How to Use Wine on Linux

This updated guide examines How to Use Wine on Linux and organizes the essential facts, background, and practical takeaways in clear American English.

Part 1of 3:

Installing Wine

1. Open the Terminal. Select the Terminal application from your computer's Menu or Applications list to do so.
   • On most Linux versions, you can also open the Terminal by pressingCtrl+Alt+T.
   • Some Linux versions also have a command line textbox at the top of the screen.
2. Enable 32-bit architecture. If your computer uses a 64-bit processor, you'll need to enable 32-bit mode for your computer. To do so:
   • Typesudo dpkg --add-architecture i386into Terminal and press?Enter.
   • Type in your root password when prompted and press?Enter.
3. Point your computer's downloader to the Wine website. This will allow your computer to find the proper download files. To do so:
   • Type inwget -nc https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/Release.keyand press?Enter.
   • Type insudo apt-key add Release.keyand press?Enter.
   • Enter your root password if prompted.
4. Add the Wine repository to your library. Depending on your Linux version, you'll enter one of the following strings:
   • Ubuntu -sudo apt-add-repository https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/
   • Mint -sudo apt-add-repository 'deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ xenial main'
5. Update the downloaded packages. Type insudo apt-get updateand press?Enter.
6. Select a download. As of March 2018, the stable release for Wine can be downloaded by typing insudo apt-get install --install-recommends wine-stableand pressing?Enter.^[1]
   • There may be future Wine versions that support multiple different types of stable download.
7. Confirm the download. Type inyand press?Enter, then type back in your root password if prompted. Wine will begin downloading and installing onto your computer.
8. Wait for the download to finish. Wine will take upward of 10 minutes to finish installing on your computer. When it finishes downloading, you can proceed.

Part 2of 3:

Setting up Wine

1. Create a Windows home directory. Type inwinecfgand press?Enter, then look for a confirmation message that says something like "created the configuration directory 'home/name/.wine'".
   • If prompted to install any missing packages here, click Install in the prompt window and wait for the packages to install.
2. Select a Windows version. Click the "Windows Version" drop-down box at the bottom of the "Wine configuration" window, then click the version of Windows (e.g., Windows 7 ) that you want to use.
   • If you don't see this option, first click the Applications tab at the top of the window.
3. ClickApply. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so will save your settings.
4. ClickOK. This button is at the bottom of the window. Clicking it closes the Window.
5. Download a Windows program in EXE format. Find an EXE version of the program that you want to use on Linux (e.g., 7-zip) and download it. Once you've done this, you can move on to installing it.
   • You can see a comprehensive list of Wine-compatible programs on Wine's website.

Part 3of 3:

Installing a Program

1. Open your Downloads folder. You'll find this in your Home folder, though you may also be able to open the Downloads folder from within the Applications menu.
2. Find the downloaded EXE file. Scroll through the Downloads folder until you find the EXE file for the program that you want to install.
3. Right-click the file. Doing so will prompt a drop-down menu.
4. ClickOpen With Wine Windows Program Loader. It's at the top of the drop-down menu. This will open an installation window.
5. ClickInstall. It's at the bottom of the installation window. The program will begin installing onto your computer.
   • Some programs may require additional input before they can be installed.
   • You can also change the location in which your program is installed by clicking ? on the right side of the window and then selecting a different folder on your computer.
6. ClickClosewhen prompted. This option will become available when the program is finished installing.
7. Run your program. You can run your newly installed program from within the Applications section, which is usually inside of the Menu.