Linux Community Magazine

How to Run Windows Programs Under Linux

One great way in which to help in the transition from Microsoft Windows and Linux is to be able to run those important Windows programs under Linux. There happen to be two main ways to run a Windows programs under Linux. One method would be by using a virtual machine (vm). Within the virtual machine you will actually run a full copy of the Microsoft Windows operating system with Linux passing resource control to the virtual machine. Note this requires a licensed copy of the Microsoft Windows operating system.

The other way in which you can run Windows programs under Linux is with the use of Wine. Wine is sometimes thought of a Windows Emulator, but according to the producers of Wine it is not an emulator but can execute Windows programs without emulating Windows, but by using its own files. The following is steps needed to install Wine on your Linux machine.

1. Downloading Wine: Many Linux distributions have a copy of Wine stored within their repositories. Following the steps for your particular distribution to download and install Wine is suggested. Alternatively, going to the Wine project website at

2. Installation: Many of the Linux distributions will automatically install a piece of software that has been downloaded from its repository. Those that do not will give instruction on how to install software downloaded from their repository. When downloading from , you will also find instructions on how to install the software. Many distributions of Linux come equipped with a software installer that is executed automatically when the proper extension is recognized by the Linux distribution. For instance, the installer will be executed when .deb is downloaded in Debian, Ubuntu and distributions based on Ubuntu.

Note that Wine is a work in progress and not all Windows program can be executed with Wine, but there are thousands that do and more and more are being added that can be.

Either method that you choose can be used but of the two Wine is more cost effective and the use of a virtual machine is more likely to be able to execute all Windows programs