In the Linux world, we know we may not always find alternative apps to those in Windows. In fact, there’s very few that actually can rival against some great Windows applications. And when we talk of applications like Adobe Photoshop, there’s simply no competition here. So, even the best of us may need to use a couple of these applications. But since some of them haven’t been released for any Linux distributions, the only option would be to actually run them in Windows itself - or is it?
Well, thats not true. Especially if you are a person like me who is not a big fan of Windows, you would not want to boot into Window for the just for the sake of a few applications. For the most part, I look for alternatives all over the place. But when I don’t find a suitable one, it becomes absolutely necessary to use the original Windows versions themselves. And believe me, we’re not alone. And that’s why there is a workaround to getting your favorite Windows applications working - right on your Linux desktop!
While this may not be a tutorial, here I will be mentioning a couple of ways to get this done. But you may find other alternatives as well.
1. PlayOnLinux
PlayOnLinux is completely based on Wine (which I will be talking about next). And, it provides easier route for
installing and managing application with Wine. Yes, PlayOnLinux is available for free and you can work easily and seamlessly for the most part...though some applications may not always work with it. And thats exactly why we have other alternatives. You can check it out here.
2. Wine
3. Virtual Machine
This would actually be the best way to run Windows apps on Linux if you have good amount of resources. But nevertheless, I have tried running full version of Windows 10, 64-bit in a virtual machine when I had only 4GB of RAM and a 2GHz i3 processors. What you're actually doing is running Microsoft Windows - inside a virtual machine. No, this is different from dual booting. First of all we download and install a virtual machine manager for your distro. Oracle VM VirtualBox is a great choice among other powerful alternatives. VMWare Virtual Machine is also a great premium alternative. Once you are all set with the software, install a version of Windows from an iso by setting up a new virtual machine. After that, simply give it permission to share over the network. Then you can transfer files to and from the virtual machine. Simple as that.
4. ReactOS
This is actually a great project that is still in alpha. But it would be worth a try - 6 million downloads from a 100 countries already. ReactOS is actually a Linux derivative which is fine tuned with lots of Wine code so that you can run any Windows application just like that - as if you were using Windows. No extra configuring, no extra nonsense. You can check out their website here.
5. Crossover
Crossover is a premium derivative of Wine and yes, it has it's perks - if you are willing to spend some cash. Crossover is developed by Codeweavers and I have to say, they've done a great job with it. What it does is again, run Microsoft Windows software on your Linux distro without buying a Windows license, rebooting or using a virtual machine. CrossOver makes it easy to launch Windows apps natively, and integrates your Linux operating system functionality like cross-platform copy & paste and shared file systems to your Windows programs. CrossOver runs Windows productivity software, utility programs, and games all in one application. And just like Wine, without the overhead of a virtual machine, Windows software and games can run as fast as they would under a Windows OS. You could just buy Crossover or get a free 14-day trial. You can check out their website here.
So, which method did you try? And which one worked best for you? Or perhaps you have an alternative not mentioned here? Let us know in the comments!
Well, thats not true. Especially if you are a person like me who is not a big fan of Windows, you would not want to boot into Window for the just for the sake of a few applications. For the most part, I look for alternatives all over the place. But when I don’t find a suitable one, it becomes absolutely necessary to use the original Windows versions themselves. And believe me, we’re not alone. And that’s why there is a workaround to getting your favorite Windows applications working - right on your Linux desktop!
While this may not be a tutorial, here I will be mentioning a couple of ways to get this done. But you may find other alternatives as well.
1. PlayOnLinux
2. Wine
Wine is the acronym for Wine Is Not an Emulator. Nope, it's not an emulator and neither is it a virtual machine. So what is it then? While a virtual machine or emulator
simulates internal Windows logic, Wine translates those Windows logic to
native UNIX/POSIX- compliant logic. In other words, Wine
converts internal Windows commands to commands your Linux system can
natively understand. Which means you can run Windows applications without an extra overhead. There is a large number of Windows applications that are currently fully supported by Wine and they will run hassle-free. However, new Windows applications are
being developed every day. Many of them wouldn’t function on
Wine as expected. But Wine support is fast as well. So, if the application you're hoping to install is new on the market, you may have to test it yourself or wait a while until a version of Wine is released that will cater to your needs. For now, you can download any of the apps rated on their website once you install Wine. The applications are rated anywhere from Platinum to Garbage - and it means just how well they'll function with Wine.
3. Virtual Machine
This would actually be the best way to run Windows apps on Linux if you have good amount of resources. But nevertheless, I have tried running full version of Windows 10, 64-bit in a virtual machine when I had only 4GB of RAM and a 2GHz i3 processors. What you're actually doing is running Microsoft Windows - inside a virtual machine. No, this is different from dual booting. First of all we download and install a virtual machine manager for your distro. Oracle VM VirtualBox is a great choice among other powerful alternatives. VMWare Virtual Machine is also a great premium alternative. Once you are all set with the software, install a version of Windows from an iso by setting up a new virtual machine. After that, simply give it permission to share over the network. Then you can transfer files to and from the virtual machine. Simple as that.
4. ReactOS
This is actually a great project that is still in alpha. But it would be worth a try - 6 million downloads from a 100 countries already. ReactOS is actually a Linux derivative which is fine tuned with lots of Wine code so that you can run any Windows application just like that - as if you were using Windows. No extra configuring, no extra nonsense. You can check out their website here.
5. Crossover
Crossover is a premium derivative of Wine and yes, it has it's perks - if you are willing to spend some cash. Crossover is developed by Codeweavers and I have to say, they've done a great job with it. What it does is again, run Microsoft Windows software on your Linux distro without buying a Windows license, rebooting or using a virtual machine. CrossOver makes it easy to launch Windows apps natively, and integrates your Linux operating system functionality like cross-platform copy & paste and shared file systems to your Windows programs. CrossOver runs Windows productivity software, utility programs, and games all in one application. And just like Wine, without the overhead of a virtual machine, Windows software and games can run as fast as they would under a Windows OS. You could just buy Crossover or get a free 14-day trial. You can check out their website here.
So, which method did you try? And which one worked best for you? Or perhaps you have an alternative not mentioned here? Let us know in the comments!
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