winapps-org/winapps

Run Windows applications (including Microsoft 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud) on GNU/Linux with KDE Plasma, GNOME or XFCE, integrated seamlessly as if they were native to the OS.

WinApps Demonstration.

Underlying Mechanism

WinApps works by:

Running Windows in a Docker, Podman or libvirt virtual machine.
Querying Windows for all installed applications.
Creating shortcuts to selected Windows applications on the host GNU/Linux OS.
Using FreeRDP as a backend to seamlessly render Windows applications alongside GNU/Linux applications.

Additional Features

The GNU/Linux /home directory is accessible within Windows via the \\tsclient\home mount.
Integration with Nautilus, allowing you to right-click files to open them with specific Windows applications based on the file MIME type.
The official taskbar widget enables seamless administration of the Windows subsystem and offers an easy way to launch Windows applications.
Microsoft Office links (e.g. ms-word://) from the host system are automatically opened in the Windows subsystem. (Note: You may need to use a User Agent Switcher browser extension and set the User-Agent to Windows, as the Office webapps typically hide the “Open in Desktop App” option for Linux users.)

Supported Applications

WinApps supports ALL Windows applications.

Universal application support is achieved by:

Scanning Windows for any officially supported applications (list below).
Scanning Windows for any other .exe files listed within the Windows Registry.

Officially supported applications benefit from high-resolution icons and pre-populated MIME types. This enables file managers to determine which Windows applications should open files based on file extensions. Icons for other detected applications are pulled from .exe files.

Contributing to the list of supported applications is encouraged through submission of pull requests! Please help us grow the WinApps community.

Please note that the provided list of officially supported applications is community-driven. As such, some applications may not be tested and verified by the WinApps team.

Officially Supported Applications

	Adobe Acrobat Pro (X) Icon in the Public Domain.		Adobe After Effects (CC) Icon in the Public Domain.
	Adobe Audition (CC) Icon in the Public Domain.		Adobe Bridge (CS6, CC) Icon in the Public Domain.
	Adobe Creative Cloud (CC) Icon under MIT license.		Adobe Illustrator (CC) Icon in the Public Domain.
	Adobe InDesign (CC) Icon in the Public Domain.		Adobe Lightroom (CC) Icon in the Public Domain.
	Adobe Photoshop (CS6, CC, 2022) Icon in the Public Domain.		Command Prompt (cmd.exe) Icon under MIT license.
	File Explorer (Windows Explorer) Icon in the Public Domain.		Internet Explorer (11) Icon in the Public Domain.
	Microsoft Access (2016, 2019, o365) Icon in the Public Domain.		Microsoft Excel (2016, 2019, o365) Icon in the Public Domain.
	Microsoft Word (2016, 2019, o365) Icon in the Public Domain.		Microsoft OneNote (2016, 2019, o365) Icon in the Public Domain.
	Microsoft Outlook (2016, 2019, o365) Icon in the Public Domain.		Microsoft PowerPoint (2016, 2019, o365) Icon in the Public Domain.
	Microsoft Publisher (2016, 2019, o365) Icon in the Public Domain.		Microsoft Visio (Standard/Pro. 2021, Plan 2) Icon in the Public Domain.
	Microsoft Project (Standard/Pro. 2021, Plan 3/5) Icon in the Public Domain.		Microsoft Visual Studio (Comm./Pro./Ent. 2022) Icon in the Public Domain.
	mIRC Icon in the Public Domain.		PowerShell Icon under MIT license.
	Windows (Full RDP Session) Icon in the Public Domain.

Installation

Step 1: Configure a Windows VM

Both Docker and Podman are recommended backends for running the Windows virtual machine, as they facilitate an automated Windows installation process. WinApps is also compatible with libvirt. While this method requires considerably more manual configuration, it also provides greater virtual machine customisation options. All three methods leverage the KVM hypervisor, ensuring excellent virtual machine performance. Ultimately, the choice of backend depends on your specific use case.

The following guides are available:

If you already have a Windows VM or server you wish to use with WinApps, you will still have to follow the final steps described in the libvirt documentation.

Step 2: Install Dependencies

Install the required dependencies.

Debian/Ubuntu:

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sudo apt install -y curl dialog freerdp3-x11 git iproute2 libnotify-bin netcat-openbsd

[!NOTE] On Debian 12 (“bookworm”), you need to enable the backports repository for the freerdp3-x11 package to become available. For instructions, see https://backports.debian.org/Instructions.

Fedora/RHEL:

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sudo dnf install -y curl dialog freerdp git iproute libnotify nmap-ncat

Arch Linux:

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sudo pacman -Syu --needed -y curl dialog freerdp git iproute2 libnotify openbsd-netcat

openSUSE:

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sudo zypper install -y curl dialog freerdp git iproute2 libnotify-tools netcat-openbsd

Gentoo Linux:

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sudo emerge --ask=n net-misc/curl dev-util/dialog net-misc/freerdp:3 dev-vcs/git sys-apps/iproute2 x11-libs/libnotify net-analyzer/openbsd-netcat

[!NOTE] WinApps requires FreeRDP version 3 or later. If not available for your distribution through your package manager, you can install the Flatpak:
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flatpak install flathub com.freerdp.FreeRDP
sudo flatpak override --filesystem=home com.freerdp.FreeRDP # To use `+home-drive`
However, if you have weird issues like #233 when running Flatpak, please compile FreeRDP from source according to this guide.

Step 3: Create a WinApps Configuration File

Create a configuration file at ~/.config/winapps/winapps.conf containing the following:

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##################################
#   WINAPPS CONFIGURATION FILE   #
##################################

# INSTRUCTIONS
# - Leading and trailing whitespace are ignored.
# - Empty lines are ignored.
# - Lines starting with '#' are ignored.
# - All characters following a '#' are ignored.

# [WINDOWS USERNAME]
RDP_USER="MyWindowsUser"

# [WINDOWS PASSWORD]
# NOTES:
# - If using FreeRDP v3.9.0 or greater, you *have* to set a password
RDP_PASS="MyWindowsPassword"

# [WINDOWS DOMAIN]
# DEFAULT VALUE: '' (BLANK)
RDP_DOMAIN=""

# [WINDOWS IPV4 ADDRESS]
# NOTES:
# - If using 'libvirt', 'RDP_IP' will be determined by WinApps at runtime if left unspecified.
# DEFAULT VALUE:
# - 'docker': '127.0.0.1'
# - 'podman': '127.0.0.1'
# - 'libvirt': '' (BLANK)
RDP_IP="127.0.0.1"

# [VM NAME]
# NOTES:
# - Only applicable when using 'libvirt'
# - The libvirt VM name must match so that WinApps can determine VM IP, start the VM, etc.
# DEFAULT VALUE: 'RDPWindows'
VM_NAME="RDPWindows"

# [WINAPPS BACKEND]
# DEFAULT VALUE: 'docker'
# VALID VALUES:
# - 'docker'
# - 'podman'
# - 'libvirt'
# - 'manual'
WAFLAVOR="docker"

# [DISPLAY SCALING FACTOR]
# NOTES:
# - If an unsupported value is specified, a warning will be displayed.
# - If an unsupported value is specified, WinApps will use the closest supported value.
# DEFAULT VALUE: '100'
# VALID VALUES:
# - '100'
# - '140'
# - '180'
RDP_SCALE="100"

# [MOUNTING REMOVABLE PATHS FOR FILES]
# NOTES:
# - By default, `udisks` (which you most likely have installed) uses /run/media for mounting removable devices.
#   This improves compatibility with most desktop environments (DEs).
# ATTENTION: The Filesystem Hierarchy Standard (FHS) recommends /media instead. Verify your system's configuration.
# - To manually mount devices, you may optionally use /mnt.
# REFERENCE: https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Udisks#Mount_to_/media
REMOVABLE_MEDIA="/run/media"

# [ADDITIONAL FREERDP FLAGS & ARGUMENTS]
# NOTES:
# - You can try adding /network:lan to these flags in order to increase performance, however, some users have faced issues with this.
# DEFAULT VALUE: '/cert:tofu /sound /microphone +home-drive'
# VALID VALUES: See https://github.com/awakecoding/FreeRDP-Manuals/blob/master/User/FreeRDP-User-Manual.markdown
RDP_FLAGS="/cert:tofu /sound /microphone +home-drive"

# [DEBUG WINAPPS]
# NOTES:
# - Creates and appends to ~/.local/share/winapps/winapps.log when running WinApps.
# DEFAULT VALUE: 'true'
# VALID VALUES:
# - 'true'
# - 'false'
DEBUG="true"

# [AUTOMATICALLY PAUSE WINDOWS]
# NOTES:
# - This is currently INCOMPATIBLE with 'manual'.
# DEFAULT VALUE: 'off'
# VALID VALUES:
# - 'on'
# - 'off'
AUTOPAUSE="off"

# [AUTOMATICALLY PAUSE WINDOWS TIMEOUT]
# NOTES:
# - This setting determines the duration of inactivity to tolerate before Windows is automatically paused.
# - This setting is ignored if 'AUTOPAUSE' is set to 'off'.
# - The value must be specified in seconds (to the nearest 10 seconds e.g., '30', '40', '50', etc.).
# - For RemoteApp RDP sessions, there is a mandatory 20-second delay, so the minimum value that can be specified here is '20'.
# - Source: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/security-compliance-and-identity/terminal-services-remoteapp-8482-session-termination-logic/ba-p/246566
# DEFAULT VALUE: '300'
# VALID VALUES: >=20
AUTOPAUSE_TIME="300"

# [FREERDP COMMAND]
# NOTES:
# - WinApps will attempt to automatically detect the correct command to use for your system.
# DEFAULT VALUE: '' (BLANK)
# VALID VALUES: The command required to run FreeRDPv3 on your system (e.g., 'xfreerdp', 'xfreerdp3', etc.).
FREERDP_COMMAND=""

# [TIMEOUTS]
# NOTES:
# - These settings control various timeout durations within the WinApps setup.
# - Increasing the timeouts is only necessary if the corresponding errors occur.
# - Ensure you have followed all the Troubleshooting Tips in the error message first.

# PORT CHECK
# - The maximum time (in seconds) to wait when checking if the RDP port on Windows is open.
# - Corresponding error: "NETWORK CONFIGURATION ERROR" (exit status 13).
# DEFAULT VALUE: '5'
PORT_TIMEOUT="5"

# RDP CONNECTION TEST
# - The maximum time (in seconds) to wait when testing the initial RDP connection to Windows.
# - Corresponding error: "REMOTE DESKTOP PROTOCOL FAILURE" (exit status 14).
# DEFAULT VALUE: '30'
RDP_TIMEOUT="30"

# APPLICATION SCAN
# - The maximum time (in seconds) to wait for the script that scans for installed applications on Windows to complete.
# - Corresponding error: "APPLICATION QUERY FAILURE" (exit status 15).
# DEFAULT VALUE: '60'
APP_SCAN_TIMEOUT="60"

# WINDOWS BOOT
# - The maximum time (in seconds) to wait for the Windows VM to boot if it is not running, before attempting to launch an application.
# DEFAULT VALUE: '120'
BOOT_TIMEOUT="120"

[!IMPORTANT] To safeguard your Windows password, ensure ~/.config/winapps/winapps.conf is accessible only by your user account.
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chown $(whoami):$(whoami) ~/.config/winapps/winapps.conf
chmod 600 ~/.config/winapps/winapps.conf

[!IMPORTANT] RDP_USER and RDP_PASS must correspond to a complete Windows user account and password, such as those created during Windows setup or for a domain user. User/PIN combinations are not valid for RDP access.

[!IMPORTANT] If you wish to use an alternative WinApps backend (other than Docker), uncomment and change WAFLAVOR="docker" to WAFLAVOR="podman" or WAFLAVOR="libvirt".

Configuration Options Explained

If using a pre-existing Windows RDP server on your LAN, you must use RDP_IP to specify the location of the Windows server. You may also wish to configure a static IP address for this server.
If running a Windows VM using libvirt with NAT enabled, leave RDP_IP commented out and WinApps will auto-detect the local IP address for the VM.
For domain users, you can uncomment and change RDP_DOMAIN.
On high-resolution (UHD) displays, you can set RDP_SCALE to the scale you would like to use (100, 140 or 180).
To add additional flags to the FreeRDP call (e.g. /prevent-session-lock 120), uncomment and use the RDP_FLAGS configuration option.
For multi-monitor setups, you can try adding /multimon to RDP_FLAGS. A FreeRDP bug may result in a black screen however, in which case you should revert this change.
To enable non-English input and seamless language switching, you can try adding /kbd:unicode to RDP_FLAGS. This ensures client inputs are sent as Unicode sequences.
If you enable DEBUG, a log will be created on each application start in ~/.local/share/winapps/winapps.log.
If using a system on which the FreeRDP command is not xfreerdp or xfreerdp3, the correct command can be specified using FREERDP_COMMAND.

Step 4: Test FreeRDP

Test establishing an RDP session by running the following command, replacing the /u:, /p:, and /v: values with the correct values specified in ~/.config/winapps/winapps.conf.

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xfreerdp3 /u:"Your Windows Username" /p:"Your Windows Password" /v:192.168.122.2 /cert:tofu

# Or, if you installed FreeRDP using Flatpak
flatpak run --command=xfreerdp com.freerdp.FreeRDP /u:"Your Windows Username" /p:"Your Windows Password" /v:192.168.122.2 /cert:tofu

Please note that the correct FreeRDP command may vary depending on your system (e.g. xfreerdp, xfreerdp3, etc.).
Ensure you use the correct IP address for your Windows instance in the above command.
If prompted within the terminal window, choose to accept the certificate permanently.

If the Windows desktop appears in a FreeRDP window, the configuration was successful and the correct RDP TLS certificate was enrolled on the Linux host. Disconnect from the RDP session and skip the following debugging step.

[DEBUGGING STEP] If an outdated or expired certificate is detected, the FreeRDP command will display output resembling the following. In this case, the old certificate will need to be removed and a new RDP TLS certificate installed.

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@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
@           WARNING: CERTIFICATE NAME MISMATCH!           @
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

The hostname used for this connection (192.168.122.2:3389)
does not match the name given in the certificate:
Common Name (CN):
        RDPWindows
A valid certificate for the wrong name should NOT be trusted!

The host key for 192.168.122.2:3389 has changed

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
@    WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED!     @
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

IT IS POSSIBLE THAT SOMEONE IS DOING SOMETHING NASTY!
Someone could be eavesdropping on you right now (man-in-the-middle attack)!
It is also possible that a host key has just been changed.
The fingerprint for the host key sent by the remote host is 8e:b4:d2:8e:4e:14:e7:4e:82:9b:07:5b:e1:68:40:18:bc:db:5f:bc:29:0d:91:83:f9:17:f9:13:e6:51:dc:36
Please contact your system administrator.
Add correct host key in /home/rohanbarar/.config/freerdp/server/192.168.122.2_3389.pem to get rid of this message.

If you experience the above error, delete any old or outdated RDP TLS certificates associated with Windows, as they can prevent FreeRDP from establishing a connection.

These certificates are located within ~/.config/freerdp/server/ and follow the naming format <Windows-VM-IPv4-Address>_<RDP-Port>.pem (e.g., 192.168.122.2_3389.pem, 127.0.0.1_3389.pem, etc.).

If you use FreeRDP for purposes other than WinApps, ensure you only remove certificates related to the relevant Windows VM. If no relevant certificates are found, no action is needed.

Following deletion, re-attempt establishing an RDP session.

Step 5: Run the WinApps Installer

With Windows still powered on, run the WinApps installer.

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bash <(curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/winapps-org/winapps/main/setup.sh)

Once WinApps is installed, a list of additional arguments can be accessed by running winapps-setup --help.

Adding Additional Pre-defined Applications

Adding your own applications with custom icons and MIME types to the installer is easy. Simply copy one of the application configurations in the apps folder located within the WinApps repository, and:

Modify the name and variables to reflect the appropriate/desired values for your application.
Replace icon.svg with an SVG for your application (ensuring the icon is appropriately licensed).
Remove and reinstall WinApps.
Submit a pull request to add your application to WinApps as an officially supported application once you have tested and verified your configuration (optional, but encouraged).

Running Applications Manually

WinApps offers a manual mode for running applications that were not configured by the WinApps installer. This is completed with the manual flag. Executables that are in the Windows PATH do not require full path definition.

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winapps manual "C:\my\directory\executableNotInPath.exe"
winapps manual executableInPath.exe

Updating WinApps

The installer can be run multiple times. To update your installation of WinApps:

Run the WinApps installer to remove WinApps from your system.
Pull the latest changes from the WinApps GitHub repository.
Re-install WinApps using the WinApps installer by running winapps-setup.

WinApps Launcher (Optional)

The WinApps Launcher provides a simple system tray menu that makes it easy to launch your installed Windows applications, open a full desktop RDP session, and control your Windows VM or container. You can start, stop, pause, reboot or hibernate Windows, as well as access your installed applications from a convenient list. This lightweight, optional tool helps streamline your overall WinApps experience.

Installation using Nix

First, follow Step 1 of the normal installation guide to create your VM. Then, install WinApps according to the following instructions.

After installation, it will be available under winapps, with the installer being available under winapps-setup and the optional launcher being available under winapps-launcher.

Using standalone Nix

First, make sure Flakes and the nix command are enabled. In your ~/.config/nix/nix.conf:

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experimental-features = nix-command flakes

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nix profile install github:winapps-org/winapps#winapps
nix profile install github:winapps-org/winapps#winapps-launcher # optional

On NixOS using Flakes

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# flake.nix
{
  description = "My configuration";

  inputs = {
    nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";

    winapps = {
      url = "github:winapps-org/winapps";
      inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
    };
  };

  outputs =
    inputs@{
      nixpkgs,
      winapps,
      ...
    }:
    {
      nixosConfigurations.hostname = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem rec {
        system = "x86_64-linux";

        specialArgs = {
          inherit inputs system;
        };

        modules = [
          ./configuration.nix
          (
            {
              pkgs,
              system ? pkgs.system,
              ...
            }:
            {
              environment.systemPackages = [
                winapps.packages."${system}".winapps
                winapps.packages."${system}".winapps-launcher # optional
              ];
            }
          )
        ];
      };
    };
}

On NixOS without Flakes

Flakes aren’t real and they can’t hurt you.. However, if you still don’t want to use flakes, you can use WinApps with flake-compat like:

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# configuration.nix
{
  pkgs,
  system ? pkgs.system,
  ...
}:
{
  # set up binary cache (optional)
  nix.settings = {
    substituters = [ "https://winapps.cachix.org/" ];
    trusted-public-keys = [ "winapps.cachix.org-1:HI82jWrXZsQRar/PChgIx1unmuEsiQMQq+zt05CD36g=" ];
    trusted-users = [ "<your username>" ]; # replace with your username
  };

  environment.systemPackages =
    let
      winapps =
        (import (builtins.fetchTarball "https://github.com/winapps-org/winapps/archive/main.tar.gz"))
        .packages."${system}";
    in
    [
      winapps.winapps
      winapps.winapps-launcher # optional
    ];
}