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Do you have specific Windows applications you just can’t function without? If so, is that the reason why you haven’t already switched to a better and open-source Linux operating system?
For a long time, one of the biggest complaints about Linux was that users couldn’t install the software they needed to be productive. Thanks to many advancements, that’s no longer the case – and one of those advancements is wine.
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Wine is a compatibility layer that makes it possible to run Windows apps on Linux. When you combine the long list of applications that can be installed on Linux with the built-in App Store, universal package managers Snap and Flatpak, and Wine, the list of available software becomes quite large.
If you want to know which apps can be run with Wine, here is a searchable database It lists everything from games to productivity tools and everything in between.
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But how do you actually run those Windows apps on Linux with Wine?
let’s get to work.
How to Run Windows Apps on Linux with Wine
what you’ll need: I will demonstrate this process on Ubuntu Desktop, but Wine can be installed on most Linux distributions. To install Wine, you will need a running Linux distribution and a user with sudo privileges. That’s it.
First you need to log in to your Linux desktop and open a terminal window.
Install both Wine and Winetrix, a tool to make it easier to configure Wine, with the command:
sudo apt-get install wine winetricks -y
If you’re using a RHEL or Fedora-based distribution, you’ll need to first add the required repositories with the following command:
sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo
Then you can install wine with the command:
sudo dnf install winehq-stable -y
Run the Winetrix app, which will automatically create the necessary directories for you, with the command below.
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In the resulting window, you’ll want to click on Select the default Wineprefix and click on OK. In the next window, select Run WineCFG and click OK. You can then configure the version of Windows you want Wine to emulate by selecting an option from the Windows version dropdown and clicking OK.
Winetrix makes it easy to configure multiple Wine options. Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Winetrix allows you to take care of many other options as well, such as installing DLLs, fonts, and more.
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But at this point, you can close that window and get ready to install your first Windows app.
installing windows apps with wine
I am going to show you how to install Notepad++ Windows App with the help of Wine. Here’s what you have to do.
First, download Windows Installer for the app and save it to your Downloads directory. Then, open your terminal window and change to the download directory with the command cd ~/Downloads.
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run the installer with the command wine npp.*.exe. Finally, the Windows Install Wizard will open, where you can click on your way to success.
Installing Windows apps on Linux is easy with Wine. Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Once the installation is complete, you will find the Notepad++ Launcher in your desktop menu.
Installing a Windows App with Winetrix
Another cool trick of Wine is the ability to install Windows apps directly from within Winetrix. If you run the Wintrix app, which can now be launched from your desktop menu, and select Install an application, you’ll be greeted with a list of applications that can be installed directly from the GUI.
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This method will automatically download and run the required installer file, and then open the installation wizard to complete the process.
Winetrix allows you to install multiple applications easily. Jack Wallen/ZDNET
may require further configuration
Notepad++ is a fairly simple app to install with Wine. You’ll find that there are some apps (especially games) that require additional configuration. If that issue occurs, you’ll need to rerun the Wintrix app to take care of those configurations.
How much work has to be done will depend on the app you want to install. If you get errors when trying to install Windows apps via Wine, you may have to do a little research to find out what configurations are required for that particular app.
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But despite those potential problems, installing supported Windows apps on Linux with Wine is a lot easier than you think. Enjoy those Windows apps running on Linux.
