How To Install WineHQ on Linux Mint 21

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install WineHQ on Linux Mint 21. For those of you who didn’t know, WineHQ, often referred to as simply “Wine,” is an open-source implementation of the Windows API on Unix-like operating systems, including Linux. It acts as a compatibility layer, translating Windows system calls into POSIX-compliant calls, allowing Windows applications to run natively on Linux without the need for a full Windows installation.

One of the primary benefits of using WineHQ is its ability to run a wide range of Windows applications on Linux, from productivity tools and games to specialized software. This eliminates the need for dual-booting or running a virtual machine, which can be resource-intensive and cumbersome.

WineHQ offers three main branches: Stable, Development, and Staging. The Stable branch is recommended for most users as it provides a reliable and tested experience. The Development branch includes the latest features and improvements but may be less stable. The Staging branch is a testing ground for experimental features and is primarily intended for developers and advanced users.

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 WineHQ on Linux Mint 21 (Vanessa).

Prerequisites

• A server running one of the following operating systems: Linux Mint 21.
• 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).
• 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 WineHQ on Linux Mint 21 Vanessa

Step 1. BIt’s always a good practice to keep your system up-to-date. Run the following commands to update your package lists and upgrade installed packages:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install software-properties-common apt-transport-https wget ca-certificates gnupg2

Step 2. Enable 32-bit Support.

Before the installation of WineHQ, you will need to enable support for 32-bit applications using the following command:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386

Step 3. Installing WineHQ on Linux Mint 21.

By default, WineHQ is not available on the Linux Mint 21 base repository. Now we add the WineHQ repository to your system using the following command:

echo deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/winehq.gpg] http://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ jammy main | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/winehq.list

Next, import the GPG key:

curl -s https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/winehq.key | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/winehq.gpg > /dev/null

Now start by updating the packages list and install WineHQ stable by using the command below:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install winehq-stable --install-recommends

Verify the installation succeeded:

wine --version

Step 3. Wine Configuration.

After successfully installing WineHQ, you may need to perform some additional configuration steps to ensure optimal performance and compatibility with your desired Windows applications.

• Running winecfg: The winecfg utility allows you to configure various settings for WineHQ, such as desktop integration, audio, and graphics. To launch the configuration tool, simply run the following command:

winecfg

• Setting Environment Variables: Depending on the Windows application you’re running, you may need to set specific environment variables. For example, if you’re running a game that requires DirectX, you may need to set the WINEPREFIX environment variable to a specific directory where Wine will store its configuration and application data.
• Managing Multiple Wine Versions: If you have multiple versions of WineHQ installed (e.g., Stable and Development), you can use the WINEPREFIX environment variable to specify which version of Wine should be used for a particular application. This allows you to run different applications with different Wine versions, ensuring compatibility and stability.

Step 4. Run Windows Apps Using Wine on Linux Mint

To start the Wine program, you must give the full path to the .exe program. For example, we will start the Notepad++ program through Wine:

wget https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/releases/download/v8.4.4/npp.8.4.4.Installer.exe

Use wine to install you’re downloaded .exe application:

wine npp.8.4.4.Installer.exe

Congratulations! You have successfully installed WineHQ. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the latest version of WineHQ on the Linux Mint system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official WineHQ website.