How to Run Windows Apps on Android With Wine

The Wine project has released an Android-compatible version. Long embraced by Linux users (mostly gamers) requiring a fix of their favorite Windows-only software, this option is now available on Android. Often mistakenly described as an “emulator”, Wine (a recursive acronym that stands for Wine Is Not an Emulator) is in fact a compatibility layer.

How to Install Wine on Android

1. Settings > Security and tapping the switch for Unknown sources. Click OK to confirm the action.

2. Download wine.apk setup file from this link: https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/android/

3. After download successfully , you can install now.

4. Once installation is complete, hit open, and wait while the Windows environment is created.

Which Windows Apps Can You Run?

• While Wine will run some software on ARM devices, the best results will be found on those x86-based Android devices.

• on an ARM-based Android device, you’ll be limited to apps that have been adapted for use on Windows RT. XDA-developers has produced a list of apps that run on ARM-based Windows devices, so this is a good place to start.

• As Wine’s popularity on Android and ARM devices increases, however, this list is bound to grow. We understand the Wine project is developing a method of using QEMU to emulate x86 instructions on ARM hardware, so this bodes well for the future.

Exploring Wine on Android

To interact with Wine, you’ll need a keyboard (and maybe a mouse) attached to your Android device.

At this stage, shortly after Wine 3.0 for Android has been released, there is no support for software keyboards, although tapping is okay. The size of the desktop might be a problem, however To fix this, I switched the orientation to portrait mode and then back to landscape.

This is why a mouse, or perhaps a stylus, is a good idea.

The command line interface works much as the standard Windows command prompt did (prior to PowerShell’s arrival).

you can tap the Start button to find two menus. First is Control Panel, with sub-menus Add/Remove Programs, Game Controllers, and internet Settings. Second is Run…

Using Run… you can open a dialogue box to issue commands. For instance, launching internet Explorer is possible by entering iexplore.

All four options open a typical Windows-style screen to alter the settings.

Installing Software in Wine

To get something running in Wine, you’ll first need to download the application (or sync via the cloud) to your Android device. Save it in a memorable location, then navigate to it in the Wine Command Prompt window.

For instance, if I downloaded a Windows executable file (EXE) to my Android tablet, I’d save it to the Download folder. This can be reached in the command line with

cd sdcard/Download/[filename.exe]

To run the file in Wine for Android, simply input the name of the EXE file. (Some versions of Wine require you to prefix this with the wine command, but this isn’t necessary.)

If the ARM-ready file is compatible, it should run. Otherwise, you’ll see a bunch of error messages. At this stage, installing Windows software on Android in Wine isn’t an exact science.

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