How To Install Wine on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Wine on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Wine, which stands for “Wine Is Not an Emulator,” is a compatibility layer that enables Linux users to run Windows applications natively. Unlike virtual machines or emulators, Wine translates Windows API calls into POSIX calls, allowing Windows programs to run seamlessly on Linux without significant performance overhead. The project has a long history, with development dating back to 1993. Over the years, Wine has benefited from the contributions of a dedicated community and corporate sponsors, making it a robust and reliable solution for running Windows software on Linux.

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 the step-by-step installation of the Wine on Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble Numbat). You can follow the same instructions for Ubuntu 22.04 and any other Debian-based distribution like Linux Mint, Elementary OS, Pop!_OS, and more as well.

Prerequisites

• A server running one of the following operating systems: Ubuntu and any other Debian-based distribution like Linux Mint.
• It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
• SSH access to the server (or just open Terminal if you’re on a desktop).
• An active internet connection. You’ll need an internet connection to download the necessary packages and dependencies.
• An Ubuntu 24.04 system with root access or a user with sudo privileges.

Install Wine on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Noble Numbat

Step 1. Updating the Package Repository.

To prepare your system for Wine installation, open a terminal and run the following commands to update and upgrade your packages:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

This command will fetch the latest package information from the Ubuntu repositories, allowing you to install the most recent version of Wine and its dependencies. Updating the package repository is crucial to maintaining the security and stability of your system.

Step 2. Installing Wine on Ubuntu 24.04.

There are two primary methods for installing Wine on Ubuntu 24.04: using the default Ubuntu repository or the official WineHQ repository. The default Ubuntu repository offers a stable version of Wine, which may be suitable for most users. However, if you require the latest features or improvements, the WineHQ repository provides more recent stable, development, and staging versions of Wine.

• Installing Wine Using the Ubuntu Default Repository

To install Wine using the default Ubuntu repository, follow these steps:

First, enable 32-bit architecture support (if using a 64-bit system) by running:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386

Install Wine using the following command:

sudo apt install wine

This command will install the stable version of Wine from the Ubuntu repository, along with any necessary dependencies.

To verify the installation, run:

wine --version

• Installing Wine Using the WineHQ Repository

For users who require the latest stable, development, or staging versions of Wine, the WineHQ repository is the preferred installation method. To install Wine using the WineHQ repository, follow these steps:

Add the WineHQ repository key:

sudo wget -O- https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/winehq.key | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/winehq.gpg

Add the WineHQ repository to your system:

### Stable Version ###
sudo wget -NP /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/dists/jammy/winehq-jammy.sources

#### Developmen tVersion ###
sudo wget -NP /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/dists/jammy/winehq-jammy-devel.sources

#### Staging Version ###
sudo wget -NP /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/dists/jammy/winehq-jammy-staging.sources

Now Install Wine using the following command:

### For the stable version ###
sudo apt install --install-recommends winehq-stable

### For the development version ###
sudo apt install --install-recommends winehq-devel

### For the staging version ###
sudo apt install --install-recommends winehq-staging

Verify the installation by running:

wine --version

Step 3. Configuring Wine on Ubuntu 24.04.

After installing Wine, you can configure it to suit your needs. The winecfg command launches the Wine configuration utility, allowing you to adjust settings such as Windows version compatibility, graphics, and audio. To open the Wine configuration utility, run:

winecfg

In the configuration utility, you can:

• Set the Windows version compatibility for your applications
• Configure graphics settings, such as screen resolution and color depth
• Adjust audio settings, including driver selection and output device

Experiment with these settings to find the optimal configuration for your specific applications and system.

Step 4. Common Issues and Troubleshooting

While Wine installation is generally straightforward, you may encounter some common issues. If you experience installation errors related to missing dependencies or key import failures, double-check that you have followed the installation steps correctly and that your system is up to date. If you encounter runtime issues when using Wine, such as applications failing to start or displaying incorrectly, consider the following troubleshooting steps:

• Check the Wine application database (AppDB) for application-specific instructions or known issues
• Ensure that you have the latest graphics drivers installed for your system
• Try adjusting the Windows version compatibility settings in the Wine configuration utility
• Consult the Wine documentation and community forums for additional support and guidance

Step 5. Enhancing Wine Functionality.

To further enhance Wine’s functionality and compatibility with Windows applications, you can use Winetricks, a helper script that simplifies the process of installing additional libraries and components. To install Winetricks, run:

sudo apt install winetricks

Once installed, you can use Winetricks to install various libraries, such as .NET Framework, DirectX, or Visual C++ runtimes, which may be required for specific applications. To launch Winetricks, run:

winetricks

From the Winetricks GUI, you can select and install the necessary components for your applications.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Wine. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the Wine on the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the Wine website.