If you have Linux installed on your computer and you are missing some of your Windows applications, rest assured, nothing is lost. You will be able to install Wine on your system to make them work. Wine is able to run many Windows applications on Linux.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Install Wine
Step 1. Open a terminal
Select Terminal from your system's applications menu to do this.
- On most versions of Linux, you can also open a terminal by simultaneously pressing the Ctrl + Alt + T keys on your keyboard.
- Some versions of Linux also have a text window at the top of the screen where you can directly enter commands that you would type into a terminal.
- Some Linux installations open directly in command line mode. If yours does, skip this step.
Step 2. Authorize operation in 32-bit architecture
If your system is built in 64-bit mode, you will need to allow its 32-bit mode to be able to install Wine, follow these steps to do so:
- enter
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386in your terminal then press the Enter key on your keyboard; - Enter your administrator password when prompted and then press Enter on your keyboard.
Step 3. Prepare a download of Wine in terminal mode
This will allow your computer to find the appropriate file for your system on its own. Follow these steps to do this:
- enter
wget -ncin your terminal then press the Enter key on your keyboard; - enter
sudo apt-key add Release.keyand press the Enter key; - enter your administrator password if prompted by the system.
Step 4. Update the list of software repositories on your system
This will allow you to automatically receive updates from Wine. Depending on the version of Linux that is installed on your computer, type one of the following entries in your terminal:
- in Ubuntu, enter
sudo apt-add-repository; - under Mint, enter
sudo apt-add-repository 'deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ xenial main'.
Step 5. Update the downloaded package
Enter
sudo apt-get update
in your terminal then press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Step 6. Choose a package to download
Since March 2018, the stable version of Wine can be downloaded by entering the line in your terminal
sudo apt-get install --install-recommends wine-stable
without forgetting to press the Enter key on your keyboard.
- Other versions that you can install by following the same procedure are also available in the Wine repository, These are winehq-devel and winehq-staging which are future versions of Wine, and therefore not recommended for most users.
Step 7. Confirm your intention to download
Press o then Enter on your keyboard. If prompted, enter your administrator password. Wine will begin to download to your system and install automatically.
Step 8. Wait for the download to complete
Downloading and installing Wine on your computer will take up to 10 minutes after which you can begin to set up the subsystem.
Part 2 of 3: Setting up Wine
Step 1. Create a home directory for Wine
Enter
winecfg
in your terminal and press the Enter key on your keyboard. Wait for the message to appear
~ / home / user /.wine directory created
confirming the execution of your last instruction.
- Winecfg, the Wine configuration wizard, will attempt to run, but it will notify you first of the missing named packages wine-mono and wine-gecko and prompt you to install them one at a time. Click on the button labeled To install in the invitation dialogs that will appear thereafter. When these dependencies are installed, the Wine setup wizard window will appear.
Step 2. Select a version of Windows
Click on the drop-down menu named Windows version which is at the bottom of the winecfg window. Choose the version of Windows you want to use. Windows version 7 is available to you by default, but you can choose a different one if you want.
- If you do not see this option displayed, click on the tab titled Applications at the top of the winecfg window.
Step 3. Click Apply
Clicking on this button at the very bottom of the Wine configurator window will save your changes.
Step 4. Click OK
Clicking on this button, which is also at the bottom of the configurator window, will close the winecfg window. You can recall this configuration wizard using your command terminal or the Linux applications menu.
Step 5. Download an executable program in Windows
Find and download a program with an installer with the extension.exe or.msi, which you can use under Wine, such as the 7-zip.exe archive decompressor or DiagramDesigner.msi diagram maker. When this is done, you will be ready to continue with the installation procedure for this program.
You can check the full list of compatible apps on the Wine website to get an idea of the compatibility level of your favorite Windows apps
Part 3 of 3: Install a program with Wine
Step 1. Open your downloads directory
It is in your personal file
~ / home / user /
. You may also be able to access it from the applications menu on your system.
Step 2. Find the file you just downloaded
Scroll down to your downloads directory until you find the.exe or.msi file you want to install.
Step 3. Right click on the file
You will see a pop-up menu appear.
Step 4. Click Open with Wine - Program Loader
Choosing this option at the top of the menu will open the software installation window in the same way you would see it in Windows.
Step 5. Click the Install button
You will find it at the bottom of the installation window. This will install the application on your computer.
- Just like in Windows, some applications may require more input from you before they begin to install.
- You can also change the name of the directory in which you want to install the application by clicking on the button … which is on the right of the window and by selecting a folder different from the one proposed to you by default.
Step 6. Click Close when prompted
This option will be available as soon as the installation of your Windows application is complete.
Step 7. Run your Windows software on Linux
You can start the execution of your program by clicking on its name which you will find, if you have performed a normal installation, in the section Wine from your system's applications menu.
Advice
- You will be able to install a user interface called PlayOnLinux which will allow you to install, remove and access programs installed under Wine. You just need to open a terminal after installing Wine and enter it
sudo apt install playonlinux, enter your password and confirm your intention to install by clicking the o key on your keyboard. - If you have installed Wine using methods other than the one above, you may need to check from time to time to see if the Wine website does not have a more up-to-date version of the subsystem.
- If the font size of your Windows software seems too small in Wine, open winefg from a terminal and click on the tab titled Display. There you will find a slider with which you can adjust the character display resolution of your Windows windows to your liking.
