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Wine

Installing Wine on Debian 12 - Two Ways

Wine allows running Windows programs on Linux. Here are two ways to install Wine on Debian 12.

1. Installation via Standard Debian Package Sources

First update the system: 

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Then install Wine: 

sudo apt install wine

Verify the installation: 

wine --version

That's it - the Debian version is quick to set up but might not be the latest.

2. Installation via WineHQ Repository

For a more recent version, enable 32-bit architecture and add the repository: 

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update
sudo mkdir -pm755 /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo wget -O /etc/apt/keyrings/winehq-archive.key https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/winehq.key
sudo wget -NP /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/debian/dists/bookworm/winehq-bookworm.sources
sudo apt update

Install Wine: 

sudo apt install --install-recommends winehq-stable

Check version: 

wine --version

Optionally configure with winecfg. This variant provides the latest stable Wine version.

Conclusion

The Debian variant is simpler, WineHQ more current. Both are easy to set up, depending on your needs.

3. Adding Winetricks

Winetricks is a helper script for installing additional libraries and settings for Wine. Here's how:

sudo apt install winetricks

After installation, Winetricks can be used, e.g., to add DLLs or fonts:

winetricks dlls

Or start a graphical interface:

winetricks --gui

Winetricks facilitates fine-tuning and increases compatibility with some Windows applications.

4. Installing the 32-Bit Version

Some older Windows programs require the 32-bit version of Wine. Here's how to install it:

Enable 32-bit Architecture and Install Wine32

  • Execute the following command that enables 32-bit architecture, updates package sources, and installs Wine32: 
    sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 && sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install wine32:i386

Alternatively, you can execute the steps individually: 

# Enable 32-bit architecture
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386

# Update package sources
sudo apt-get update

# Install Wine32
sudo apt-get install wine32:i386

After installation, you can run 32-bit Windows programs. This is particularly useful for older software or programs that don't have a 64-bit version.