Windows Compatibility

Synopsis #

The experimental Wine port runs some 64-bit Windows applications on OpenBSD/amd64 using -current. Wine is not included in the OpenBSD 8.0 release collection. For unsupported applications or other architectures, use remote access or native alternatives .

Wine and OpenBSD #

Wine translates Windows application interfaces into native system calls. Application compatibility varies; the OpenBSD port supports amd64 and 64-bit Windows applications only. A program that needs a 32-bit installer, executable, or DLL cannot run with this port.

Installing Wine #

Use an amd64 snapshot system . Update its installed packages before checking the repository for Wine:

doas pkg_add -Dsnap -u
pkg_info -Dsnap -Q wine

The -Dsnap option explicitly selects snapshot packages, including when a snapshot has a release-style version. It does not upgrade the base system; see snapshot package selection .

If a wine-... package is listed, install it:

doas pkg_add -Dsnap wine

The package page describes the port; a binary package may not yet be available on the mirror. If none is listed, wait for a binary package or prepare a matching current ports tree and build environment as described in building from ports , then run:

cd /usr/ports/emulators/wine
doas make FETCH_PACKAGES=-Dsnap install

FETCH_PACKAGES=-Dsnap uses available snapshot packages for dependencies; missing dependencies are built from ports. Building Wine and missing dependencies can take hours and requires several gigabytes of disk space. Do not point an 8.0 release system at snapshot packages.

Read /usr/local/share/doc/pkg-readmes/wine after installation. Its OpenBSD-specific instructions are also included on the package page.

Running an Application #

Use a 64-bit x86 (x64) Windows installer or executable. Inspect its architecture with objdump(1) before running it:

objdump -f program.exe

Look for i386:x86-64 on the architecture: line for an x64 executable.

Graphical applications need an X session . For a serial-console VM, connect from an X11 workstation using remote X11 access .

Run Wine as the regular user, without doas. Start the application from its own directory:

cd /path/to/application
wine program.exe

Replace /path/to/application and program.exe with the application’s location and executable name. Run winecfg to open Wine’s configuration window.

Example: Notepad++ #

The example uses Wine 11.20 on OpenBSD 8.0-current/amd64.

The official Notepad++ 8.9.8.1 release includes a portable x64 archive. Install the default unzip package, then download and extract it as the regular user:

doas pkg_add -Dsnap unzip--
mkdir -p ~/windows/notepad++
cd ~/windows/notepad++
ftp https://github.com/notepad-plus-plus/notepad-plus-plus/releases/download/v8.9.8.1/npp.8.9.8.1.portable.x64.zip
unzip npp.8.9.8.1.portable.x64.zip

Create a text file and open it in Notepad++:

printf 'Hello from OpenBSD.\n' > example.txt
wine notepad++.exe example.txt

Wine creates ~/.wine on first use. Notepad++ does not require Wine Mono; choose Cancel if its installation prompt appears.

Add Saved from Notepad++ on OpenBSD. on the second line and choose File → Save. Check the saved file from another terminal:

cat ~/windows/notepad++/example.txt

The saved file contains:

Hello from OpenBSD.
Saved from Notepad++ on OpenBSD.

Notepad++ displaying the two lines saved in example.txt on OpenBSD — Notepad++ running through Wine on OpenBSD-current.

Troubleshooting #

32-bit errors: a failure mentioning syswow64 or a required 32-bit DLL indicates unsupported code. Changing Wine settings does not add 32-bit support.
Memory limits: for an out-of-memory failure, check the account’s login class and resource limits .
Sound: this port uses PulseAudio . Consult the installed pulseaudio(1) manual for its OpenBSD setup.
Graphics: the default Direct3D translation uses OpenGL. DXVK and VKD3D-Proton are optional alternatives requiring working Vulkan support. The Wine package README covers their setup.

The Wine application database can help identify application requirements, but a report from another operating system does not establish OpenBSD compatibility.

Alternatives #

Virtualization #

OpenBSD’s vmm/vmd supports OpenBSD and Linux guests with serial consoles; see the virtualization chapter . For a Windows desktop VM, use a hypervisor with documented Windows guest support.

Remote Access #

Use an RDP client to reach a Windows host whose RDP service is enabled and restricted to authorized users and networks. For example, install rdesktop and connect:

doas pkg_add rdesktop
rdesktop winhost.example.org

Native Alternatives #

Native packages are another option when the required application or file format is supported.

Examples include:

Windows Software	OpenBSD Alternative
Notepad++	mg(1) , mousepad , vim
PuTTY	ssh(1) (in base system)
WinSCP	sftp(1) , rsync , scp(1)
MS Paint	gimp , xpaint
MS Word	libreoffice

Search for available packages using:

pkg_info -Q libreoffice
pkg_info -Q gimp

For DOS-era software, DOSBox provides an emulated PC environment. Running Windows 3.1 applications requires a separate Windows 3.1 installation inside DOSBox.

Alternate Operating Systems #

For software that does not work with the OpenBSD Wine port, use a Windows host or another operating system with Wine support. A dual-boot setup is another option when the application needs direct access to the machine’s hardware.