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what is winapps fr?

winapps-org/winapps — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-24 · repo last pushed 2026-05-16

15,016ShellAudience · ops devopsComplexity · 4/5MaintainedSetup · hard

tl;dr

Run Windows apps like Microsoft 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud on Linux as if they were native, by hiding a Windows VM behind FreeRDP windows.

vibe map

mindmap
  root((winapps))
    Inputs
      Windows ISO or VM
      App selection
      Linux home folder
    Outputs
      Native looking app windows
      Desktop shortcuts
      File associations
    Use Cases
      Run Office on Linux
      Use Adobe on Linux
      Open files with Windows apps
    Tech Stack
      Shell
      Docker
      Podman
      libvirt
      FreeRDP

Code map

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filefunction / class

what do people make with this?

VIBE 1

Run Microsoft Office on a Linux laptop without dual-booting

VIBE 2

Open Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator from a GNOME or KDE menu

VIBE 3

Right-click a file in Nautilus and open it with a Windows program

VIBE 4

Share the Linux home folder transparently into a Windows VM

what's the stack?

ShellDockerPodmanlibvirtFreeRDPKVM

how it stacks up fr

winapps-org/winappsbash-it/bash-itquickemu-project/quickemu
Stars15,01615,04415,092
LanguageShellShellShell
Last pushed2026-05-16
MaintenanceMaintained
Setup difficultyhardeasymoderate
Complexity4/51/53/5
Audienceops devopsdeveloperops devops

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

how do i run it?

Difficulty · hard time til it works · 1day+

Requires a licensed Windows ISO, a working Docker/Podman/libvirt VM, and a tuned FreeRDP install before any app shortcut appears.

in plain english

WinApps is a project that lets you run Windows applications such as Microsoft 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud on a Linux machine, with the windows for those programs appearing alongside your Linux windows as if they were native. The README shows it working on the KDE Plasma, GNOME, and XFCE desktops on Linux. Under the hood, WinApps installs a copy of Windows inside a virtual machine using Docker, Podman, or libvirt. It then asks that Windows install which programs are present, creates Linux shortcuts for the ones you want, and uses a tool called FreeRDP to draw each Windows program as its own window on the Linux desktop. From a user point of view it looks like opening Word or Photoshop locally, but the actual program is running inside the hidden Windows VM. The README lists several conveniences that come with this setup. Your Linux home folder is mounted inside Windows so files are shared automatically. There is integration with the Nautilus file manager, so you can right-click a file in Linux and open it with a Windows program based on its file type. A separate taskbar widget project gives you a panel for managing the Windows side and launching apps. Microsoft Office web links opened on Linux are routed to the Windows version of the app. The project claims support for every Windows program, because it scans the Windows registry for any installed executable and creates a shortcut for it. A community-maintained list provides higher-quality icons and file-type associations for popular apps such as the Adobe suite, Affinity apps, File Explorer, and Command Prompt. The README is upfront that kernel-level anti-cheat systems used by some games are not supported. WinApps is a hard fork of an earlier project by Fmstrat. The full README is longer than what was shown.

prompts (copy fr)

prompt 1
Walk me through installing winapps with Docker on Fedora KDE step by step
prompt 2
My winapps FreeRDP window is black after launch, what config should I check
prompt 3
Show me how to add a custom Windows app to winapps that is not in the community list
prompt 4
Write a systemd unit that starts the winapps libvirt VM on boot
prompt 5
Compare the Docker, Podman, and libvirt backends for winapps and pick one for my setup

Frequently asked questions

what is winapps fr?

Run Windows apps like Microsoft 365 and Adobe Creative Cloud on Linux as if they were native, by hiding a Windows VM behind FreeRDP windows.

What language is winapps written in?

Mainly Shell. The stack also includes Shell, Docker, Podman.

Is winapps actively maintained?

Maintained — commit in last 6 months (last push 2026-05-16).

How hard is winapps to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated hard, with roughly 1day+ to a first successful run.

Who is winapps for?

Mainly ops devops.

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