How To Install Wine on Linux Mint

Need a Windows-only app but not interested in rebooting or managing a VM? Wine translates Windows API calls for Linux, providing a practical workaround for commercial and legacy desktop applications. Here’s how to set up Wine for Linux Mint 21.x (base Ubuntu 22.04, “Jammy”).

Prerequisites

Linux Mint 21.x (tested with Cinnamon)
Standard terminal access (Ctrl+Alt+T)
Administrative rights

Note: Wine depends on several 32-bit libraries, regardless of whether your OS is 64-bit.

1. Update and Prepare

Outdated packages or missing dependencies will cause problems at the install or runtime phase. Start by updating everything:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Enable 32-bit architecture, essential for running most Windows binaries:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update

2. Add WineHQ Repository

Wine packages in default Mint repos are often lagging behind stable releases. For anything other than basic usage, get the latest directly from WineHQ.

Install required tools:

sudo apt install software-properties-common wget -y

Import the current signing key (as of 2024-06):

wget -nc https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/winehq.key
sudo apt-key add winehq.key

Add the Jammy repo (Linux Mint 21.x = Ubuntu 22.04):

sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ jammy main'
sudo apt update

Gotcha: If you see “The repository is not signed” warnings, double-check the key add step above. Some systems require gpg usage instead—refer to the WineHQ FAQ if you hit a wall here.

3. Install Wine

For most use cases, the stable branch is sufficient:

sudo apt install --install-recommends winehq-stable -y

This will pull in both 64-bit and critical 32-bit packages (wine-stable, wine-stable-i386, etc).

If targeting bleeding-edge compatibility (or Steam games), consider winehq-devel or winehq-staging. Trade-off: new bugs and regressions can appear.

4. Verification

Test Wine installation and inspect the installed version:

wine --version

Example output:

wine-9.0

If you see an error like wine: command not found, revisit repository and install steps.

5. Initial Configuration

Before running any software, initialize the Wine configuration directory:

winecfg

The first run will prompt for installation of Mono (for .NET compatibility) and Gecko (to support embedded browsers).
Accept both; notable side effect: first-time startup takes longer.

The default environment emulates Windows 7. Adjust as needed in the GUI, specifically under the “Applications” tab.

6. Running Windows Applications

Navigate to the directory containing your .exe and execute:

wine FILE.exe

(Replace FILE.exe appropriately.)

Practical Example: Notepad++

Download the installer:

wget https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/releases/download/v8.6.4/npp.8.6.4.Installer.exe
wine npp.8.6.4.Installer.exe

Post-install, launch like this:

wine ~/.wine/drive_c/Program\ Files/Notepad++/notepad++.exe &

Note: All installed applications reside under ~/.wine/drive_c/.

Troubleshooting & Notes

Some programs require additional runtime libraries (Visual C++ Redistributable, DirectX). Use winetricks to manage these:
```
sudo apt install winetricks -y
winetricks
```
Consult WineHQ AppDB for version-specific hacks and patches. Expect some applications to require overrides or DLL swaps.
Known issue: graphical glitches or missing fonts? Check that fonts-wine and ttf-mscorefonts-installer are installed.
Wine is not a security boundary. Malware targeting Windows can sometimes execute under Wine—never run random .exe files.
To completely remove Wine and its configuration:
```
sudo apt purge wine*
rm -rf ~/.wine/
```

Summary

Wine enables a pragmatic Windows interoperability surface for Linux Mint, covering the majority of desktop legacy use cases. The above steps install contemporary Wine and cover most first-time errors. For advanced requirements—integrating with PlayOnLinux, using per-app Wine prefixes, or multi-version management—see additional tools, but the core procedure stands.

Non-obvious tip: Multiple Wine prefixes enable isolated environments for different applications. Set WINEPREFIX=/path/to/directory before invoking Wine to avoid DLL conflicts across apps.

How To Install Wine On Linux Mint