How to install Windows software on Linux with Bottles

If you’re looking for an easy way to install Windows software on Linux, look no further than Bottles. Jack Wallen shows you how this incredible application works.

Once upon a time, installing Windows software on Linux was an impossibility. Then, thanks to Wine (the software, not the libation), it became possible (although challenging). As time went on, Wine made it much easier to succeed with this task.

But then came a software called Bottles, which makes installing Windows software on Linux incredibly easy. The way Bottles works is by creating environments that are a combination of ready-to-use settings, libraries and dependencies that are bundled together to make the installation and running of Windows applications incredibly easy.

SEE: 40+ open source and Linux terms you need to know (TechRepublic Premium)

Bottles includes pre-packaged installers and even a brand new AppStore so you can easily search for applications to install. Let’s find out just how easy it is to use Bottles to install Windows software.

First, you can install Bottles via Flatpak, your Linux distribution software center, or by visiting https://flathub.org/apps/details/com.usebottles.bottles in your web browser. As long as you have flatpak installed, Bottles will install without a problem.

Once installed, open the application and, after clicking through the welcome, you’ll find yourself at the Create a new Bottle window (Figure A).

Figure A

In the next window, select the type of environment you want Bottles to create (Figure B). This will determine how Bottles optimizes the new bottle for the application. If you’re installing a regular application (not a game), click Application.

Figure B

After the bottle is successfully created, close out the wizard, and you’ll find yourself on the details page for the new bottle. Download the Windows application installer you want, click Run executable, search for the downloaded file and the application installer should open (Figure C).

Figure C

After you’ve installed the application, you’ll find it listed in your new bottle, where you can click the right-pointing arrow to run the application (Figure D and E).

Figure D

Figure E

And that’s all there is to installing Windows applications with Linux. It’s never been easier, thanks to Bottles.

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