Member Avatar for koti86

I unable to install all .exe files in ubuntu with wine. Can you tell any software required for install .exe with wine

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by rx4hvn

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Short, practical clarification for and anyone else reading these replies: ".exe" just means a Windows PE binary and what matters is what that binary does. Some are simple portable GUI apps and can run under Wine with little fuss; others are installers that pull in Windows runtimes, and some require drivers or kernel features that Wine cannot provide. Compatibility is application-specific (as noted) and when Wine cannot help, a Windows VM is the dependable fallback (as mentioned).

Quick diagnostic + common workflow:

  • Identify the PE type (32-bit vs 64-bit) with the file command.
  • Decide if it is an installer or a portable executable.
  • Create a dedicated prefix for troublesome apps and run the installer there.

Example commands:

file myapp.exe

# create a fresh 32-bit Wine prefix and configure it
WINEPREFIX=~/.wine32 WINEARCH=win32 winecfg

# run installer inside that prefix
WINEPREFIX=~/.wine32 wine setup.exe

# run a portable exe
wine program.exe

Practical tips and tools not yet covered in the thread:

  • Use winetricks to install common runtime prerequisites (fonts, Visual C++ redistributables, specific .NET versions); some .NET apps still fail and often need a separate prefix per app.
  • GUI managers (PlayOnLinux, Bottles) and gaming helpers (Lutris, Steam Proton / Proton-GE) simplify per-app settings, multiple prefixes, and runtime installation.
  • If an app needs drivers, hardware access, or tight Windows integration, a VM (VirtualBox/VMware) with a clean Windows install is the reliable solution.

Cautions: many installers try to modify system components—run unknown .exe files only from trusted sources and prefer native Linux alternatives when available. For a specific application, the exact executable name and any error messages typically point to the one or two configuration steps that make it work.

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Member Avatar for GuitarComet

Wine is not capable of running every single Windows application out there. Have a look in Wine's application database and see if you can find the application you want to run. If you have to do something extra to make it run, that will most likely be listed in the application database. The address is http://appdb.winehq.org/

Member Avatar for rx4hvn

.exe files are for Windows. They don't work natively on Ubuntu or any Linux distribution. You cannot start a program that was previously installed in a Windows partition, from Ubuntu.

What to do:
1. Consider if there is an equivalent program in Linux that you can use, and install that instead using "add/remove..." or System->Administration->Synaptic Package Manager.

2. If you must use a Windows program, check to see if it will work with WINE at http://www.winehq.org/. If it will, you can install Wine on Ubuntu as above, then run the Windows setup program.

3. If the program will not work in Wine, a third option is a Windows virtual system within Ubuntu, using VirtualBox or VMWare, assuming your computer is powerful enough.

commented: Great post. Informative and consise. +0
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