEnabled(textBox.Text);
}
}
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/windows/wslsettings/Views/Settings/SettingsApplyHelper.cs
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Expand Up @@ -156,6 +156,7 @@ private static string GetSettingDisplayName(WslConfigEntry entry)
{ WslConfigEntry.SafeModeEnabled, "Settings_SafeMode/Header" },
{ WslConfigEntry.SparseVHDEnabled, "Settings_SparseVHD/Header" },
{ WslConfigEntry.VMIdleTimeout, "Settings_VMIdleTimeout/Header" },
{ WslConfigEntry.InstanceIdleTimeout, "Settings_InstanceIdleTimeout/Header" },
{ WslConfigEntry.DebugConsoleEnabled, "Settings_DebugConsole/Header" },
{ WslConfigEntry.HardwarePerformanceCountersEnabled, "Settings_HWPerfCounters/Header" },
{ WslConfigEntry.KernelPath, "Settings_CustomKernelPath/Header" },
Expand All @@ -173,6 +174,7 @@ private static string FormatValue(WslConfigEntry entry, object value)
switch (entry)
{
case WslConfigEntry.InitialAutoProxyTimeout:
case WslConfigEntry.InstanceIdleTimeout:
case WslConfigEntry.VMIdleTimeout:
return string.Format("Settings_MillisecondsStringFormat".GetLocalized(), (int)value);
default:
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Expand Down