Cannot set fish as "default" shell

[iamdevlinph]

Your Windows build number:
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.15063]

What you're doing and what's happening:
Cannot set fish as default shell

I've tried

• C:\Windows\System32\bash.exe ~ -c fish
• C:\Windows\System32\bash.exe ~ -c /usr/bin/fish

When I run Ubuntu on Windows it's just a blank screen.

What's wrong / what should be happening instead:
When starting Ubuntu on Windows the default shell right away should be fish

C:\Windows\System32\bash.exe ~ -c /usr/bin/fish works in my other pc. But I forgot at what build I installed wsl (I'm already in the fast ring).

EDIT 1
Trying to reinstall.

EDIT 2
Didn't help

EDIT 3
Also tried adding

ssh-agent fish
exit

on top of ~/.bashrc as stated here

[sunjoong]

@iamdevlinph - You cannot set other shells except bash to DEFAULT shell, but could use other shell like fish or zsh.

• https://superuser.com/questions/1110882/how-to-change-default-shell-for-linux-susbsystem-for-windows
• https://www.howtogeek.com/258518/how-to-use-zsh-or-another-shell-in-windows-10/

[iamdevlinph]

It's not really setting fish as default, per se. Rather, having bash run -c /usr/bin/fish/ on start up. Just in the first link you provided. But I haven't tried setting it with %systemroot%\system32\bash.

I will try it first and also the script in the .bashrc

[iamdevlinph]

I tried adding

# Launch Fish
if [ -t 1 ]; then
exec fish
fi

But when I start Bash it's just stuck in Welcome to fish, the friendly interactive shell

Same result with

if [[ -t 1 && -x /usr/bin/fish ]]; then
    exec /usr/bin/fish
fi

[sunjoong]

It's not really setting fish as default, per se.

@iamdevlinph - Yes. I said "You cannot set other shells except bash to DEFAULT shell". I think... you want a NEW feature to bash.exe.

But when I start Bash it's just stuck in Welcome to fish, the friendly interactive shell

It looks like rather "bash -c fish hanging indefinitely" than "Cannot set fish as default shell", I guess.

UPDATE: bash.exe on the current public release version of WSL cannot launch user defined DEFAULT SHELL, but wsl.exe on preview Insider builds version could do, I heard. So, use Insider builds or wait until public relase if you want to user defined default shell.

[iamdevlinph]

@sunjoong I see. Thanks for the update.

Closing this one, I guess.

[benhillis]

In recent insider builds you'll find a binary called wsl.exe which will respect the default shell in your /etc/passwd file. You can change your default shell via the chsh command.

[iamdevlinph]

@benhillis Uhh. So the part will respect the default shell in your /etc/passwd file. is not to be worried about, right? Just have to run chsh -c fish and that's it?

[benhillis]

Correct, except you'll have to supply the full path to the fish binary. Then the next time you launch wsl.exe it will run fish. Bash.exe will continue to launch /bin/bash.

[iamdevlinph]

Alright. So chsh -c /usr/bin/fish it is then.

Thanks

[RichieRock]

For me chsh -c /usr/bin/fish didn't do the trick since I couldn't find wsl.exe that @benhillis mentioned (do I have wrong version of bash for windows installed?). Whenever I start Bash on Ubuntu on Windows, only bash starts.

But I found another workaround:

Just add command fish in the end of your ~/.bashrc file. It will run fish whenever bash starts.

[iamdevlinph]

wsl.exe is currently available in the Fall Creators Update which you can get by being an Insider.

Just add command fish in the end of your ~/.bashrc file. It will run fish whenever bash starts.

This workaround isn't that efficient since it still runs your bash. As far as I know.

[aaronpowell]

I've been grappling with this too, I'm on Slow Ring Insiders so running something close to Fall Creators Update.

I get hit-and-miss when trying to get fish working as my default shell, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to why it goes one way or the other.

The solutions I've tried are:

• modifying my .bashrc to launch fish
  • both with the if guard and without
• using chsh to change my default shell
• launching with Ubuntu.exe -c 'fish'

My solution now is that I'll just launch with bash and then type fish once I get in there.

[iamdevlinph]

Adding fish in the .bashrc should work, supposedly. Since it will call fish after calling bash.

But all the other solutions you tried will not work with the current bash.exe file. The new one though, wsl.exe, reads a file of some sort where the the shell you set using chsh is stored.

[iamdevlinph]

td:dr; chsh commands will not work as long as you're no in the Fall Creators Update.

You'll need to have the wsl.exe, which is in the same directory as bash.exe. wsl.exe reads a file where your default shell set by running chsh is saved.

So options are to wait for the Fall Creators Updated to get to release and manually run fish. Or opt in to Insders Preview.

[aaronpowell]

I'm not actually using bash.exe but instead Ubuntu.exe as I'm installing the WSL instance via the store (which is becoming available with FCU)

[iamdevlinph]

Ohh. That's new to me.

I have the Fall Creators Update on my laptop but I installed WSL using the command line and it got me the wsl.exe file.

So maybe default shells only work with the wsl.exe file or something?

[benhillis]

Chsh will also work with Ubuntu.exe, opensuse, etc.

[aishalih]

So is there any update nowdays, I kinda tried the stuff above, but currently my solution is like @benhillis said.

[endolith]

So, two years later, is there any update?

[iamdevlinph]

I'm now using zsh instead of fish. And I'm using the Ubuntu from the Windows store.

chsh -s $(which zsh) worked for me out of the box.

[endolith]

I tried it multiple times yesterday with no luck, but today it worked. Nevermind.

[mohityadav7]

If you are using Windows Terminal, you can just pass fish to wsl.exe as an argument in the 'Command Line' option.
eg. C:\WINDOWS\system32\wsl.exe -d Ubuntu-20.04 fish. It worked for me 🥳

[VArterJr]

I know this is an old thread, but for those still dealing with this (like me... even on the current Preview version of WSL), chsh (even with sudo) doesn't work. @benhillis had mentioned /etc/passwd and editing it directly really has been the solution that works best for me (vs. launching fish or zsh or whatever from somewhere else). Just edit the /etc/passwd file and change the default shell in there for the user that wants fish (zsh, etc.) and it works perfectly.

[jonahfang]

@VArterJr . Thanks, it works!