# Wine (software)
**Wine** (originally an acronym for "Wine Is Not an Emulator") is a free and open-source compatibility layer that runs Windows applications on POSIX-compliant operating systems such as Linux, macOS, and BSD. Wine does not reproduce Windows' internal workings the way a virtual machine or emulator would; rather, it converts [Windows API](https://www.edgepedia.org/windows-api) calls into POSIX calls in real time, sidestepping the performance and memory costs of emulation and enabling Windows programs to blend seamlessly into the host desktop.[1](https://www.winehq.org/about)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| What it is | A compatibility layer that translates Windows API calls into POSIX calls at runtime, not an emulator or virtual machine[1](https://www.winehq.org/about) |
| Platforms | Linux, macOS, and BSD; developed specifically for Intel x86-class CPUs, with Winelib able to port application source code to other platforms[1](https://www.winehq.org/about) • [2](https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-cvs/2005-May/015577.html) |
| Origin | Begun in 1993 under Bob Amstadt to run Windows 3.1 programs on Linux; Alexandre Julliard took over leadership early and has managed the project since[1](https://www.winehq.org/about) |
| First stable release | Wine 1.0, in 2008, after 15 years of development[1](https://www.winehq.org/about) |
| Current stable release | Wine 11.0, January 13, 2026, with about 6,300 individual changes and more than 600 bug fixes[3](https://www.winehq.org/news/2026011301) |
| Code base | A completely alternative implementation of Microsoft-free code that does not require Windows, though it can optionally use native Windows DLLs when available[4](https://appdb.winehq.org.ru/help/?sTopic=appdb_faq) |
| Major derivatives | Proton (Valve's Steam compatibility tool) and CrossOver (CodeWeavers' commercial product) are both built on Wine[5](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton) • [6](https://www.codeweavers.com/crossover) |
## How it works
Wine provides replacement implementations of the Windows libraries that applications call. Some translations are nearly one-to-one: a request to open a file for reading maps directly onto the equivalent Unix system call with rearranged parameters. Others, such as starting a program, require substantial work because the service calls of the two operating systems differ considerably.[7](https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-users/2015-July/107290.html) An emulator, by contrast, is a program that reads and executes binary machine instructions for hardware being emulated; Wine does none of that, which is why the project's name insists it is not an emulator.[7](https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-users/2015-July/107290.html)
**File system mapping.** Wine presents Windows-style drive letters through a prefix directory. A DOS path such as `c:\foo\bar\myfile.txt` is converted to the Unix path `$(WINEPREFIX)/dosdevices/c:/foo/bar/myfile.txt`, where `dosdevices/c:` is a symbolic link the user points at any Unix directory. The same scheme handles UNC network paths, and drive mappings can be changed simply by editing the links.[8](https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?doi=b48deefde8f9f440582f0a96d59be48c3f43c128&repid=rep1&type=pdf) Because most Unix file systems are case sensitive while Windows lookups are case insensitive, Wine performs a case-insensitive search after resolving the Unix path; two files in the same directory differing only in letter case have undefined behavior.[8](https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?doi=b48deefde8f9f440582f0a96d59be48c3f43c128&repid=rep1&type=pdf)
**Prefixes.** Each Wine environment, called a prefix, holds its own virtual C: drive, registry, and installed programs; the default is `~/.wine`, and the `WINEPREFIX` environment variable selects alternatives. Tools such as Lutris, PlayOnLinux, and [Proton](https://www.edgepedia.org/proton-software) create a separate prefix per application or game to keep installations isolated.[9](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/wiki/Proton-FAQ/3ab3aee48363823a5362706ea01519276ca78e89)
## Compatibility approach
Wine aims to be a bug-for-bug-compatible implementation of the Windows APIs. Because Windows itself contains internal workarounds that detect specific misbehaving applications and switch on special behavior, black-box testing against the documented API does not always reveal these hacks; Wine developers instead examine how a program interacts with the API, write a test case, and build code to match it.[10](https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-devel/2011-March/089409.html) Compatibility for individual programs is tracked in the community-maintained Application Database, where volunteers report how well their software runs, and bugs are filed in the project's Bugzilla tracker.[11](https://www.winehq.org/help)
## Graphics and gaming
Running Windows games depends heavily on translating Direct3D. DXVK is a Vulkan-based translation layer for Direct3D 9, 10, and 11 that allows 3D applications to run on Linux through Wine, installing replacement DLLs into a prefix's `system32` and `syswow64` directories.[12](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/dxvk/blob/proton_6.3/README.md) For Direct3D 12, vkd3d-proton, a fork of WineHQ's vkd3d, implements the full D3D12 API on top of Vulkan and serves as the development effort for D3D12 support in Proton.[13](https://github.com/lutris/vkd3d/blob/master/README.md)
**Proton.** Valve's Proton is a compatibility tool for Steam Play, based on Wine plus additional components such as DXVK, vkd3d-proton, and font and media libraries, that lets Windows-exclusive games run on Linux. Steam ships several Proton versions and creates a new Wine prefix for each game under `steamapps/compatdata/`.[5](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton) • [9](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/wiki/Proton-FAQ/3ab3aee48363823a5362706ea01519276ca78e89) Proton 11, released in 2026, was rebased on Wine 11.[14](https://www.pcgamer.com/software/linux/valves-magical-play-windows-games-on-linux-tech-is-rebased-updated-and-ready-to-play-resident-evil/)
**CrossOver.** CodeWeavers sells CrossOver Mac and CrossOver Linux, commercial products built on Wine that add installation tooling, support, and desktop integration. The company states that 95% of the Wine code base it develops for CrossOver is released back into the open-source project.[6](https://www.codeweavers.com/crossover)
## Recent development
Wine 11.0, the stable release of January 13, 2026, represented a year of development effort with around 6,300 individual changes and more than 600 bug fixes. Its main highlights were NTSYNC support and completion of the new WoW64 architecture.[3](https://www.winehq.org/news/2026011301) The NTSync Linux kernel module, shipped with the [Linux kernel](https://www.edgepedia.org/linux-kernel) starting from version 6.14, is used when available to improve the performance of synchronization primitives.[15](https://list.winehq.org/hyperkitty/list/wine-announce@list.winehq.org/2026/1/)
The new WoW64 mode, first introduced experimentally in Wine 9.0, reached full support with feature parity with the old mode, including 16-bit application support. Pure 32-bit prefixes created with `WINEARCH=win32` are deprecated, and the separate `wine64` loader binary was removed in favor of a single `wine` loader that selects the correct mode from the binary being executed.[15](https://list.winehq.org/hyperkitty/list/wine-announce@list.winehq.org/2026/1/)
## Platform limits and security
Wine is developed for Intel x86-class CPUs. Running Windows binaries on other processor architectures, such as PowerPC Macs, is not possible with Wine alone; the options are running Wine inside an emulated x86 environment or recompiling the application's source code with Winelib, Wine's toolkit for building Windows source as native Unix applications.[2](https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-cvs/2005-May/015577.html)
Because Wine executes Windows binaries, Windows malware can also run under it. Most virus persistence methods, such as arranging to run at each reboot, are ignored by Wine, but a virus can execute once and cause damage; software that requires Windows kernel access, such as some antivirus products, cannot work because there is no Windows kernel.[16](https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-users/2006-August/023351.html) • [17](https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-users/2011-August/094585.html) Wine's move from ELF files to native PE-format Windows files improved compatibility but also increased false positives from antivirus software.[18](https://forum.winehq.org/viewtopic.php?t=33444)
## References
1. [WineHQ – About Wine](https://www.winehq.org/about)
2. [Wine FAQ translation strings, wine-cvs mailing list (2005)](https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-cvs/2005-May/015577.html)
3. [WineHQ News – Wine 11.0 Released (January 13, 2026)](https://www.winehq.org/news/2026011301)
4. [WineHQ Application Database FAQ](https://appdb.winehq.org.ru/help/?sTopic=appdb_faq)
5. [ValveSoftware/Proton – Compatibility tool for Steam Play based on Wine](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton)
6. [CodeWeavers – CrossOver](https://www.codeweavers.com/crossover)
7. [Wine-users mailing list – If Wine isn't an emulator how does it work (2015)](https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-users/2015-July/107290.html)
8. [Wine Developer's Guide](https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?doi=b48deefde8f9f440582f0a96d59be48c3f43c128&repid=rep1&type=pdf)
9. [ValveSoftware/Proton Wiki – Proton FAQ](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/wiki/Proton-FAQ/3ab3aee48363823a5362706ea01519276ca78e89)
10. [Wine-devel mailing list – Wine compatibility (2011)](https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-devel/2011-March/089409.html)
11. [WineHQ – Getting Help](https://www.winehq.org/help)
12. [ValveSoftware/dxvk – README](https://github.com/ValveSoftware/dxvk/blob/proton_6.3/README.md)
13. [vkd3d-proton – README](https://github.com/lutris/vkd3d/blob/master/README.md)
14. [PC Gamer – Valve's Proton 11 rebased on Wine 11](https://www.pcgamer.com/software/linux/valves-magical-play-windows-games-on-linux-tech-is-rebased-updated-and-ready-to-play-resident-evil/)
15. [Wine-Announce mailing list – Wine release 11.0 (January 2026)](https://list.winehq.org/hyperkitty/list/wine-announce@list.winehq.org/2026/1/)
16. [Wine-users mailing list – viruses for mswindows on a linux machine running wine (2006)](https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-users/2006-August/023351.html)
17. [Wine-users mailing list – Kaspersky v6 under wine (2011)](https://www.winehq.org/pipermail/wine-users/2011-August/094585.html)
18. [WineHQ Forums – Why anti-virus programs report Wine package as malware?](https://forum.winehq.org/viewtopic.php?t=33444)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Computing and digital systems › Software and programming › Development tools and collaboration infrastructure › Frameworks, libraries, and APIs › Mobile and platform frameworks*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license