Use Flash on Windows

Set up WSL2 with Ubuntu to run Flash on Windows.

Flash runs natively on macOS and Linux. On Windows, you can run Flash through Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2), which provides a full Linux environment on your machine.

Requirements

• Windows 10 version 2004 or later, or Windows 11.
• Administrator access to your Windows machine.
• Runpod account with a verified email address.
• An API key with All access permissions.

Step 1: Enable WSL2

Open PowerShell or Command Prompt as Administrator (right-click and select “Run as administrator”), then run:

wsl --install

This command enables WSL, installs the latest Linux kernel, sets WSL2 as the default version, and installs Ubuntu as your Linux distribution.

If WSL is already installed on your system, you can install Ubuntu specifically with:

wsl --install -d Ubuntu

After the installation completes, restart your computer when prompted.

Step 2: Set up Ubuntu

After restarting, Ubuntu launches automatically and prompts you to create a Linux username and password. These credentials are separate from your Windows account and are used only within the Linux environment.

If Ubuntu doesn’t launch automatically, open it from the Start menu by searching for “Ubuntu”.

Once setup is complete, you’ll see the Ubuntu terminal prompt:

username@hostname:~$

Update your package lists to ensure you have access to the latest software:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 3: Install Python and uv

Flash requires Python 3.10 or later. Ubuntu typically includes Python, but you should verify the version:

python3 --version

If you need a newer version, install it:

sudo apt install python3.12 python3.12-venv -y

Install uv, a fast Python package manager:

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

After installation, restart your terminal or run the following to add uv to your path:

source $HOME/.local/bin/env

Step 4: Install and authenticate Flash

Create a project directory and set up a virtual environment:

mkdir my-flash-project && cd my-flash-project
uv venv
source .venv/bin/activate

Install Flash:

uv pip install runpod-flash

Authenticate with your Runpod account:

flash login

This opens your browser to authorize Flash. After you approve, your credentials are saved.

Alternatively, you can set your API key directly:

export RUNPOD_API_KEY="your_key"

Step 5: Verify your installation

Test that Flash is working correctly:

flash --version

You’re now ready to use Flash. Continue with the quickstart to run your first GPU workload.

Tips for working with WSL2

Accessing Windows files: Your Windows drives are mounted under /mnt/. For example, C:\Users\YourName\Documents is accessible at /mnt/c/Users/YourName/Documents.

Opening WSL from any folder: In Windows Explorer, type wsl in the address bar to open Ubuntu in that directory.

VS Code integration: Install the WSL extension for VS Code to edit files in WSL with full IDE support. Run code . from your WSL terminal to open VS Code in the current directory.

Default terminal: You can set Ubuntu as your default terminal in Windows Terminal for quicker access.