How To Install Wine on CentOS 8

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Wine on CentOS 8. For those of you who didn’t know, Wine, an acronym for “Wine Is Not an Emulator,” is a free and open-source compatibility layer that translates Windows API calls to their POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface) counterparts. This allows Windows applications to run natively on Linux systems without the need for a virtual machine or dual-boot setup.

By providing a Windows-like environment, Wine enables users to run a wide range of Windows applications, from productivity tools and multimedia software to games and specialized programs. This versatility makes Wine an invaluable asset for Linux users who require specific Windows applications for their daily tasks or hobbies.

This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you through the step-by-step installation of Wine on a CentOS 8 server.

Prerequisites

• A server running one of the following operating systems: CentOS 8.
• It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
• A non-root sudo user or access to the root user. We recommend acting as a non-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.

Install Wine on CentOS 8

Step 1. Before diving into the installation process, it’s essential to ensure that your CentOS 8 system meets the necessary requirements and is properly prepared. Start by updating your system to the latest available packages:

sudo dnf clean all
sudo dnf update

These commands will update your system’s package repositories and install any available updates, ensuring a stable and secure environment for Wine installation.

Step 2. Installing Dependency Packages.

Wine relies on several development tools and libraries to function correctly. To install these dependencies, run the following commands:

sudo dnf groupinstall 'Development Tools'
sudo dnf install libX11-devel freetype-devel zlib-devel libxcb-devel libxslt-devel libgcrypt-devel libxml2-devel gnutls-devel libpng-devel libjpeg-turbo-devel libtiff-devel gstreamer-devel dbus-devel fontconfig-devel

Step 3. Installing Wine on CentOS 8.

With your system prepared, it’s time to download and install Wine. Start by retrieving the latest stable version of Wine from the official source:

cd /tmp
wget https://dl.winehq.org/wine/source/9.x/wine-9.7.tar.xz
tar -xvf wine-9.7.tar.xz -C /tmp/

Then, configure wine using one of the following commands based on your system architecture:

### 32-bit Systems ### 
cd wine-9.7/
./configure
make
make install

### 64-bit Systems ### 
cd wine-9.7/
./configure --enable-win64
make
make install

Check the wine version:

### 32-Bit Systems ###
wine --version

### 64-Bit Systems ###
wine64 --version

Step 4. Configuring Wine on CentOS 8.

While Wine is now installed, it’s essential to configure it properly to ensure optimal performance and compatibility with your desired Windows applications. Run the following command to launch the Wine configuration utility:

winecfg

This utility allows you to adjust various settings, such as desktop integration, drive mappings, and audio and graphics options. Take the time to explore these settings and customize them according to your preferences and the specific requirements of the applications you plan to run.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Wine. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing Wine on the CentOS 8 system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you to check the official Wine website.