Can I install non-Linux software in Linux?

Updated: 01/24/2018 by Computer Hope

Using non-Linux software on a Linux operating system requires an emulator, which essentially emulates the environment for another operating system, like Windows.

Windows emulator

Wine logo

Installing and using Windows-based software in Linux requires you to install a program called Wine. Wine creates an emulated, or virtual, Windows operating system environment in Linux, allowing Windows-based software to run.

There are different versions of Wine available, each with various types of support. Starting with Wine 1.1.10, 64-bit Windows software support was added. Later versions were released to allow for both 32-bit and 64-bit software to run in the same Wine instance. Before downloading and installing Wine, find out which version to use. You need to know the version of Linux you are using and the type of software (32-bit or 64-bit) you want to install with Wine.

Apple macOS emulator

Unfortunately, there is currently no emulator software available for Linux to install and run macOS software. Project "Darling" is an emulator that's still being developed and not ready to emulate all software. It may be a while before this, or another emulator, is ready for use with all macOS software.