Editing Wine (software)

{{Short description|Windows compatibility software}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox software
| title = Wine
| name = Wine
| logo = WINE-logo.svg
| logo alt = 
| screenshot = Winecfg in Wine 10.0 screenshot.webp
| caption = winecfg configures Wine
| author = Bob Amstadt, Eric Youngdale
| developer = Wine authors<ref>{{cite web
 | access-date = 1 November 2020
 | title = Wine source: wine-6.4: Authors
 | url = https://source.winehq.org/source/AUTHORS
 | website = source.winehq.org
 | archive-date = 13 May 2013
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130513113514/http://source.winehq.org/source/AUTHORS
 | url-status = live
 }}</ref><br />(1,755)
| released = {{Start date and age|1993|07|04|df=yes}}<!-- based on https://wiki.winehq.org/WineReleasePlan & the first Wine ChangeLog entry minus initial development time period (~4 days) -->
| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q188558|P348|P548=Q2804309}}
| latest release date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q188558|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}
| latest preview version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q188558|P348|P548=Q51930650}}
| latest preview date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q188558|P348|P548=Q51930650|P577}}
| repo = {{URL|https://gitlab.winehq.org/wine/wine}}
| programming language = [[C (programming language)|C]]
| operating system = * [[Linux]]<ref name="WINE-download">{{cite web
 | title      = Download - WineHQ Wiki
 | url      = https://wiki.winehq.org/Download
 | access-date      = 31 October 2018
 | archive-date      = 29 July 2022
 | archive-url      = https://web.archive.org/web/20220729092049/https://wiki.winehq.org/Download
 | url-status      = live
 }}</ref>
* [[FreeBSD]]<ref name="WINE-download"/>
* [[ReactOS]] (for Windows app and driver compatibility)
* [[macOS]] ([[OS X Mountain Lion|10.8]] – [[macOS Sequoia|15]]) (development)<ref name="WINE-download"/>
* [[Android (operating system)|Android]] (experimental)<ref name="dl.winehq.org">{{Cite web|url=https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/android/|title=Index of /Wine-builds/Android|access-date=21 January 2018|archive-date=23 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180123064018/https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/android/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Haiku (operating system)|Haiku]] (experimental)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theregister.com/2022/01/10/haiku_linux_wine/ | title=BeOS rebuild Haiku has a new feature that runs Windows apps }}</ref>
| platform = [[IA-32]], [[x86-64]], [[ARM architecture|ARM]]
| language = Multilingual
| genre = [[Compatibility layer]]
| license = [[GNU Lesser General Public License|LGPL 2.1 or later]]<ref>{{cite web
 | url          = https://wiki.winehq.org/Licensing
 | title        = Licensing - WineHQ Wiki
 | website      = WineHQ
 | access-date  = 10 January 2017
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20170110115248/https://wiki.winehq.org/Licensing
 | archive-date = 10 January 2017
 | url-status   = live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | url         = https://source.winehq.org/git/wine.git/blob_plain/HEAD:/LICENSE
 | title         = License
 | website         = WineHQ
 | access-date         = 10 January 2017
 | archive-date         = 16 November 2018
 | archive-url         = https://web.archive.org/web/20181116025354/https://source.winehq.org/git/wine.git/blob_plain/HEAD:/LICENSE
 | url-status         = live
 }}</ref>
| website = {{URL|https://www.winehq.org/|winehq.org}}
}}

'''Wine'''{{efn|Originally a [[recursive acronym]] for "Wine Is Not an [[Emulator]]"<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.winehq.org/about|title=WineHQ - About Wine|work=WineHQ|access-date=15 April 2017|language=en|archive-date=5 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705150241/https://www.winehq.org/about|url-status=live}}</ref>}} is a [[free and open-source]] [[compatibility layer]] to allow [[application software]] and [[computer game]]s developed for [[Microsoft Windows]] to run on [[Unix-like]] [[operating system]]s. Developers can [[compiler|compile]] Windows applications against WineLib to help [[Porting|port]] them to Unix-like systems. Wine is predominantly written using [[black-box testing]] [[reverse engineering]], to avoid [[copyright]] issues. No [[Binary translation|code emulation]] or [[virtualization]] occurs. Wine is primarily developed for Linux and [[macOS]].

In a 2007 survey by desktoplinux.com of 38,500 Linux desktop users, 31.5% of respondents reported using Wine to run Windows applications.<ref>{{cite web
 | title        = 2007 Desktop Linux Market survey
 | url          = http://www.desktoplinux.com/cgi-bin/survey/survey.cgi?view=archive&id=0813200712407
 | archive-url  = https://archive.today/20120524145331/http://www.desktoplinux.com/cgi-bin/survey/survey.cgi?view=archive&id=0813200712407
 | url-status   = dead
 | archive-date = 24 May 2012
 | date         = 21 August 2007
 | access-date   = 8 October 2007}}</ref> This plurality was larger than all [[x86 virtualization]] programs combined, and larger than the 27.9% who reported not running Windows applications.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS8454912761.html |title=Running Windows applications on Linux |work=2007 Desktop Linux Survey results |first=Steven J. |last=Vaughan-Nichols |date=22 August 2007 |publisher=DesktopLinux |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211142218/http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS8454912761.html |archive-date=11 February 2010}}</ref>

==History==
Bob Amstadt, the initial project leader, and Eric Youngdale started the Wine project in 1993 as a way to run Windows applications on [[Linux]]. It was inspired by two [[Sun Microsystems]] products, [[Wabi (software)|Wabi]] for the [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]] operating system, and the [[Public Windows Interface]],<ref>{{cite newsgroup
 |url          = https://groups.google.com/group/comp.windows.x.i386unix/browse_thread/thread/88fbd87c0ae2e48f/5003eb8ed33ae522
 |title        = Wine project status
 |first        = Bob
 |last         = Amstadt
 |newsgroup    = comp.windows.x.i386unix
 |date         = 29 September 1993
 |access-date  = 13 July 2008
 |archive-date = 5 January 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110105094738/http://groups.google.com/group/comp.windows.x.i386unix/browse_thread/thread/88fbd87c0ae2e48f/5003eb8ed33ae522
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> which was an attempt to get the [[Windows API]] fully reimplemented in the public domain as an [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]] standard but rejected due to pressure from [[Microsoft]] in 1996.<ref>{{cite web
 | url          = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CGN/is_1999_May_7/ai_54580586
 | archive-url  = https://archive.today/20120708074447/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CGN/is_1999_May_7/ai_54580586
 | url-status   = dead
 | archive-date = 8 July 2012
 | title        = Sun Uses ECMA as Path to ISO Java Standardization
 | publisher    = [[Computergram International]]
 | date         = 7 May 1999
 | access-date   = 13 July 2008}}</ref> Wine originally targeted [[16-bit computing#16-bit application|16-bit applications]] for [[Windows 3.x]], but  {{As of|2010|lc = on}} focuses on [[32-bit computing#Applications|32-bit]] and [[64-bit computing#64-bit applications|64-bit]] versions which have become the standard on newer operating systems. The project originated in discussions on [[Usenet]] in comp.os.linux in June 1993.<ref>{{cite newsgroup
 |title        = WABI available on Linux or not
 |author       = Byron A Jeff
 |date         = 25 August 1993
 |newsgroup    = comp.os.linux.misc
 |url          = https://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.linux.misc/msg/daa52d28ff44919f
 |access-date  = 21 September 2007
 |archive-date = 9 June 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130609014205/http://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.linux.misc/msg/daa52d28ff44919f
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> [[Alexandre Julliard]] has led the project since 1994.

The project has proven time-consuming and difficult for the developers, mostly because of incomplete and incorrect [[documentation]] of the Windows API. While Microsoft extensively documents most Win32 [[subroutine|functions]], some areas such as [[file format]]s and [[protocol (computing)|protocol]]s have no public, complete specification available from Microsoft. Windows also includes undocumented low-level functions, undocumented behavior and obscure [[software bug|bugs]] that Wine must duplicate precisely in order to allow some applications to work properly.<ref>{{cite interview
 |last         = Loli-Queru
 |first        = Eugenia
 |url          = http://www.osnews.com/story/227
 |title        = Interview with WINE's Alexandre Julliard
 |date         = 29 October 2001
 |work         = OSnews
 |access-date  = 30 June 2008
 |quote        = Usually we start from whatever documentation is available, implement a first version of the function, and then as we find problems with applications that call this function we fix the behavior until it is what the application expects, which is usually quite far from what the documentation states.
 |archive-date = 24 September 2008
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080924002312/http://www.osnews.com/story/227
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> Consequently, the Wine team has [[reverse engineering|reverse-engineered]] many function calls and file formats in such areas as [[thunk]]ing.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}}

The Wine project originally released Wine under the same [[MIT License]] as the X Window System, but owing to concern about [[proprietary software|proprietary]] versions of Wine not contributing their changes back to the core project,<ref>{{cite web
 | url      = https://winehq.org/pipermail/wine-devel/2002-February/003912.html
 | title      = Wine license change
 | first      = Jeremy
 | last      = White
 | date      = 6 February 2002
 | access-date      = 27 April 2010
 | archive-date      = 21 July 2011
 | archive-url      = https://web.archive.org/web/20110721161438/http://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-devel/2002-February/003912.html
 | url-status      = live
 }}</ref> work as of March 2002 has used the LGPL for its licensing.<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = https://winehq.org/pipermail/wine-devel/2002-February/004487.html
 |title        = License change vote results
 |author       = Alexandre Julliard
 |date         = 18 February 2002
 |access-date  = 27 April 2010
 |archive-date = 21 July 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110721161533/http://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-devel/2002-February/004487.html
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

Wine officially entered beta with version 0.9 on 25 October 2005.<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = https://winehq.org/news/2005102502
 | title        = Beta!
 | date        = 25 October 2005
 | access-date        = 9 December 2010
 | archive-date        = 27 June 2010
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20100627152434/http://www.winehq.org/news/2005102502
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref> Version 1.0 was released on 17 June 2008,<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = https://winehq.org/announce/1.0
 |title        = Announcement of version 1.0
 |publisher    = Wine HQ
 |date         = 17 June 2008
 |access-date  = 1 September 2008
 |archive-date = 1 February 2009
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090201110400/http://www.winehq.org/announce/1.0
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> after 15 years of development. Version 1.2 was released on 16 July 2010,<ref>{{cite web
 | url = https://winehq.org/news/2010071601
 | title = Release News
 | first = Alexandre
 | last = Julliard
 | date = 16 July 2010
 | access-date = 30 August 2013
 | archive-date = 10 February 2013
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130210095639/http://www.winehq.org/news/2010071601
 | url-status = live
 }}</ref> version 1.4 on 7 March 2012,<ref name="Wine 1.4 release">{{cite web
 | url        = https://winehq.org/announce/1.4
 | title        = Wine Announcement
 | access-date        = 7 March 2012
 | archive-date        = 9 March 2012
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20120309071137/http://www.winehq.org/announce/1.4
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref> version 1.6 on 18 July 2013,<ref name="wine1.6">{{cite web
 |url          = https://www.winehq.org/news/2013071801
 |title        = Wine 1.6 Released
 |date         = 18 July 2013
 |publisher    = WineHQ
 |access-date  = 18 July 2013
 |archive-date = 21 July 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130721154248/http://www.winehq.org/news/2013071801
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> version 1.8 on 19 December 2015<ref name="wine1.8">{{cite web
 |url          = https://www.winehq.org/news/2015121901
 |title        = Wine 1.8 Released
 |date         = 19 December 2015
 |publisher    = WineHQ
 |access-date  = 19 December 2015
 |archive-date = 22 December 2015
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20151222111846/https://www.winehq.org/news/2015121901
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> and version 9.0 on 16 January 2024.<ref name="wine9.0">{{cite web
 |url          = https://gitlab.winehq.org/wine/wine/-/releases/wine-9.0
 |title        = Wine 9.0
 |date         = 16 January 2024
 |publisher    = WineHQ
 |access-date  = 30 January 2024
 |archive-date = 27 January 2024
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20240127012950/https://gitlab.winehq.org/wine/wine/-/releases/wine-9.0
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> Development versions are released roughly every two weeks.

Wine-staging is an independently maintained set of aggressive [[Patch (Unix)|patches]] not deemed ready by WineHQ developers for merging into the Wine repository, but still considered useful by the wine-compholio [[Fork (software development)|fork]]. It mainly covers experimental functions and bug fixes. Since January 2017, patches in wine-staging begins to be actively merged into the WineHQ upstream as wine-compholio transferred the project to Alistair Leslie-Hughes, a key WineHQ developer. {{as of|2019}}, WineHQ also provides pre-built versions of wine-staging.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wine-Staging |url=https://wiki.winehq.org/Wine-Staging |website=WineHQ Wiki |access-date=22 April 2019 |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422224446/https://wiki.winehq.org/Wine-Staging |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Corporate sponsorship===
The main corporate sponsor of Wine is [[CodeWeavers]], which employs Julliard and many other Wine developers to work on Wine and on [[CrossOver (software)|CrossOver]], CodeWeavers' supported version of Wine. CrossOver includes some application-specific tweaks not considered suitable for the [[Upstream (software development)|upstream]] version, as well as some additional proprietary components.<ref>{{cite news
 |first        = Jeremy
 |last         = White
 |url          = https://codeweavers.com/support/forums/announce/?t=24;mhl=100155;msg=100155#msg100155
 |title        = Announcing CrossOver 10.0 and CrossOver Games 10.0, The Impersonator
 |publisher    = CodeWeavers
 |date         = 27 January 2011
 |access-date  = 28 January 2011
 |archive-date = 2 February 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110202214843/http://www.codeweavers.com/support/forums/announce/?t=24;mhl=100155;msg=100155#msg100155
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

Canadian software developer [[Corel]] for a time assisted the project, chiefly by employing Julliard and others to work on it. Corel had an interest in porting [[WordPerfect#WordPerfect for Windows|WordPerfect Office]], its [[Productivity software#Office suite|office suite]], to Linux (especially [[Corel Linux]]). Corel later cancelled all Linux-related projects after Microsoft made major investments in Corel, stopping their Wine effort.<ref>{{cite news|last=Vaughan-Nichols|first=Steven J.|date=25 February 2002|title=That's All Folks: Corel Leaves Open Source Behind|publisher=Linux.com|url=https://www.linux.com/news/thats-all-folks-corel-leaves-open-source-behind/|access-date=11 May 2021|archive-date=12 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512134450/https://www.linux.com/news/thats-all-folks-corel-leaves-open-source-behind/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other corporate sponsors include [[Google]], which hired CodeWeavers to fix Wine so [[Picasa]] ran well enough to be ported directly to Linux using the same binary as on Windows; Google later paid for improvements to Wine's support for [[Adobe Photoshop|Adobe Photoshop CS2]].<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = https://github.com/google/older-mirrored-patches/blob/master/Wine.md
 | title        = older-mirrored-patches/Wine.md at master - google/older-mirrored-patches
 | website = [[GitHub]]
 | access-date        = 9 February 2023
 | archive-date        = 9 February 2023
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20230209210024/https://github.com/google/older-mirrored-patches/blob/master/Wine.md
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref> Wine is also a regular beneficiary of Google's [[Summer of Code]] program.<ref>{{cite mailing list
 |last         = Kegel
 |first        = Dan
 |url          = http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.emulators.wine.devel/56872
 |title        = Google's support for Wine in 2007
 |date         = 14 February 2008
 |mailing-list = wine-devel
 |access-date  = 3 January 2009
 |archive-date = 6 January 2009
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090106202914/http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.emulators.wine.devel/56872
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

[[Valve Corporation|Valve]] works with [[CodeWeavers]] to develop [[Proton (software)|Proton]], a Wine-based [[compatibility layer]] for [[Microsoft Windows]] games to run on [[Linux]]-based operating systems. Proton includes several patches that upstream Wine does not accept for various reasons, such as Linux-specific implementations of Win32 functions.

==Design==
The goal of Wine is to implement the [[List of Microsoft Windows application programming interfaces and frameworks|Windows API]]s fully or partially that are required by programs that the users of Wine wish to run on top of a Unix-like system.

=== Basic architecture ===

The programming interface of Microsoft Windows consists largely of [[dynamic-link library|dynamic-link libraries]] (DLLs). These contain a huge number of wrapper sub-routines for the system calls of the kernel, the NTOS kernel-mode program (ntoskrnl.exe). A typical Windows program calls some Windows DLLs, which in turn calls user-mode gdi/user32 libraries, which in turn uses the kernel32.dll (win32 subsystem) responsible for dealing with the kernel through system calls. The system-call layer is considered private to Microsoft programmers as documentation is not publicly available, and published interfaces all rely on subsystems running on top of the kernel. Besides these, there are a number of programming interfaces implemented as services that run as separate processes. Applications communicate with user-mode services through RPCs.<ref name="archi">{{cite web |title=Wine Developer's Guide/Architecture Overview |url=https://wiki.winehq.org/Wine_Developer%27s_Guide/Architecture_Overview#Wine_Overview |website=WineHQ |access-date=22 April 2019 |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422232117/https://wiki.winehq.org/Wine_Developer%27s_Guide/Architecture_Overview#Wine_Overview |url-status=live }}</ref>

Wine implements the Windows [[application binary interface]] (ABI) entirely in [[user space]], rather than as a [[Loadable kernel module|kernel module]]. Wine mostly mirrors the hierarchy, with services normally provided by the kernel in Windows<ref>See the "[[Windows service]]" article</ref> instead provided by a [[daemon (computing)|daemon]] known as the wineserver, whose task is to implement basic Windows functionality, as well as integration with the [[X Window System]], and translation of [[Signal (IPC)|signals]] into native Windows exceptions. Although wineserver implements some aspects of the [[Architecture of Windows NT|Windows kernel]], it is not possible to use native Windows drivers with it, due to Wine's underlying architecture.<ref name="archi"/>

===Libraries and applications===
Wine allows for loading both Windows DLLs and Unix [[shared object]]s for its Windows programs. Its built-in implementation of the most basic [[Microsoft Windows library files|Windows DLLs]], namely [[NTDLL]], [[KERNEL32]], [[GDI32]], and [[USER32]], uses the shared object method because they must use functions in the host operating system as well. Higher-level libraries, such as WineD3D, are free to use the DLL format. In many cases users can choose to load a DLL from Windows instead of the one implemented by Wine. Doing so can provide functionalities not yet implemented by Wine, but may also cause malfunctions if it relies on something else not present in Wine.<ref name="archi"/>

Wine tracks its state of implementation through automated [[unit testing]] done at every git commit.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wine Status |url=https://wiki.winehq.org/Wine_Status |website=WineHQ |access-date=22 April 2019 |archive-date=22 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422232105/https://wiki.winehq.org/Wine_Status |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Graphics and gaming===
While most office software does not make use of complex GPU-accelerated graphics APIs, computer games do. To run these games properly, Wine would have to forward the drawing instructions to the host OS, and even translate them to something the host can understand.

[[DirectX]] is a collection of Microsoft APIs for rendering, audio and input. As of 2019, Wine 4.0 contains a DirectX 12 implementation for [[Vulkan API]], and DirectX 11.2 for OpenGL.<ref name="wine-40">{{cite web |title=Wine 4.0 |url=https://www.winehq.org/announce/4.0 |website=WineHQ |language=en |access-date=22 April 2019 |archive-date=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403162302/https://www.winehq.org/announce/4.0 |url-status=live }}</ref> Direct2D support has been updated to Direct2D 1.2.<ref name="wine-40"/> Wine 4.0 also allows Wine to run Vulkan applications by handing draw commands to the host OS, or in the case of macOS, by translating them into the [[Metal API]] by [[MoltenVK]].<ref name="wine-40"/>

; XAudio
:{{As of|2019|02}}, Wine 4.3 uses the [[FAudio]] library (and Wine 4.13 included a fix for it) to implement the [[XAudio2]] audio API (and more<!--"This is FAudio, an XAudio reimplementation that focuses solely on developing fully accurate DirectX Audio runtime libraries for the FNA project, including XAudio2, X3DAudio, XAPO, and XACT3."-->).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Wine-Lands-FAudio-XAudio2 |title=FAudio Lands in Wine For New XAudio2 Re-Implementation |publisher=Phoronix |date=25 February 2019 |access-date=24 March 2019 |archive-date=1 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301222555/https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Wine-Lands-FAudio-XAudio2 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.winehq.org//announce/4.3 |title=WineHQ - Wine Announcement - The Wine development release 4.3 is now available. |access-date=24 March 2019 |archive-date=15 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190315020045/https://www.winehq.org/announce/4.3 |url-status=live }}</ref>
; XInput and Raw Input
: Wine, since 4.0 (2019), supports [[game controller]]s through its builtin implementations of these libraries. They are built as Unix shared objects as they need to access the controller interfaces of the underlying OS, specifically through [[Simple DirectMedia Layer|SDL]].<ref name="wine-40"/>

====Direct3D====
Much of Wine's DirectX effort goes into building WineD3D, a translation layer from Direct3D and [[DirectDraw]] API calls into [[OpenGL]]. As of 2019, this component supports up to DirectX 11.<ref name="wine-40"/> As of 12 December 2016, Wine is good enough to run ''[[Overwatch (video game)|Overwatch]]'' with D3D11.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Wine-Patches-Overwatch-Working |title=With Wine Git, You Can Run The D3D11 Blizzard Overwatch Game on Linux |publisher=Phoronix |date=12 December 2016 |access-date=17 December 2016 |archive-date=15 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215120551/http://phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Wine-Patches-Overwatch-Working |url-status=live }}</ref> Besides being used in Wine, WineD3D DLLs have also been used on Windows itself, allowing for older GPUs to run games using newer DirectX versions and for old DDraw-based games to render correctly.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dossena |first1=Federico |title=WineD3D For Windows |url=https://fdossena.com/?p=wined3d%2Findex.frag |website=Federico Dossena |access-date=22 April 2019 |archive-date=13 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190613212938/https://fdossena.com/?p=wined3d%2Findex.frag |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some work is ongoing to move the Direct3D backend to Vulkan API. Direct3D 12 support in 4.0 is provided by a "vkd3d" subproject,<ref name="wine-40"/> and WineD3D has in 2019 been experimentally ported to use the Vulkan API.<ref name="wine-46">{{cite web |title=Wine 4.6 |url=https://www.winehq.org//announce/4.6 |website=WineHQ |access-date=22 April 2019 |language=en |archive-date=13 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413105408/https://www.winehq.org/announce/4.6 |url-status=live }}</ref> Another implementation, [[DXVK]], translates Direct3D 8, 9, 10, and 11 calls using Vulkan as well and is a separate project.<ref>{{Citation|last=Rebohle|first=Philip|title=doitsujin/dxvk|date=4 May 2021|url=https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk|access-date=4 May 2021|archive-date=26 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526133505/https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk|url-status=live}}</ref>

Wine, when patched, can alternatively run Direct3D 9 API commands directly via a [[Free and open-source software|free and open-source]] [[Gallium3D]] State Tracker (aka Gallium3D GPU driver) without translation into OpenGL API calls. In this case, the Gallium3D layer allows a direct pass-through of DX9 drawing commands which results in performance improvements of up to a factor of 2.<ref name="d3d9">{{cite web |url=https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/mesa-dev/2013-July/041900.html |title=Direct3D 9 Gallium3D State Tracker |author=Christoph Bumiller |date=16 July 2013 |quote=there are a couple of differences to d3d1x: ''[...]'' it's written in C instead of C++ and not relying on horrific multiple inheritance with ''[...]'' So far I've tried Skyrim, Civilization 5, Anno 1404 and StarCraft 2 on the nvc0 and r600g drivers, which work pretty well, at up to x2 the fps I get with wined3d (Note: no thorough benchmarking done yet). |access-date=10 January 2021 |archive-date=27 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127092353/https://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/mesa-dev/2013-July/041900.html |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2020, the project is named Gallium.Nine. It is available now as a separate standalone package and no longer needs a patched Wine version.<ref name="Gallium.Nine">{{cite web |title=Gallium Nine Standalone |url=https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone |website=github |access-date=3 December 2020 |language=en |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112032739/https://github.com/iXit/wine-nine-standalone |url-status=live }}</ref>

==User interface==
Wine is usually invoked from the command-line interpreter: <code>wine program.exe</code>.<ref name=man_wine>{{cite web |url=https://www.winehq.org/docs/wine |title=Wine |website=WineHQ |access-date=29 April 2017 |archive-date=22 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122164315/https://www.winehq.org/docs/wine |url-status=live }}</ref>

===winecfg===
[[File:Winecfg in Wine 10.0 applications screenshot.png|thumb|A screenshot showing how Wine can be configured to mimic different versions of Windows, going as far back as Windows 2.0 in the 32-bit version (64-bit Wine supports only 64-bit versions of Windows)]]

There is the utility <code>winecfg</code> that starts a graphical user interface with controls for adjusting basic options.<ref name=linuxconfig>{{cite news |url=https://linuxconfig.org/configuring-wine-with-winecfg |title=Configuring WINE with Winecfg |author=Nick Congleton |date=26 October 2016 |newspaper=Linux Tutorials - Learn Linux Configuration |access-date=29 April 2017 |archive-date=7 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407081224/https://linuxconfig.org/configuring-wine-with-winecfg |url-status=live }}</ref> It is a GUI configuration utility included with Wine. Winecfg makes configuring Wine easier by making it unnecessary to edit the registry directly, although, if needed, this can be done with the included registry editor (similar to Windows ''[[regedit]]'').

===Third-party applications===
[[File:PlayOnLinux-Screenshot.png|thumb|right|[[PlayOnLinux]] ]]

Some applications require more tweaking than simply installing the application in order to work properly, such as manually configuring Wine to use certain [[Dynamic-link library|Windows DLLs]]. The Wine project does not integrate such [[workaround]]s into the Wine codebase, instead preferring to focus solely on improving Wine's implementation of the [[Windows API]]. While this approach focuses Wine development on long-term compatibility, it makes it difficult for users to run applications that require workarounds. Consequently, many third-party applications have been created to ease the use of those applications that do not work ''[[Out of the box (feature)|out of the box]]'' within Wine itself. The Wine wiki maintains a page of current and obsolete third-party applications.<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = https://wiki.winehq.org/ThirdPartyApplications
 | title        = Third Party Applications
 | publisher        = Official Wine Wiki
 | access-date        = 3 January 2009
 | archive-date        = 20 December 2008
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20081220084905/http://wiki.winehq.org/ThirdPartyApplications
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref>
* ''Winetricks'' is a [[scripting language|script]] to install some basic components (typically Microsoft DLLs and fonts) and tweak settings required for some applications to run correctly under Wine.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/2025909/gaming-on-linux-a-guide-for-sane-people-with-limited-patience.html |title=Gaming on Linux: A guide for sane people with limited patience |magazine=[[PCWorld]] |access-date=11 January 2015 |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506202048/https://www.pcworld.com/article/2025909/gaming-on-linux-a-guide-for-sane-people-with-limited-patience.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It can fully automate the install of a number of applications and games, including applying any needed workarounds. Winetricks has a [[Graphical user interface|GUI]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wiki.winehq.org/winetricks |title=winetricks - The Official Wine Wiki |author=VitalyLipatov |date=30 March 2011 |access-date=2 August 2011 |archive-date=31 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110731165018/http://wiki.winehq.org/winetricks |url-status=live }}</ref> The Wine project will accept bug reports for users of Winetricks, unlike most third-party applications. It is maintained by Wine developer Austin English.<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = https://wiki.winehq.org/winetricks
 | title        = winetricks
 | publisher        = Official Wine Wiki
 | access-date        = 3 January 2009
 | archive-date        = 15 May 2022
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20220515072527/https://wiki.winehq.org/Winetricks
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref>
* ''[[Q4Wine]]'' is an open GUI for advanced setup of Wine.
* ''[[Wine-Doors]]'' is an application management tool for the [[GNOME]] desktop which adds functionality to Wine. Wine-Doors is an alternative to WineTools which aims to improve upon WineTools' features and extend on the original idea with a more modern design approach.<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = http://winedoors.sourceforge.net/
 | title        = Wine doors
 | publisher        = Wine doors
 | access-date        = 27 April 2010
 | archive-date        = 22 August 2011
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20110822122957/http://winedoors.sourceforge.net/
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref>
* ''[[IEs4Linux]]'' is a utility to install all versions of Internet Explorer, including versions 4 to 6 and version 7 (in beta).<ref>{{cite web
 | url         = http://www.tatanka.com.br/
 | title       = IEs4Linux
 | publisher   = Tatanka.com.br
 | access-date  = 27 April 2010
 | url-status  = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20080820055126/http://www.tatanka.com.br/
 | archive-date = 20 August 2008}}</ref>
* ''Wineskin'' is a utility to manage Wine engine versions and create wrappers for [[macOS]].<ref>{{cite web
 | url   = http://wineskin.urgesoftware.com/
 | title   = Wineskin
 | access-date   = 7 November 2012
 | archive-date   = 6 November 2020
 | archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20201106194320/http://wineskin.urgesoftware.com/
 | url-status   = dead
 }}</ref>
* ''[[PlayOnLinux]]'' is an application to ease the installation of Windows applications (primarily games). There is also a corresponding Macintosh version called ''[[PlayOnMac]]''.
* ''[[Lutris]]'' is an open-source application to install Windows games on Linux.<ref>{{cite web
 | url   = https://lutris.net/
 | title   = Lutris
 | access-date   = 3 May 2019
 | archive-date   = 2 May 2019
 | archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20190502232205/https://lutris.net/
 | url-status   = live
 }}</ref>
* ''[[Bordeaux (software)|Bordeaux]]'' is a proprietary Wine GUI configuration manager that runs winelib applications. It also supports installation of third-party utilities, installation of applications and games, and the ability to use custom configurations. ''Bordeaux'' currently runs on Linux, FreeBSD, PC-BSD, Solaris, OpenSolaris, [[OpenIndiana]],<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = http://openindiana.org/pipermail/openindiana-discuss/2010-October/thread.html#544
 | title        = OpenIndiana Bordeaux announcement
 | publisher        = OpenIndiana-announce mailing list
 | access-date        = 1 October 2010
 | archive-date        = 15 October 2010
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20101015040052/http://openindiana.org/pipermail/openindiana-discuss/2010-October/thread.html#544
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | url         = http://www.bordeauxgroup.com/press-release/bordeaux-openindiana
 | title       = Bordeaux group press release
 | publisher   = Bordeaux group site
 | access-date  = 1 October 2010
 | url-status  = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20101007205027/http://www.bordeauxgroup.com/press-release/bordeaux-openindiana
 | archive-date = 7 October 2010}}</ref> and macOS computers.
* ''Bottles'' is an open-source graphical Wine prefix and runners manager for Wine based on [[GTK|GTK4]]+[[Adwaita (design language)|Libadwaita]]. It provides a repository-based dependency installation system and bottle versioning to restore a previous state.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bottles |url=https://linux.softpedia.com/get/System/Installer-Setup/Bottles-104112.shtml |last=Ciobica |first=Vladimir |website=[[Softpedia]]|date=15 January 2025 }}</ref>
* ''WineGUI'' is a free and open-source graphical interface to manage Wine. It allows a user to create Wine bottles and install Windows applications or games.<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = https://winegui.melroy.org/
 | title        = WineGUI
 | publisher        = WineGUI
 | access-date        = 17 June 2022
 | archive-date        = 20 February 2023
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20230220142754/https://gitlab.melroy.org/melroy/winegui
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref>

==Functionality==
[[File:History Of WineAppDB.gif|thumb|300px|App compatibility progress over time, according to Wine AppDB test results.<br />
{{Legend|#ececec|Software works flawlessly}}
{{Legend|#fff600|Software works flawlessly after configuration}}
{{Legend|#c0c0c0|Minor problems with the software}}
{{Legend|#fcba0a|Major problems with the software}}
{{Legend|#999966|Completely non-functional software}}]]
[[File:WineHQ ratings.svg|thumb|300px|WineHQ application ratings over the time.]]
The developers of the [[Direct3D]] portions of Wine have continued to implement new features such as [[pixel shaders]] to increase game support.<ref>{{cite web
 | url          = https://wiki.winehq.org/DirectX-Shaders
 | title        = DirectX-Shaders
 | publisher    = Official Wine Wiki
 | access-date   = 3 January 2009
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090101022401/http://wiki.winehq.org/DirectX-Shaders
 | archive-date = 1 January 2009
 | url-status   = dead}}</ref> Wine can also use native DLLs directly, thus increasing functionality, but then a license for Windows is needed unless the DLLs were distributed with the application itself.

Wine also includes its own open-source implementations of several Windows programs, such as ''[[Microsoft Notepad|Notepad]]'', ''[[WordPad]]'', ''[[Control Panel (Windows)|Control Panel]]'', ''[[Internet Explorer]]'', and ''[[Windows Explorer]]''.<ref name=list_of_commands>{{cite web |url=https://wiki.winehq.org/List_of_Commands |title=List of Commands |date=12 April 2016 |website=WineHQ |access-date=29 April 2017 |archive-date=17 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317010958/https://wiki.winehq.org/List_of_Commands |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Wine Application Database (AppDB) is a community-maintained on-line database about which Windows programs works with Wine and how well they work.

===Backward compatibility===
Wine ensures good [[backward compatibility]] with legacy Windows applications, including those written for [[Windows 3.1x]].<ref name="winelegacy">{{cite web
 | url        = http://media.codeweavers.com/pub/crossover/case_studies/WinLegacySupport.pdf
 | title        = Windows Legacy Application Support Under Wine
 | access-date        = 9 December 2010
 | archive-date        = 8 July 2011
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20110708174152/http://media.codeweavers.com/pub/crossover/case_studies/WinLegacySupport.pdf
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref> Wine can mimic different Windows versions required for some programs, going as far back as [[Windows 2.0]].<ref name="Wine Windows 2.0">{{cite news
 |url          = http://www.maximumpc.com/article/still_need_to_run_windows_apps_have_a_glass_of_wine
 |title        = Still need to run Windows apps? Have a glass of wine
 |first        = Robert
 |last         = Strohmeyer
 |newspaper    = Pcgamer
 |date         = 6 April 2007
 |access-date  = 9 December 2010
 |archive-date = 22 June 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110622002156/http://www.maximumpc.com/article/still_need_to_run_windows_apps_have_a_glass_of_wine
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> However, [[Windows 1.0x|Windows 1.x]] and Windows 2.x support was removed from Wine development version 1.3.12. If DOSBox is installed on the system{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}} (see below on [[#MS-DOS|MS-DOS]]), Wine development version 1.3.12 and later nevertheless show the "Windows 2.0" option for the Windows version to mimic, but Wine still will not run most Windows 2.0 programs because MS-DOS and Windows functions are not currently integrated.

Backward compatibility in Wine is generally superior to that of Windows, as newer versions of Windows can force users to upgrade legacy Windows applications, and may break unsupported software forever as there is nobody adjusting the program for the changes in the operating system. In many cases, Wine can offer better legacy support than newer versions of Windows with "Compatibility Mode". Wine can run [[16-bit computing|16-bit]] Windows programs ([[Windows API#Win16|Win16]]) on a 64-bit operating system, which uses an [[x86-64]] (64-bit) CPU,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.groovypost.com/howto/enable-16-bit-application-support-windows-10/|title=How to Enable 16-bit Application Support in Windows 10|last=Andre Da Costa|date=20 April 2016|website=groovyPost|language=en-US|access-date=9 April 2019|archive-date=20 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220142716/https://www.groovypost.com/howto/enable-16-bit-application-support-windows-10/|url-status=live}}</ref> a functionality not found in 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows.<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/896458
 | title        = 64-bit versions of Windows do not support 16-bit components, 16-bit processes, or 16-bit applications
 | access-date        = 22 August 2015
 | archive-date        = 26 May 2016
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20160526135209/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/896458
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | url      = http://windowsitpro.com/systems-management/why-cant-i-install-16-bit-programs-computer-running-64-bit-version-windows-xp
 | title      = Why can't I install 16-bit programs on a computer running the 64-bit version of Windows XP?
 | first      = John
 | last      = Savill
 | date      = 11 February 2002
 | access-date      = 9 December 2010
 | archive-date      = 4 March 2016
 | archive-url      = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083829/http://windowsitpro.com/systems-management/why-cant-i-install-16-bit-programs-computer-running-64-bit-version-windows-xp
 | url-status      = live
 }}</ref> [[WineVDM]] allows 16-bit Windows applications to run on 64-bit versions of Windows.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://github.com/otya128/winevdm| title = 16-bit Windows (Windows 1.x, 2.x, 3.0, 3.1, etc.) on 64-bit Windows.| website = [[GitHub]]| date = 27 October 2021| access-date = 25 September 2019| archive-date = 9 November 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201109015029/https://github.com/otya128/winevdm| url-status = live}} On GitHub.</ref>

Wine partially supports Windows [[console application]]s, and the user can choose which backend to use to manage the console (choices include raw streams, [[curses (programming library)|curses]], and [[Windows USER|user32]]).<ref>{{cite web | url = https://wiki.winehq.org/Wine_User%27s_Guide#Text_mode_programs_.28CUI:_Console_User_Interface.29 | title = Text mode programs (CUI: Console User Interface) | work = Wine User's Guide | access-date = 9 February 2023 | archive-date = 14 February 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230214014239/https://wiki.winehq.org/Wine_User%27s_Guide#Text_mode_programs_.28CUI:_Console_User_Interface.29 | url-status = live }}</ref> When using the raw streams or curses backends, Windows applications will run in a Unix terminal.

===64-bit applications===
Preliminary support for [[64-bit computing|64-bit]] Windows applications was added to Wine 1.1.10, in December 2008.<ref>{{cite mailing list
 |first        = Maarten
 |last         = Lankhorst
 |url          = https://winehq.org/pipermail/wine-devel/2008-December/070941.html
 |title        = Wine64 hello world app runs!
 |date         = 5 December 2008
 |mailing-list = wine-devel
 |access-date  = 15 December 2008
 |archive-date = 21 March 2022
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20220321202532/https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-devel/2008-December/070941.html
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> {{As of|2019|04}}, the support is considered stable. The two versions of Wine are built separately, and as a result only building wine64 produces an environment only capable of running x86-64 applications.<ref name="Build">{{cite web |title=Building Wine |url=https://wiki.winehq.org/Building_Wine |website=WineHQ |access-date=23 April 2019 |archive-date=27 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220727202220/https://wiki.winehq.org/Building_Wine |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{As of|2019|04}}, Wine has stable support for a [[WoW64]] build, which allows both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows applications to run inside the same Wine instance. To perform such a build, one must first build the 64-bit version, and then build the 32-bit version referencing the 64-bit version. Just like Microsoft's WoW64, the 32-bit build process will add parts necessary for handling 32-bit programs to the 64-bit build.<ref name="Build"/> This functionality is seen from at least 2010.<ref>{{cite web
 | url          = https://wiki.winehq.org/Wine64ForPackagers
 | title        = Wine64 for packagers
 | publisher    = Official Wine Wiki
 | access-date   = 20 April 2010
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100425050000/http://wiki.winehq.org/Wine64ForPackagers
 | archive-date = 25 April 2010
 | url-status   = dead}}</ref>

===MS-DOS===
Early versions of Microsoft Windows run on top of [[MS-DOS]], and Windows programs may depend on MS-DOS programs to be usable. Wine does not have good support for MS-DOS, but starting with development version 1.3.12, Wine tries running MS-DOS programs in [[DOSBox]] if DOSBox is available on the system.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://winehq.org/pipermail/wine-users/2011-March/087629.html |title=[Wine&#93; Re: Wine sometime really surprise me |date=11 March 2011 |access-date=15 February 2013 |archive-date=24 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324150458/http://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-users/2011-March/087629.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, due to a bug, current versions{{Update inline|reason=This is sourced to a bug report from 2013, which versions exhibited this bug and has it been fixed?|date=April 2021}} of Wine incorrectly identify Windows 1.x and Windows 2.x programs as MS-DOS programs, attempting to run them in DOSBox (which does not work).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=26715 |title=WineHQ Bugzilla – Bug 26715 – Win1.0 executable triggers Dosbox |access-date=15 February 2013 |archive-date=4 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904034613/https://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=26715 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Winelib===
Wine provides Winelib, which allows its shared-object implementations of the Windows API to be used as actual libraries for a Unix program. This allows for Windows code to be built into native Unix executables. Since October 2010, Winelib also works on the [[ARM architecture|ARM]] platform.<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = https://winehq.org/announce/1.3.4
 | title        = The Wine development release 1.3.4 announcement
 | publisher        = Winehq.org
 | access-date        = 15 October 2010
 | archive-date        = 4 October 2010
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20101004023254/http://www.winehq.org/announce/1.3.4
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref>

===Non-x86 architectures===
Support for Solaris [[SPARC]] was dropped in version 1.5.26.

====ARM, Windows CE, and Windows RT====
Wine provides some support for [[ARM architecture|ARM]] (as well as ARM64/AArch64) processors and the Windows flavors that run on it. {{As of|2019|04}}, Wine can run ARM/Win32 applications intended for unlocked [[Windows RT]] devices (but not Windows RT programs). [[Windows CE]] support (either x86 or ARM) is missing,<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = https://wiki.winehq.org/ARM
 | title        = ARM support
 | publisher        = The Official Wine Wiki
 | access-date        = 22 April 2019
 | archive-date        = 17 April 2019
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20190417084608/https://wiki.winehq.org/ARM
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref> but an unofficial, [[Software release life cycle|pre-alpha]] proof-of-concept version called WineCE allows for some support.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dawncrow.de/wine/winece.html|title=Wine wrappers and more|access-date=6 July 2016|archive-date=29 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629205920/http://dawncrow.de/wine/winece.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Wine for Android====
[[File:Wine-solitaire-on-android.jpg|thumb|right|WINE [[Klondike (solitaire)|Solitaire]] running on Android]]

On 3 February 2013 at the FOSDEM talk in Brussels, [[Alexandre Julliard]] demonstrated an early demo of Wine running on Google's [[Android (operating system)|Android]] operating system.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTI5MjA |title=Wine on Android Is Coming For Running Windows Apps |website=Phoronix |date=3 February 2013 |access-date=30 August 2013 |archive-date=28 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828055759/http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTI5MjA |url-status=live }}</ref>

Experimental builds of WINE for Android (x86 and ARM) were released in late 2017. It has been routinely updated by the official developers ever since.<ref name="dl.winehq.org" /> The default builds do not implement cross-architecture emulation via [[QEMU]], and as a result ARM versions will only run ARM applications that use the Win32 API.<ref>{{cite web |title=Android |url=https://wiki.winehq.org/Android |website=WineHQ |access-date=23 April 2019 |archive-date=23 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423175854/https://wiki.winehq.org/Android |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Microsoft applications===
Wine, by default, uses specialized Windows builds of [[Gecko (software)|Gecko]] and [[Mono (software)|Mono]] to substitute for Microsoft's [[Internet Explorer]] and [[.NET Framework]]. Wine has built-in implementations of [[JScript]] and [[VBScript]]. It is possible to download and run Microsoft's installers for those programs through winetricks or manually.

Wine is not known to have good support for most versions of Internet Explorer (IE). Of all the reasonably recent versions, Internet Explorer 8 for Windows XP is the only version that reports a usable rating on Wine's AppDB, out-of-the-box.<ref>{{cite web |title=Internet Explorer |url=https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=25 |website=WineHQ AppDB |access-date=23 April 2019 |archive-date=13 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413195444/https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=25 |url-status=live }}</ref> However [[Google Chrome]] gets a gold rating (as of Wine 5.5-staging),<ref>{{cite web |title=Google Chrome |url=https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=8177 |website=WineHQ AppDB |access-date=9 September 2020 |archive-date=13 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200913172130/https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=8177 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Microsoft's IE replacement web browser Edge, is known to be based on that browser (after switching from Microsoft's own rendering engine<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chromium browsers are black - WineHQ Forums|url=https://forum.winehq.org/viewtopic.php?t=33455&p=126413|access-date=9 September 2020|website=forum.winehq.org|archive-date=15 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615171028/https://forum.winehq.org/viewtopic.php?t=33455&p=126413|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- with "winetricks -q dxvk vd=1280x1024" I see response "I got it working, thank you!", unclear if applies to Edge or only Chrome, as question was "When I tried to install Microsoft Edge on Chromium, it was completly back. I also tried Google Chrome"   https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=19516 -->). Winetricks offer auto-installation for Internet Explorer 6 through 8, so these versions can be reasonably expected to work with its built-in workarounds.

An alternative for installing Internet Explorer directly is to use the now-defunct [[IEs4Linux]]. It is not compatible with the latest versions of Wine,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-users/2012-June/261480.html |title=So far, I do not manage to install IES4Linux |date=22 June 2012 |access-date=15 January 2014 |archive-date=15 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140815155020/https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-users/2012-June/261480.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and the development of IEs4Linux is inactive.

==Other versions of Wine==
The core Wine development aims at a correct implementation of the Windows API as a whole and has sometimes lagged in some areas of compatibility with certain applications. Direct3D, for example, remained unimplemented until 1998,<ref>{{cite news
 | first       = Brian
 | last        = Vincent
 | url         = https://winehq.com/?issue=208
 | title       = WineConf 2004 Summary
 | date        = 3 February 2004
 | issue       = 208
 | work        = Wine Weekly News
 | publisher   = WineHQ.org
 | access-date  = 3 January 2009
 | url-status  = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20061231090654/http://www.winehq.com/?issue=208
 | archive-date = 31 December 2006}}</ref> although newer releases have had an increasingly complete implementation.<ref>{{cite web
 | url         = https://winehq.org/status/directx
 | title       = Wine Status – DirectX DLLs
 | publisher   = WineHQ.org
 | access-date  = 3 January 2009
 | url-status  = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20081226133323/http://www.winehq.org/status/directx
 | archive-date = 26 December 2008}}</ref>

===CrossOver===
{{Main|CrossOver (software)}}

CodeWeavers markets CrossOver specifically for running [[Microsoft Office]] and other major Windows applications, including some games. CodeWeavers employs [[Alexandre Julliard]] to work on Wine and contributes most of its code to the Wine project under the LGPL. CodeWeavers also released a new version called CrossOver Mac for Intel-based [[Macintosh|Apple Macintosh]] computers on 10 January 2007.<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = http://tech.slashdot.org/story/07/01/10/1924235/codeweavers-releases-crossover-6-for-mac-and-linux
 | title        = CodeWeavers Releases CrossOver 6 for Mac and Linux
 | date = 10 January 2007
 | publisher        = Slashdot
 | access-date        = 3 January 2009
 | archive-date        = 10 August 2011
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20110810204855/http://tech.slashdot.org/story/07/01/10/1924235/CodeWeavers-Releases-CrossOver-6-for-Mac-and-Linux
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref> Unlike upstream wine, CrossOver is notably able to run on the x64-only versions of macOS,<ref>{{cite web|title=So We Don't Have a Solution for Catalina...Yet|last=Schmid|first=Jana|url=https://www.codeweavers.com/blog/jschmid/2019/9/10/so-we-dont-have-a-solution-for-catalinayet|website=CodeWeavers|language=en|access-date=9 February 2023|archive-date=29 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929085817/https://www.codeweavers.com/blog/jschmid/2019/9/10/so-we-dont-have-a-solution-for-catalinayet|url-status=live}}</ref> using a technique known as "wine32on64".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thomases |first1=Ken |title=win32 on macOS |url=https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-devel/2019-December/156602.html |date=11 December 2019 |access-date=9 February 2023 |archive-date=11 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111190220/https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-devel/2019-December/156602.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

As of 2012, CrossOver includes the functionality of both the CrossOver Games and CrossOver Pro lines therefore CrossOver Games and CrossOver Pro are no longer available as single products.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://codeweavers.com/products/faq/change_log/ |title=CrossOver – Change Log – CodeWeavers |access-date=9 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819183838/http://www.codeweavers.com/products/faq/change_log/ |archive-date=19 August 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

CrossOver Games was optimized for running Windows [[video game]]s. Unlike CrossOver, it didn't focus on providing the most stable version of Wine. Instead, experimental features are provided to support newer games.<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = https://codeweavers.com/products/cxgames/
 |title        = CrossOver Games site
 |publisher    = CodeWeavers
 |date         = 6 January 1990
 |access-date  = 27 April 2010
 |archive-date = 27 April 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100427075209/http://www.codeweavers.com/products/cxgames/
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

===Proton===
{{Main|Proton (software)}}

On 21 August 2018, [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] announced a new variation of Wine, named Proton, designed to integrate with the Linux version of the company's [[Steam (service)|Steam]] software (including Steam installations built into their Linux-based [[SteamOS]] operating system and [[Steam Machine (hardware platform)|Steam Machine]] computers).<ref name="proton_announcement">{{cite web |title=Steam for Linux :: Introducing a new version of Steam Play |date=21 August 2018 |url=https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 |publisher=Valve |access-date=22 August 2018 |archive-date=22 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822162847/https://steamcommunity.com/games/221410/announcements/detail/1696055855739350561 |url-status=live }}</ref> Valve's goal for Proton is to enable Steam users on Linux to play games which lack a native Linux port (particularly back-catalog games), and ultimately, through integration with Steam as well as improvements to game support relative to mainline Wine, to give users "the same simple plug-and-play experience" that they would get if they were playing the game natively on Linux.<ref name="proton_announcement"/> Proton entered public beta immediately upon being announced.<ref name="proton_announcement"/>

Valve had already been collaborating with CodeWeavers since 2016 to develop improvements to Wine's gaming performance, some of which have been merged to the upstream Wine project.<ref name="proton_announcement"/> Some of the specific improvements incorporated into Proton include [[Vulkan (API)|Vulkan]]-based Direct3D 9, 10, 11, and 12 implementations via [[Direct3D#Wrappers|vkd3d]],<ref>{{cite web |title=vkd3d.git project summary |url=https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ |publisher=WineHQ Git |access-date=22 August 2018 |archive-date=2 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402174831/https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[DXVK]],<ref>{{cite web |title=DXVK GitHub repository |url=https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk |publisher=GitHub |access-date=22 August 2018 |archive-date=26 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526133505/https://github.com/doitsujin/dxvk |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Direct3D#Wrappers|D9VK]]<ref>{{cite web |title=D9VK GitHub repository |url=https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk |publisher=GitHub |access-date=6 October 2019 |archive-date=2 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302052040/https://github.com/Joshua-Ashton/d9vk |url-status=live }}</ref> multi-threaded performance improvements via esync,<ref>{{cite web |title=GitHub: README for esync |url=https://github.com/zfigura/wine/blob/esync/README.esync |publisher=GitHub |access-date=22 August 2018 |archive-date=19 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919104439/https://github.com/zfigura/wine/blob/esync/README.esync |url-status=live }}</ref> improved handling of fullscreen games, and better automatic game controller hardware support.<ref name="proton_announcement"/>

Proton is fully open-source and available via GitHub.<ref>{{cite web |title=Proton GitHub repository |url=https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/ |publisher=GitHub |access-date=22 August 2018 |archive-date=22 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822071640/https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===WINE@Etersoft===
{{Main|WINE@Etersoft}}
The [[Russia]]n company Etersoft has been developing a proprietary version of Wine since 2006. WINE@Etersoft supports popular Russian applications (for example, [[1C:Enterprise]] by [[1C Company]]).<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.pcweek.ru/infrastructure/article/detail.php?ID=72021
 |title        = WINE@Etersoft – Russian proprietary fork of Wine
 |publisher    = Pcweek.ru
 |date         = 21 April 2010
 |access-date  = 27 April 2010
 |language     = ru
 |archive-date = 2 December 2014
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20141202051204/http://www.pcweek.ru/infrastructure/article/detail.php?ID=72021
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref>

===Other projects using Wine source code===
Other projects using Wine source code include:
* [[OTVDM]],<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://github.com/otya128/winevdm|title = Winevdm on 64-bit Windows|website = [[GitHub]]|date = 27 October 2021|access-date = 25 September 2019|archive-date = 9 November 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201109015029/https://github.com/otya128/winevdm|url-status = live}}</ref> a 16-bit app compatibility layer for 64-bit Windows.
* [[ReactOS]], a project to write an operating system compatible with [[Windows NT]] versions 5.x and up (which includes [[Windows 2000]] and its successors) down to the [[device driver]] level. ReactOS uses Wine source code considerably; however due to architectural differences with ReactOS its code is not generally reused in Wine, such as in the case of ReactOS specific DLLs, such as ntdll, user32, kernel32, gdi32, and advapi.<ref>{{cite web
 | url         = http://www.reactos.org/en/dev_faq.html
 | title       = Developer FAQ
 | publisher   = ReactOS
 | access-date  = 25 May 2009
 | url-status  = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20081113104906/http://www.reactos.org/en/dev_faq.html
 | archive-date = 13 November 2008}}</ref> In July 2009, Aleksey Bragin, the ReactOS project lead, started<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.mail-archive.com/ros-diffs@reactos.org/msg01658.html
 |title        = Creation of Arwinss branch
 |publisher    = Mail-archive.com
 |date         = 17 July 2009
 |access-date  = 27 April 2010
 |archive-date = 9 June 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110609190816/http://www.mail-archive.com/ros-diffs@reactos.org/msg01658.html
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> a new ReactOS branch called [[ReactOS|Arwinss]],<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = https://reactos.org/wiki/Arwinss
 |title        = Arwinss at ReactOS wiki
 |publisher    = Reactos.org
 |date         = 20 February 2010
 |access-date  = 27 April 2010
 |archive-date = 23 April 2011
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110423060806/http://www.reactos.org/wiki/Arwinss
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> and it was officially announced in January 2010.<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = https://reactos.org/archives/public/ros-dev/2010-January/012709.html
 | title        = Arwinss presentation
 | publisher        = Reactos.org
 | access-date        = 27 April 2010
 | archive-date        = 7 July 2011
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20110707191806/http://www.reactos.org/archives/public/ros-dev/2010-January/012709.html
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref> Arwinss is an alternative implementation of the core Win32 components, and uses mostly unchanged versions of Wine's user32.dll and gdi32.dll.
* WineBottler,<ref name="winebottler">{{cite web |title=WineBottler {{!}} Run Windows-based Programs on a Mac |url=https://winebottler.kronenberg.org/ |access-date=6 July 2018 |archive-date=6 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706132520/https://winebottler.kronenberg.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> a wrapper around Wine in the form of a normal Mac application. It manages multiple Wine configurations for different programs in the form of "bottles."
* ''Wineskin'', an open source Wine GUI configuration manager for [[macOS]]. Wineskin creates a wrapper around Wine in the form of a normal Mac Application. The wrapper can also be used to make a distributable "port" of software.<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = http://wineskin.urgesoftware.com/tiki-index.php?page=FAQ
 | title        = Wineskin FAQ
 | publisher        = doh123
 | access-date        = 7 November 2012
 | archive-date        = 26 October 2012
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20121026100643/http://wineskin.urgesoftware.com/tiki-index.php?page=FAQ
 | url-status        = dead
 }}</ref>
* [[Odin (code conversion software)|Odin]], a project to run Win32 binaries on [[OS/2]] or convert them to OS/2 native format. The project also provides the Odin32 API to compile Win32 programs for OS/2.
* Virtualization products such as [[Parallels Desktop for Mac]] and [[VirtualBox]] use WineD3D to make use of the GPU.
* WinOnX, a commercial package of Wine for macOS that includes a GUI for adding and managing applications and virtual machines.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.winonx.com/| title = WinOnX - Windows On Mac OSX<!-- Bot generated title -->| access-date = 12 June 2021| archive-date = 2 June 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210602090729/http://www.winonx.com/| url-status = live}}</ref>
* WineD3D for Windows, a compatibility wrapper which emulates old Direct3D versions and features that were removed by Microsoft in recent Windows releases, using OpenGL. This sometimes gets older games working again.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dossena|first=Federico|title=WineD3D For Windows|url=https://fdossena.com/?p=wined3d%2Findex.frag|access-date=19 July 2020|website=Federico Dossena|archive-date=13 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190613212938/https://fdossena.com/?p=wined3d%2Findex.frag|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Apple Game Porting Toolkit, a suite of software introduced at Apple's [[Worldwide Developers Conference|Worldwide Developer Conference]] in June 2023 to facilitate porting games from Windows to Mac.<ref>{{Citation |title=apple/homebrew-apple |date=2023-06-06 |url=https://github.com/apple/homebrew-apple/blob/033b5e49598c5ac52858470c4f4bbdea862de99a/Formula/game-porting-toolkit-compiler.rb |access-date=2023-06-06 |publisher=Apple}}</ref>

===Discontinued===
* [[Cedega (software)|Cedega / WineX]]: TransGaming Inc. (now [[Findev Inc.]] since the sale of its software businesses) produced the proprietary Cedega software. Formerly known as WineX, Cedega represented a [[fork (software)|fork]] from the last MIT-licensed version of Wine in 2002. Much like CrossOver Games, TransGaming's Cedega was targeted towards running Windows video games. On 7 January 2011, TransGaming Inc. announced continued development of Cedega Technology under the GameTree Developer Program. TransGaming Inc. allowed members to keep using their Cedega ID and password until 28 February 2011.<ref>{{cite web
 | url         = https://gametreelinux.com
 | title       = GameTree Developer Program
 | publisher   = gametreelinux.com
 | access-date  = 2 January 2011
 | url-status  = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110110171608/http://gametreelinux.com/
 | archive-date = 10 January 2011}}</ref>
* [[Cider (software)|Cider]]: TransGaming also produced Cider, a library for [[Apple–Intel architecture]] Macintoshes. Instead of being an end-user product, Cider (like Winelib) is a [[wrapper library|wrapper]] allowing developers to adapt their games to run natively on [[Intel Mac]] without any changes in source code.
* '''{{Anchor|Darwine}}Darwine''': a port of the Wine libraries to [[Darwin (operating system)|Darwin]] and Mac OS X for the PowerPC and [[X86|Intel x86]] (32-bit) architectures, created by the [[OpenDarwin]] team in 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Darwine seeks to port WINE to Darwin, OS X |url=https://www.macworld.com/article/169622/darwine.html |access-date=8 February 2023 |website=Macworld |language=en |archive-date=5 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105224416/https://www.macworld.com/article/169622/darwine.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Yager |first=Tom |date=16 February 2006 |title=Darwine baby steps toward Windows app execution on OS X |url=https://www.infoworld.com/article/2643756/darwine-baby-steps-toward-windows-app-execution-on-os-x.html |access-date=5 February 2023 |website=InfoWorld |language=en |archive-date=5 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105225920/https://www.infoworld.com/article/2643756/darwine-baby-steps-toward-windows-app-execution-on-os-x.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Its PowerPC version relied on QEMU.<ref name="Ogasawara2006">{{cite book |author=Todd Ogasawara |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tLbrw9naN4AC&pg=PA5 |title=Windows for Intel Macs |date=20 July 2006 |publisher=O'Reilly Media, Inc. |isbn=978-0-596-52840-9 |pages=5 |access-date=5 February 2023 |archive-date=20 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220142716/https://books.google.com/books?id=tLbrw9naN4AC&pg=PA5 |url-status=live }}</ref> Darwine was merged back into Wine in 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2 September 2009 |title=WINE for Intel-based Macs appears: Allows running of Windows programs |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/wine-for-intel-based-macs-appears-allows-running-of-windows-programs/ |access-date=8 February 2023 |website=CNET |language=en |archive-date=8 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208133410/https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/wine-for-intel-based-macs-appears-allows-running-of-windows-programs/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=macOS FAQ - WineHQ Wiki |url=https://wiki.winehq.org/MacOS_FAQ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129115936/https://wiki.winehq.org/MacOS_FAQ |archive-date=29 January 2023 |access-date=5 February 2023 |website=Wine FAQ}}</ref>
* '''E/OS LX''': a project attempting to allow any program designed for any operating system to be run without the need to actually install any other operating system.
* [[Pipelight]]: a custom version of Wine (wine-compholio) that acts as a [[wrapper library|wrapper]] for Windows [[NPAPI]] plugins within Linux browsers.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://fds-team.de/cms/articles/2013-08/pipelight-using-silverlight-in-linux-browsers.html | title=Pipelight: using Silverlight in Linux browsers | publisher=FDS-Team | access-date=4 April 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822084051/http://fds-team.de/cms/articles/2013-08/pipelight-using-silverlight-in-linux-browsers.html | archive-date=22 August 2013 | url-status=dead}}</ref> This tool permits Linux users to run [[Microsoft Silverlight]], the Microsoft equivalent of [[Adobe Flash]], and the [[Unity (game engine)|Unity web plugin]], along with a variety of other NPAPI plugins. The project provides an extensive set of patches against the upstream Wine project,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://github.com/compholio/wine-compholio-daily | title=wine-compholio-daily README | publisher=github | access-date=4 April 2014 | archive-date=20 February 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220142803/https://github.com/wine-compholio/wine-staging | url-status=live }}</ref> some of which were approved and added to upstream Wine. Pipelight is largely obsolete, as modern browsers no longer support NPAPI plugins and Silverlight has been deprecated by Microsoft.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.windows.com/msedgedev/2015/07/02/moving-to-html5-premium-media/|title=Moving to HTML5 Premium Media|last=Smith|first=Jerry|date=2 July 2015|website=Microsoft Edge Blog|access-date=10 February 2019|archive-date=23 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823210312/https://blogs.windows.com/msedgedev/2015/07/02/moving-to-html5-premium-media/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Reception==
The Wine project has received a number of technical and philosophical complaints and concerns over the years.

===Security===
Because of Wine's ability to run Windows binary code, concerns have been raised over native Windows viruses and malware affecting Unix-like operating systems<ref>{{cite newsgroup
 |url          = http://archive09.linux.com/feature/42031
 |title        = Running Windows viruses with Wine
 |author       = Matt Moen
 |date         = 26 January 2005
 |access-date  = 23 October 2009
 |archive-date = 7 January 2013
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130107055305/http://archive09.linux.com/feature/42031
 |url-status   = dead
}}</ref> as Wine can run limited  malware made for Windows. A 2018 security analysis found that 5 out of 30 malware samples were able to successfully run through Wine, a relatively low rate that nevertheless posed a security risk.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Duncan|first1=Rory|last2=Schreuders|first2=Z. Cliffe|date=1 March 2019|title=Security implications of running windows software on a Linux system using Wine: a malware analysis study|journal=Journal of Computer Virology and Hacking Techniques|language=en|volume=15|issue=1|pages=39–60|doi=10.1007/s11416-018-0319-9|issn=2263-8733|doi-access=free}}</ref> For this reason the developers of Wine recommend never running it as the [[superuser]].<ref>{{cite web
 | url          = https://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ?action=recall&rev=312#head-96bebfa287b4288974de0df23351f278b0d41014
 | title        = Should I run Wine as root?
 | work         = Wine Wiki FAQ
 | publisher    = Official Wine Wiki
 | date         = 7 August 2009
 | access-date   = 24 August 2009
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110621230323/http://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ?action=recall&rev=312#head-96bebfa287b4288974de0df23351f278b0d41014#head-96bebfa287b4288974de0df23351f278b0d41014
 | archive-date = 21 June 2011
 | url-status   = dead}}</ref> Malware research software such as [[ZeroWine]]<ref>{{cite web
 | url   = http://zerowine.sourceforge.net/
 | title   = ZeroWine project home page
 | access-date   = 11 December 2011
 | archive-date   = 5 November 2011
 | archive-url   = https://web.archive.org/web/20111105094451/http://zerowine.sourceforge.net/
 | url-status   = live
 }}</ref> runs Wine on Linux in a [[virtual machine]], to keep the malware completely isolated from the host system. An alternative to improve the security without the performance cost of using a virtual machine, is to run Wine in an [[LXC]] container, as [[Anbox]] software is doing by default with [[Android (operating system)|Android]].

Another security concern is when the implemented specifications are ill-designed and allow for security compromise. Because Wine implements these specifications, it will likely also implement any security vulnerabilities they contain. One instance of this problem was the 2006 [[Windows Metafile vulnerability]], which saw Wine implementing the vulnerable SETABORTPROC escape.<ref>{{cite web | title=Linux/BSD still exposed to WMF exploit through WINE! | website=[[ZDNet]] | url=http://www.zdnet.com/blog/ou/linuxbsd-still-exposed-to-wmf-exploit-through-wine/146 | date=5 January 2006 | access-date=16 October 2011 | archive-date=11 August 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811000606/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/ou/linuxbsd-still-exposed-to-wmf-exploit-through-wine/146 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=CVE-2006-0106 - gdi/driver.c and gdi/printdrv.c in Wine 20050930, and other versions, implement the SETABORTPROC GDI - CVE-Search |url=http://cve.circl.lu/cve/CVE-2006-0106 |access-date=9 July 2019 |archive-date=9 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709002903/http://cve.circl.lu/cve/CVE-2006-0106 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Wine vs. native Unix applications===
A common concern about Wine is that its existence means that vendors are less likely to write native Linux, macOS, and BSD applications. As an example of this, it is worth considering IBM's 1994 operating system, [[OS/2 Warp]].{{Original research inline|date=September 2020}} An article describes the weaknesses of OS/2 which killed it, the first one being:

{{blockquote|OS/2 offered excellent compatibility with DOS and Windows 3.1 applications. No, this is not an error. Many application vendors argued that by developing a DOS or Windows app, they would reach the OS/2 market in addition to DOS/Windows markets and they didn't develop native OS/2 applications.<ref>{{cite web
 | url         = http://pages.prodigy.net/michaln/history/os2warp/index.html
 | title       = OS/2 Warp history
 | author      = Michal Necasek
 | url-status  = dead
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100412042723/http://pages.prodigy.net/michaln/history/os2warp/index.html
 | archive-date = 12 April 2010}}</ref>}}

However, OS/2 had many problems with end user acceptance. Perhaps the most serious was that most computers sold already came with DOS and Windows, and many people didn't bother to evaluate OS/2 on its merits due to already having an operating system. "Bundling" of DOS and Windows and the chilling effect this had on the operating system market frequently came up in ''[[United States v. Microsoft Corp.|United States v. Microsoft Corporation]]''.

The Wine project itself responds to the specific complaint of "encouraging" the continued development for the Windows API on one of its [[wiki]] pages:
{{blockquote|For most people there remain a handful of programs locking them in to Windows. It's obvious there will never be a Microsoft Office ported to Linux, however older versions of programs like TurboTax won't be ported either. Similarly, there are tens of thousands of games and internal corporate applications which will never be ported. If you want to use Linux and rely on any legacy Windows application, something like Wine is essential... Wine makes Linux more useful and allows for millions of users to switch who couldn't otherwise. This greatly raises Linux marketshare, drawing more commercial and community developers to Linux.<ref>{{cite web
 | url          = https://wiki.winehq.org/Debunking_Wine_Myths#head-9af2c83644754ac9805dc929403ca0440c96c383
 | title        = Debunking Wine Myths
 | author       = Bernhard Rosenkraenzer
 | access-date  = 21 October 2016
 | archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20160111004546/http://wiki.winehq.org/Debunking_Wine_Myths#head-9af2c83644754ac9805dc929403ca0440c96c383#head-9af2c83644754ac9805dc929403ca0440c96c383
 | archive-date = 11 January 2016
 | url-status   = dead}}</ref>}}

Also, the Wine Wiki page claims that Wine can help break the [[Chicken or the egg|chicken-and-egg problem]] for [[Desktop Linux|Linux on the desktop]]:<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = https://wiki.winehq.org/ImportanceOfWine
 | title        = Why Wine is so important
 | access-date        = 11 December 2011
 | archive-date        = 22 December 2011
 | archive-url        = https://web.archive.org/web/20111222142220/http://wiki.winehq.org/ImportanceOfWine
 | url-status        = live
 }}</ref>
{{blockquote|This brings us to the chicken and egg issue of Linux on the desktop. Until Linux can provide equivalents for the above applications, its market share on the desktop will stagnate. But until the market share of Linux on the desktop rises, no vendor will develop applications for Linux. How does one break this vicious circle?
Again, Wine can provide an answer. By letting users reuse the Windows applications they have invested time and money in, Wine dramatically lowers the barrier that prevents users from switching to Linux. This then makes it possible for Linux to take off on the desktop, which increases its market share in that segment. In turn, this makes it viable for companies to produce Linux versions of their applications, and for new products to come out just for the Linux market.
This reasoning could be dismissed easily if Wine was only capable of running Solitaire. However, now it can run Microsoft Office, multimedia applications such as QuickTime and Windows Media Player, and even games such as Max Payne or Unreal Tournament 3. Almost any other complex application can be made to run well given a bit of time. And each time that work is done to add one application to this list, many other applications benefit from this work and become usable too.
Have a look at our Application Database to get an idea on what can be run under Wine.}}

The use of Wine for gaming has proved specifically controversial in the Linux community, as some feel it is preventing, or at least hindering, the further growth of native [[Linux gaming]] on the platform.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010511055620/http://www.gamespy.com/articles/may01/wine/ |archive-date=11 May 2001 |url-status=dead |title=Ports vs. Wine |website=[[GameSpy]] |first=James |last=Hills |url=http://www.gamespy.com/articles/may01/wine/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=linux_gaming_frank&num=3 |title=An Interview With A Linux Game Porter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701175921/http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=linux_gaming_frank&num=3 |archive-date=1 July 2016 |url-status=live |website=[[Phoronix]] |date=3 July 2009 |first=Michael |last=Larabel |author-link=Michael Larabel}}</ref> One quirk however is that Wine is now able to run [[16-bit]] and even certain [[32-bit]] applications and games that do not launch on current [[64-bit]] Windows versions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://vulcanhammer.info/2020/05/11/is-the-best-place-to-run-old-windows-software-on-linux-or-a-mac/|title=Is the Best Place to Run Old Windows Software... on Linux or a Mac?|website=Vulcan Hammer|first=Don|last=Warrington|date=11 May 2020|access-date=16 February 2023|archive-date=17 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217003013/https://vulcanhammer.info/2020/05/11/is-the-best-place-to-run-old-windows-software-on-linux-or-a-mac/|url-status=live}}</ref> This use-case has led to running Wine on Windows itself via [[Windows Subsystem for Linux]] or third-party [[virtual machines]],{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} as well as encapsulated by means such as BoxedWine<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.xda-developers.com/boxedwine-emulate-windows-applications-web-browsers/|title=Boxedwine can emulate Windows applications in web browsers|first=Corbin|last=Davenport|website=[[XDA Developers]]|date=3 October 2021|access-date=17 February 2023|archive-date=18 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218001730/https://www.xda-developers.com/boxedwine-emulate-windows-applications-web-browsers/|url-status=live}}</ref> and Otvdm.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/otvdm.html|title=Otvdm/winevdm: run old Windows software in 64-bit Windows|first=Edward|last=Mendelson|date=12 January 2023|website=[[Columbia University]]|access-date=17 February 2023|archive-date=9 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209051159/http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/otvdm.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Microsoft===
Until 2020, [[Microsoft]] had not made any public statements about Wine. However, the [[Windows Update]] online service will block updates to Microsoft applications running in Wine. On 16 February 2005, Ivan Leo Puoti discovered that Microsoft had started checking the [[Windows Registry]] for the Wine configuration key and would block the Windows Update for any component.<ref>{{cite mailing list
 |first        = Ivan Leo
 |last         = Puoti
 |url          = https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-devel/2005-February/033868.html
 |title        = Microsoft genuine downloads looking for Wine
 |date         = 18 February 2005
 |mailing-list = wine-devel
 |access-date  = 23 January 2006
 |archive-date = 7 April 2009
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20090407002920/http://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-devel/2005-February/033868.html
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref> As Puoti noted: "It's also the first time Microsoft acknowledges the existence of Wine."

In January 2020, Microsoft cited Wine as a positive consequence of being able to reimplement APIs, in its [[amicus curiae]] brief for ''[[Google LLC v. Oracle America, Inc.]]''<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tung|first=Liam|title=Wine for running Windows 10 apps on Linux gets big upgrade|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/wine-for-running-windows-10-apps-on-linux-gets-big-upgrade/|access-date=26 November 2020|website=ZDNet|language=en|archive-date=25 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025165041/https://www.zdnet.com/article/wine-for-running-windows-10-apps-on-linux-gets-big-upgrade/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In August 2024, Microsoft donated the [[Mono (software)|Mono Project]], a reimplementation of the [[.NET Framework]], to the developers of Wine.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Larabie |first=Michael |date=27 August 2024 |title=Microsoft Offloads The Mono Project To Wine |url=https://www.phoronix.com/news/Microsoft-Gives-Mono-To-Wine |access-date=28 August 2024 |website=[[Phoronix]]}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software|Linux}}
* [[Anbox]]
* [[Columbia Cycada]]
* [[Darling (software)]]
* [[Executor (software)]]
* [[List of free and open-source software packages]]
* [[Linux kernel API]]
* [[Mono (software)]]
* [[PlayOnLinux]]
* [[PlayOnMac]]
* [[ReactOS]]
* [[Windows Interface Source Environment]]
* [[Windows Subsystem for Linux]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* [http://interviews.slashdot.org/story/04/05/17/0057241/jeremy-whites-wine-answers Jeremy White's Wine Answers] – [[Slashdot]] interview with Jeremy White of [[CodeWeavers]]
* {{cite web|url=http://www.linuxtoday.com/developer/2004052500726INSWDV|title=Mad Penguin: An Interview with CodeWeavers Fouder[sic] Jeremy White|date=25 May 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007074029/http://www.linuxtoday.com/developer/2004052500726INSWDV|archive-date=7 October 2015|url-status=dead}}
* Appointment of the [[Software Freedom Law Center]] as legal counsel to represent the Wine project
* [http://www.kegel.com/wine/scale4.pdf Wine: Where it came from, how to use it, where it's going] – a work by Dan Kegel

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}

{{Unix–Windows interoperability}}

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[[Category:1993 software]]
[[Category:Compatibility layers]]
[[Category:Computing platforms]]
[[Category:Cross-platform software]]
[[Category:Free software programmed in C]]
[[Category:Free system software]]
[[Category:Linux APIs]]
[[Category:Linux emulation software]]
[[Category:Software using the GNU Lesser General Public License]]
[[Category:Wine (software)| ]]