Wine is compatibility layer that lets you run Windows apps on Linux. Because there are so many applications for Windows that don’t have a native version for Linux, it became necessary to create the means to run them on the open-source operating system.

When you combine the lengthy list of native applications you can install on Linux with the built-in app stores, the universal package managers Snap and Flatpak, AppImages, and Wine, the list of available software for Linux is massive.

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Unfortunately, not every Windows app can run via Wine. If you’re curious about the apps that can, here’s a searchable database that lists them, from games to productivity tools and everything in between.

So, how do you run those Windows apps on Linux with Wine? Let’s get to work.    

How to run a Windows app on Linux with Wine

What you’ll need: I’ll demonstrate the process on Ubuntu Desktop, but Wine can be installed on most Linux distributions. To install Wine, you’ll need a running Linux distribution and a user with sudo privileges. That’s it.

sudo apt-get install wine winetricks -y

Do note that the above command will take some time to complete.

sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/fedora/36/winehq.repo

You can then install Wine with the command:

sudo dnf install winehq-stable -y

You will also need to install Winetricks manually for Fedora, which can be done with the following command:

wget  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Winetricks/winetricks/master/src/winetricks && chmod +x winetricks && sudo mv winetricks /usr/local/bin/

Winetricks also lets you take care of several other options, such as installing DLLs, fonts, and more. 

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At this point, though, you can close that window and prepare to install your first Windows app.

Installing a Windows app with Wine

I’ll show you how to install the Notepad++ Windows app with Wine’s help.

First, download the Windows installer for the app and save it in your Downloads directory. Then, open your terminal window and change into the Downloads 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 your way to success.

Once the installation completes, you’ll find the Notepad++ launcher in your desktop menu.

Installing a Windows app with Winetricks

Another cool trick up Wine’s sleeve is the ability to install a Windows app directly from within Winetricks. If you run the Winetricks 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 you can install directly from the GUI. 

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This method will automatically download and run the necessary installer file and then open the install wizard to complete the process.

Further configuration might be needed

Notepad++ is a fairly simple app to install with Wine. However, some apps (especially games) might require further configuration. If that occurs, run the Winetricks app again to correct the configurations. 

The amount of work needed will depend on the app you want to install. If you receive errors when you try to install a Windows app via Wine, you might have to research which configurations are necessary for that particular app.

Even with those potential issues, installing supported Windows apps on Linux with Wine is considerably easier than you might think. Enjoy those Windows apps running on Linux.