Some users do not prefer Linux for the reason that they do not find their favorite Windows applications in the Linux software center and repositories. Although there is a solution to this problem, Wine is a Windows compatibility environment that allows you to install Windows programs on Linux. But the problem with Wine is that it is based on the command line, which is not easy for a beginner or a regular Linux user.
PlayOnLinux is another application that allows you to achieve the same goal, but based on a graphical interface. PlayOnLinux can be called the interface of the Wine application. When we install any application through PlayOnLinux, it downloads and creates a suitable environment for launching this application. In addition, PlayOnLinux installs each application in a separate virtual environment, isolated from all other applications. This ensures that no application environment interferes with another.
In this article, we will learn how to install Windows applications on Linux using PlayOnLinux. First, we describe how you can install PlayOnLinux on Debian 10, either through the command line or through the graphical user interface. Then we will describe how you can use PlayOnLinux to install the Windows application, Notepad plus plus in our scenario. You can follow the same procedure to install any other application.
We used Debian 10 to describe the procedure mentioned in this article.
Install PlayOnLinux via the command line
Most Linux distributions, including Debian, contain PlayOnLinux in their repositories. Therefore, we can install it using the apt-get command in the Terminal. To do this, launch the Terminal by going to activity Tab in the upper left corner of the desktop. Then in the search bar enter Terminal , When the terminal icon appears, click on it to open. Then, in Terminal, run the following command to update the repositories.
$ sudo apt-get update
When prompted for a password, enter the sudo password.
Now we will use the apt-get command to install PlayOnLinux. To do this, run the following command:
$ sudo apt-get install playonlinux
The system may ask you for confirmation by providing Y / N option. Hit Y to confirm and then click To come in and the installation will run on your system. Wait a while until the installation is complete on your system.
After that, you can run the following command in the Terminal to verify the installation and check the version of PlayOnLinux installed.
$ playonlinux --version
Launch PlayOnLinux
To start PlayOnLinux, press the super key on the keyboard. Then in the search bar that appears, enter the keyword Playonlinux , In the search results, click the PlayOnLinux icon to launch it.
Delete PlayOnLinux
If you want to remove PlayOnLinux installed as described above, run the following command as sudo in Terminal:
$ sudo apt-get remove playonlinux
Install PlayOnLinux through the software center
PlayOnLinux can also be installed using the Debian Software Center. To start the software center, press the super-key on the keyboard. In the left sidebar, you will see the software center icon, as shown below. Click on it to open.
In the Software Center window, click on the search bar and enter P layonlinux This will list the PlayOnLinux package. Click on it to proceed with the installation.
You will see install button. Click on it to start the installation.
Before installation, an authentication dialog box appears, enter the password and click Authenticate and the installation will run on your system. After installation is complete, you will see the following screen. Here you can click on launch PlayOnLinux launch button right here or later, you can open PlayOnLiunx from the application menu.
Install Notepad Plus Plus via PlayOnLinux
When PlayOnLinux starts up, you will see the following view. To install any application through PlayOnLinux, click To install the program in the left pane.
You will see the following view with the search bar. Here you can find the application you need by typing its keyword. In this example, we are going to install the Notepad Plus Plus app through PlayOnLinux. To do this, we will search for it by typing a keyword notebook in the search bar. From the results that appear, select the application by clicking on it. Then click on install button in the lower right corner of the PlayOnLinux window.
The installation wizard opens, click following start the installation process.
click following continue.
Click again following ,
PlayOnLinux will create a virtual disk for Notepad plus plus on your system during the installation process. All Windows applications are installed on a separate virtual disk. At this point, the latest version of Wine will also be installed on your system.
After that click on following ,
Next, Microsoft fonts will be installed in this step.
You can use the installation file located on your system or download the installation files. We chose the second option.
A dialog box appears to select the language. Select your preferred language and click WELL.
Now the next wizard will appear. This wizard is self-explanatory and guides you through the entire installation process.
After that click finish close the installation wizard.
Notepad plus plus is now installed on your system. You can use it the same way as in Windows OS. Using the method described above, you can install any other Windows application except Notepad Plus Plus.
Run / uninstall installed application
To launch any application installed through PlayOnLinux, simply open PlayOnLinux, select the application and click Run ,
Similarly, to remove any application, select the application and click delete , A wizard will appear to guide you through the process of uninstalling the application.
That’s all there is to it! PlayOnLinux is a really simple but effective tool if you need to run any Windows application on your Debian OS. All you have to do is install PlayOnLinux on your system, and then through it find and install any Windows application using the wizard.
How to install Windows applications on Debian 10 using PlayOnLinux
