5 ways to install Windows programs on Linux

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

If you think GIMP is no match for Photoshop and you can't live without Microsoft's office.

1. Wine

The name Wine stands for Wine Is Not an Emulator. It is a kind of layer between Windows applications and the Linux system. It allows you to install and run many popular Windows programs and work with them as if they were native Linux applications.

To install Wine, use the appropriate command.

1. Ubuntu, Debian, Mint:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386

wget -nc

sudo apt-key add Release.key

sudo add-apt-repository "deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ artful main"

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install --install-recommends winehq-stable

2. Fedora:

sudo dnf install winehq-stable

3. openSUSE:

sudo zypper install wine

4. Arch, Manjaro:

sudo pacman -S wine

Once Wine is installed, open it through your application menu or with the command

winecfg

… When you start Wine for the first time, it may ask you to install some additional packages - let it do it. After that, all Windows programs of the EXE format are associated with Wine in the system.

Now download the installer of the Windows application you need, find the folder with it in your file manager and open the file. Or enter the command

wine application_path

The Windows application will start and work as it always did. If you opened the installation file, the installation of the application will begin - just like in Windows. If the program does not require installation, you can start working with it immediately.

Not all applications can be installed and run in Wine, although the number of supported is impressive. The full list can be viewed here.

2. Winetricks

Wine is not a bad tool, but its interface leaves a lot to be desired. If you have struggled with this program, but still have not achieved the result, try Winetricks. It has a nice graphical interface for installing and running Windows applications, which is much easier for a beginner to understand.

You can install Winetricks like this:

1. Ubuntu, Debian, Mint:

sudo apt-get install winetricks

2. Fedora:

sudo dnf install winetricks

3. openSUSE:

sudo zypper install winetricks

4. Arch, Manjaro:

sudo pacman -S winetricks

Winetricks allows you to install various versions of Microsoft Office and Photoshop, foobar2000 player and many other programs. Popular games such as Call of Duty, Call of Duty 4, Call of Duty 5, Biohazard and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City are also supported. Some programs are loaded automatically, for others you will be prompted to insert the installation media. And, of course, you can open downloaded EXE files.

3. PlayOnLinux

PlayOnLinux is another handy tool for running Windows applications on Linux. Like Winetricks, it has a simple graphical interface. But, unlike it, PlayOnLinux allows you to choose a specific version of Wine for a particular application. This is useful if any of the programs you need does not work correctly with newer versions of Wine. In general, PlayOnLinux looks much nicer and more practical than Winetricks.

To install PlayOnLinux, run one of the following commands in the terminal:

1. Ubuntu, Debian, Mint:

sudo apt-get install playonlinux

2. Fedora:

sudo dnf install playonlinux

3. OpenSUSE:

sudo zypper install playonlinux

4. Arch, Manjaro:

sudo pacman -S playonlinux

The PlayOnLinux installation menu contains many pre-configured applications and games that you can download and install in a couple of clicks. In addition, PlayOnLinux can feed its own EXE installers. The application will carefully select the Wine version for you and create an icon for the installed program on the desktop.

4. Crossover

Occasionally the free PlayOnLinux and Winetricks fail to install some particularly finicky application. In this case, Crossover can help you. This program is very easy to use. You just need to indicate which application you want to install and slip the installation file to Crossover. The rest will be done for you.

Crossover's license for a year costs $ 39.95, but the program also has a free trial. It is recommended that you first install the application you need in it to make sure that it works correctly.

Crossover →

5. VirtualBox

If your application stubbornly refuses to run in the programs listed above, you can take drastic measures and install it in a virtual machine. Please note that it takes up much more system resources, so it is worth using it in extreme cases.

To run the application in a virtual machine, you need a Windows installation image in ISO format. Download and install VirtualBox, create a virtual machine in it, point it to the Windows ISO, and then just install the system as usual.

An indisputable plus of a virtual machine is that it runs a full-fledged operating system, which means that absolutely everything will start. The downside is gluttony in terms of system resources, and it's expensive to spend money on a Windows license for a virtual machine.

VirtualBox →