How to run a Windows app on Linux with Wine

Do you have specific Windows applications that you can’t go without? If so, is that the reason why you’ve not already made the switch to the superior and open-source Linux operating system? 

For the longest time, one of the biggest complaints about Linux was that users couldn’t install the software they needed to be productive. Thanks to numerous advances, that is no longer the case — and one of those advances 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 lengthy list of applications you can install on Linux with the built-in app stores, the universal package managers Snap and Flatpak, and Wine, the list of available software is considerable.

If you’re curious as to what apps can be run with Wine, here’s a searchable database that lists the apps, 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 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. In order 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

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

Winetricks allows you to also take care of a number of other options, such as installing DLLs, fonts, and more. 

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But at this point, you can close out that window and prepare to install your first Windows app.

Installing a Windows app with Wine

I’m going to show you how to install the Notepad++ Windows app with the help of Wine. Here’s what you need to do.

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 can be installed 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

Notepadd++ is a fairly simple app to install with Wine. You might find there are some apps (especially games) that require further configuration. Should that issue occur, you’ll want to run the Winetricks app again to take care of those configurations. 

How much work needs to be done will depend on the app you want to install. If you receive errors when trying to install a Windows app via Wine, you might have to do a bit of research to figure out what configurations are necessary for that particular app.

Also: 8 things you can do with Linux that you can’t do with MacOS or Windows

But 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.