Git Bash runs on top of Windows, not inside a virtualized Linux kernel.

If you’ve installed WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), Git Bash, or MSYS2, you technically have a Bash shell. But placing a .bashrc file on your Windows desktop won’t work. Here’s where to find—and create—your configuration file depending on how you’re running Bash on Windows 11.

Close your terminal window and open a new one.

If you’re using Windows 11’s flagship Linux integration (WSL2), your .bashrc does live in C:\Users\YourName . It lives inside the Linux distribution’s virtual file system.