Installing WINE on Ubuntu. This compatibility layer allows Linux users to run Windows executables .exe files in Linux. The acronym is actually “WINE is Not an Emulator”, because it isn’t. But we will get to that later. This software is not included in default Ubuntu installs. However, it is available directly from official repositories. In the following tutorial, I cover one way to get the missing WINE tool installed on Ubuntu Linux. After installation is complete, we can proceed to run our Windows software from Linux.
Wine works by translating Windows API calls into POSIX. Instead of using virtual machine simulation to emulate logic. Through the use of API to POSIX translation, we can eliminate most of the performance issues found when using alternate methods like emulation. The result is a true integration of Windows applications right into your Linux desktop.
How to Install WINE on Ubuntu
This method is based upon info found at the official WINE Site. The following example is for Ubuntu focal. You should substitute focal in step 4 with the repository that matches your distribution.
Replace focal with trusty, precise, xenial, or bionic to match your distribution.
- From the Ubuntu Desktop, Press Ctrl + Alt + T to open a terminal.
- Type
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 && sudo apt updatethen press Enter. - Next, type
wget -nc https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/winehq.key && sudo apt-key add winehq.keythen press Enter. - Now, type
sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ focal main'then press Enter. - Finally, type
sudo apt install --install-recommends winehq-stablethen press Enter. - Type
ythen press Enter to install Wine.
If all went as planned, you should now be able to run Windows files on Linux.
With WINE fully installed. Ready to run .exe files from within your Ubuntu Linux Desktop.
You should now proceed to test that WINE is actually working properly. To do this, right click on a Windows executable file. Then, select the option to Open with Wine Windows Program Loader.
