diff --git a/cmd/minikube/cmd/start.go b/cmd/minikube/cmd/start.go
index add01e155567..cb585ba73173 100644
--- a/cmd/minikube/cmd/start.go
+++ b/cmd/minikube/cmd/start.go
@@ -1365,7 +1365,7 @@ func validateFlags(cmd *cobra.Command, drvName string) { //nolint:gocyclo
 	validateInsecureRegistry()
 }
 
-// validatePorts validates that the --ports are not below 1024 for the host and not outside range
+// validatePorts validates that the --ports are not outside range
 func validatePorts(ports []string) error {
 	var exposedPorts, hostPorts, portSpecs []string
 	for _, p := range ports {
@@ -1386,19 +1386,19 @@ func validatePorts(ports []string) error {
 		}
 	}
 	for _, p := range exposedPorts {
-		if err := validatePort(p, false); err != nil {
+		if err := validatePort(p); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
 	for _, p := range hostPorts {
-		if err := validatePort(p, true); err != nil {
+		if err := validatePort(p); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
 }
 
-func validatePort(port string, isHost bool) error {
+func validatePort(port string) error {
 	p, err := strconv.Atoi(port)
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.Errorf("Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid: %s", port)
@@ -1406,9 +1406,6 @@ func validatePort(port string, isHost bool) error {
 	if p > 65535 || p < 1 {
 		return errors.Errorf("Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: %s", port)
 	}
-	if isHost && detect.IsMicrosoftWSL() && p < 1024 {
-		return errors.Errorf("Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): %s", port)
-	}
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/cmd/minikube/cmd/start_test.go b/cmd/minikube/cmd/start_test.go
index 6a5b799c304f..c19e151d3c47 100644
--- a/cmd/minikube/cmd/start_test.go
+++ b/cmd/minikube/cmd/start_test.go
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ import (
 	cfg "k8s.io/minikube/pkg/minikube/config"
 	"k8s.io/minikube/pkg/minikube/constants"
 	"k8s.io/minikube/pkg/minikube/cruntime"
-	"k8s.io/minikube/pkg/minikube/detect"
 	"k8s.io/minikube/pkg/minikube/driver"
 	"k8s.io/minikube/pkg/minikube/proxy"
 )
@@ -581,171 +580,98 @@ func TestIsTwoDigitSemver(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestValidatePorts(t *testing.T) {
-	isMicrosoftWSL := detect.IsMicrosoftWSL()
 	type portTest struct {
-		// isTarget indicates whether or not the test case is covered
-		// because validatePorts behaves differently depending on whether process is running in WSL in windows or not.
-		isTarget bool
 		ports    []string
 		errorMsg string
 	}
 	var tests = []portTest{
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"8080:80"},
 			errorMsg: "",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"8080:80/tcp", "8080:80/udp"},
 			errorMsg: "",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"test:8080"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid [test:8080] (Invalid hostPort: test)",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"0:80"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: 0",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"0:80/tcp"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: 0",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"65536:80/udp"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid [65536:80/udp] (Invalid hostPort: 65536)",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"0-1:80-81/tcp"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: 0",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"0-1:80-81/udp"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: 0",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: !isMicrosoftWSL,
 			ports:    []string{"80:80", "1023-1025:8023-8025", "1023-1025:8023-8025/tcp", "1023-1025:8023-8025/udp"},
 			errorMsg: "",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
-			ports:    []string{"80:80"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 80",
-		},
-		{
-			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
-			ports:    []string{"1023-1025:8023-8025"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 1023",
-		},
-		{
-			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
-			ports:    []string{"1023-1025:8023-8025/tcp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 1023",
-		},
-		{
-			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
-			ports:    []string{"1023-1025:8023-8025/udp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 1023",
-		},
-		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:8080:80", "127.0.0.1:8081:80/tcp", "127.0.0.1:8081:80/udp", "127.0.0.1:8082-8083:8082-8083/tcp"},
 			errorMsg: "",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"1000.0.0.1:80:80"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid [1000.0.0.1:80:80] (Invalid ip address: 1000.0.0.1)",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: !isMicrosoftWSL,
 			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:80:80", "127.0.0.1:81:81/tcp", "127.0.0.1:81:81/udp", "127.0.0.1:82-83:82-83/tcp", "127.0.0.1:82-83:82-83/udp"},
 			errorMsg: "",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
-			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:80:80"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 80",
-		},
-		{
-			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
-			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:81:81/tcp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 81",
-		},
-		{
-			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
-			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:81:81/udp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 81",
-		},
-		{
-			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
-			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:80-83:80-83/tcp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 80",
-		},
-		{
-			isTarget: isMicrosoftWSL,
-			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:80-83:80-83/udp"},
-			errorMsg: "Sorry, you cannot use privileged ports on the host (below 1024): 80",
-		},
-		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"80"},
 			errorMsg: "",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"80", "65535", "65536"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: 65536",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"0", "80", "65535"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: 0",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"cats"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid: cats",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:81:0/tcp"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is outside range: 0",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"127.0.0.1:81:65536/tcp"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid [127.0.0.1:81:65536/tcp] (Invalid containerPort: 65536)",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"1-65536:80-81/tcp"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid [1-65536:80-81/tcp] (Invalid hostPort: 1-65536)",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"1-80:0-81/tcp"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid [1-80:0-81/tcp] (Invalid ranges specified for container and host Ports: 0-81 and 1-80)",
 		},
 		{
-			isTarget: true,
 			ports:    []string{"1-80:1-65536/tcp"},
 			errorMsg: "Sorry, one of the ports provided with --ports flag is not valid [1-80:1-65536/tcp] (Invalid containerPort: 1-65536)",
 		},
 	}
 	for _, test := range tests {
 		t.Run(strings.Join(test.ports, ","), func(t *testing.T) {
-			if !test.isTarget {
-				return
-			}
 			gotError := ""
 			got := validatePorts(test.ports)
 			if got != nil {