How to Automate Cron in WSL on Windows 11/10 PC

Welcome to our guide on how to automate Cron in WSL on your Windows 11/10 PC. In this article, we will walk you through the steps to start Cron automatically in your WSL installation. Let’s dive in and make your automated tasks run smoothly!

Why Cron Doesn’t Run Automatically

By default, Cron doesn’t start automatically in your WSL installation on Windows 11/10. This means that your scheduled tasks won’t run unless you manually start Cron each time you open the command line. To overcome this inconvenience, we can make use of the Windows Task Scheduler to automate the startup of Cron.

Steps to Automate Cron in WSL on Windows 11/10 PC

Follow these steps to ensure that Cron starts automatically in your WSL environment:

1. Open your WSL terminal.
2. Enter the command: sudo nano /etc/sudoers
3. Provide your Linux password when prompted.
4. Within the sudoers file, add the following line to the end:

   %sudo ALL=NOPASSWD: /usr/sbin/service cron start

   This command allows users with sufficient privileges to start Cron without requiring a password.

5. Save the file by pressing Ctrl+O and exit the editor by pressing Ctrl+X.
6. Next, you can test if the command is functioning correctly by running:

   sudo service cron start

   Cron should start without asking for a password.

7. Now, let’s move on to automating Cron using the Windows Task Scheduler.

Automating Cron with the Windows Task Scheduler

Here’s how you can automate the start of Cron using the Windows Task Scheduler:

1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard and search for “Task Scheduler”. Open the “Task Scheduler” application.
2. In the “Actions” section, select “Create basic task”.
3. Provide a name and description for the task. For example, name it “Cron” and give it a description like “Automating Cron at system startup”. Then, click “Next”.
4. Choose the option “When the computer starts” and click “Next”.
5. Select the option “Start a program” and click “Next”.
6. In the “Program/Script” field, enter the following:

   wsl sudo service cron start

   This specifies the program to run, which is the command to start Cron in your WSL environment.

7. Click “Next” and then “Finish” to complete the task creation process.

Summary

Congratulations! You’ve successfully automated Cron in your WSL environment on your Windows 11/10 PC. With Cron starting automatically, your scheduled tasks will run without the need for manual intervention. Now you can enjoy the convenience of automated task execution. If you have any further questions or encounter any issues, please feel free to reach out to us. Happy automating!