high vmmem - memory usage when converting from wsl1 to wsl2

[ioweb-gr]

I'm experiencing extreme memory usage while converting a wsl1 image to wsl 2. Apparently vmmem keeps increasing steadily, for me it reached up to 16GB of RAM of a 32GB total.

• Your Windows build number: (Type ver at a Windows Command Prompt)
  Version 10.0.18917 Build 18917

• What you're doing and what's happening: (Copy&paste the full set of specific command-line steps necessary to reproduce the behavior, and their output. Include screen shots if that helps demonstrate the problem.)
  Converting a kali-linux image from wsl1 to wsl2

• What's wrong / what should be happening instead:
  the memory usage is constantly increasing. Possible memory leak?
  

Normally the process should be completed with minimum memory usage.

[benhillis]

Duplicate of #4166.

[theunclebobbyb]

This ever get fixed? WSL just used all 64gb of my ram. I tried shutting down wsl and now its just hanging and it won't allow me to start wsl again.

[PHBMdeveloper]

Temos solução?

[DevelCL]

There is a WORKAROUND on 14-may: #4166 (comment)

[frei-x]

This ever get fixed? WSL just used all 64gb of my ram. I tried shutting down wsl and now its just hanging and it won't allow me to start wsl again.

fierce!

[andre-ss6]

As #4166 has been locked; I just hope the final fix doesn't boil down to just putting a hard limit on the VM RAM usage.

[AnshulKathet]

this is steadily increasing RAM consumption. Suggest a fix please #4166

[krzystooof]

Workarounds:

• create drop_cache command in your WSL distro like Yenohal
  or
• create C\Users\<your user>\.wslconfig file containing:

[wsl2]
memory=6GB 
processors=5 

With limits that suits your needs.

Official support:

As written in #4166 issue in build 20175 Microsoft has changed the default memory scheme in WSL 2 to use 50% of your memory in Windows, or 8GB (whichever is smaller).

[nielsarts]

I fixed this issue by using the following command in your powershell:
wsl --shutdown
start your wsl again and boom

[davidshen84]

I am trying to convert my wsl 2 to 1, and ran into this memory issue. I tried the drop_cache trick in the comments, but it does not work for me. Also, I think that trick is only for releasing the memory while wsl2 is running, but wsl2 is not running while converting, right?

Update

I was being impatient...the memory still climb up to about 7 GB during the conversion, but it eventually released the memory and finished the conversion.

[ggcaponetto]

This is still a issue in 2021. Does anybody have a workaround?

[ffyuanda]

Still an issue, just apt install eats around 6 GB on my 16 GB Windows 10.

[gctech1]

2023 any updates pls?

[tildrum]

Same issue here, there are some fix ? thx :)