Run Windows apps such as Microsoft Office/Adobe in Linux (Ubuntu/Fedora) and GNOME/KDE as if they were a part of the native OS, including Nautilus integration for right clicking on files of specific mime types to open them.
Proud to have made the top spot on r/linux on launch day.
WinApps was created as an easy, one command way to include apps running inside a VM (or on any RDP server) directly into GNOME as if they were native applications. WinApps works by:
- Running a Windows RDP server in a background VM container
- Checking the RDP server for installed applications such as Microsoft Office
- If those programs are installed, it creates shortcuts leveraging FreeRDP for both the CLI and the GNOME tray
- Files in your home directory are accessible via the
\\tsclient\homemount inside the VM - You can right click on any files in your home directory to open with an application, too
Note: The app list below is fueled by the community, and therefore many apps may be untested by the WinApps team.
 | Adobe Acrobat Pro (X) |
 | Adobe After Effects (CC) |
 | Adobe Audition (CC) |
 | Adobe Bridge (CS6, CC) |
 | Adobe Creative Cloud (CC) |
 | Adobe Illustrator (CC) |
 | Adobe InDesign (CC) |
 | Adobe Lightroom (CC) |
 | Adobe Photoshop (CS6, CC) |
 | Adobe Premier (CC) |
 | Command Prompt (cmd.exe) |
 | Explorer (File Manager) |
 | Internet Explorer (11) |
 | Microsoft Access (2016, 2019, o365) |
 | Microsoft Excel (2016, 2019, o365) |
 | Microsoft Word (2016, 2019, o365) |
 | Microsoft OneNote (2016, 2019, o365) |
 | Microsoft Outlook (2016, 2019, o365) |
 | Microsoft PowerPoint (2016, 2019, o365) |
 | Microsoft Project (2016, 2019, o365) |
 | Microsoft Publisher (2016, 2019, o365) |
 | Powershell |
 | Visual Studio (2019 - Ent|Pro|Com) |
 | Windows (Full RDP session) |
You will need to store the WinApps repo in a permanent place and not remove it after install. To get things going, use:
sudo apt-get install -y freerdp2-x11
git clone https://github.com/Fmstrat/winapps.git
cd winappsYou will need to create a ~/.config/winapps/winapps.conf configuration file with the following information in it:
RDP_USER="MyWindowsUser"
RDP_PASS="MyWindowsPassword"
#RDP_DOMAIN="MYDOMAIN"
#RDP_IP="192.168.123.111"
#RDP_SCALE=100
#MULTIMON="true"
#DEBUG="true"Options:
- When using a pre-existing non-KVM RDP server, you can use the
RDP_IPto specify it's location - If you are running a VM in KVM with NAT enabled, leave
RDP_IPcommented out and WinApps will auto-detect the right local IP - For domain users, you can uncomment and change
RDP_DOMAIN - On high-resolution (UHD) displays, you can set
RDP_SCALEto the scale you would like [100|140|160|180] - For multi-monitor setups, you can try enabling
MULTIMON, however if you get a black screen (FreeRDP bug) you will need to revert back - If you enable
DEBUG, a log will be created on each application start in~/.local/share/winapps/winapps.log
You can refer to the KVM documentation for specifics, but the first thing you need to do is set up a Virtual Machine running Windows 10 Professional (or any version that supports RDP). First, clone WinApps and install KVM and FreeRDP:
sudo apt-get install -y virt-managerNow set up KVM to run as your user instead of root and allow it through AppArmor (for Ubuntu 20.04 and above):
sudo sed -i "s/#user = "root"/user = "$(id -un)"/g" /etc/libvirt/qemu.conf
sudo sed -i "s/#group = "root"/group = "$(id -gn)"/g" /etc/libvirt/qemu.conf
sudo usermod -a -G kvm $(id -un)
sudo usermod -a -G libvirt $(id -un)
sudo systemctl restart libvirtd
sudo ln -s /etc/apparmor.d/usr.sbin.libvirtd /etc/apparmor.d/disable/
sleep 5
sudo virsh net-autostart default
sudo virsh net-start defaultYou will likely need to reboot to ensure your current shell is added to the group.
Next, define a VM called RDPWindows from the sample XML file with:
virsh define kvm/RDPWindows.xml
virsh autostart RDPWindowsTo increase performance of the VM and decrease resource utilization, read the Improving Performance section.
You will now want to change any settings on the VM and install Windows and whatever programs you would like, such as Microsoft Office. If the definition fails, you can always manually create a VM. You can access VMs with:
virt-managerIf you already have an RDP server or VM, using WinApps is very straight forward. Simply skip to step 4!
After the install process, or on your current RDP server, you will want to:
- Go to the Start Menu
- Type "About"
- Open "About"
- Change the PC name to "RDPWindows" if you are using KVM (This will allow WinApps to detect the local IP)
- Go to Settings
- Under "System", then "Remote Desktop" allow remote connections for RDP
- Merge
kvm/RDPApps.reginto the registry to enable RDP Applications
Lastly, check that FreeRDP can connect with:
bin/winapps check
You will see output from FreeRDP, as well as potentially have to accept the initial certificate. After that, a Windows Explorer window should pop up. You can close this window and press Ctrl-C to cancel out of FreeRDP.
If this step fails, try restarting the VM.
Then the final step is to run the installer:
$ ./installer.sh --user
Removing any old configurations...
Installing...
Checking for installed apps in RDP machine (this may take a while)... Finished.
Configuring Excel... Finished.
Configuring PowerPoint... Finished.
Configuring Word... Finished.
Configuring Windows... Finished.
Installation complete.Adding applications to the installer is easy. Simply copy one of the application configurations in the apps folder, and:
- Edit the variables for the application
- Replace the
icon.svgwith an SVG for the application (appropriately licensed) - Re-run the installer
- Submit a Pull Request to add it to WinApps officially
When running the installer, it will check for if any configured apps are installed, and if they are it will create the appropriate shortcuts on the host OS.
WinApps offers a manual mode for running applications that are not configured. This is completed with the manual flag. Executables that are in the path do not require full path definition.
./bin/winapps manual "C:\my\directory\executableNotInPath.exe"
./bin/winapps manual executableInPath.exeThe installer can be run multiple times, so simply run:
$ git pull
$ ./installer.sh --user
Removing any old configurations...
Removing /home/fmstrat/.local/share/applications/excel.desktop... Finished.
Removing /home/fmstrat/.local/share/applications/powerpoint.desktop... Finished.
Removing /home/fmstrat/.local/share/applications/windows.desktop... Finished.
Removing /home/fmstrat/.local/share/applications/word.desktop... Finished.
Removing /home/fmstrat/.local/bin/excel... Finished.
Removing /home/fmstrat/.local/bin/powerpoint... Finished.
Removing /home/fmstrat/.local/bin/windows... Finished.
Removing /home/fmstrat/.local/bin/word... Finished.
Installing...
Checking for installed apps in RDP machine (this may take a while)... Finished.
Configuring Excel... Finished.
Configuring PowerPoint... Finished.
Configuring Word... Finished.
Configuring Windows... Finished.
Installation complete.The following commands can be used to manage your application configurations:
./installer.sh --user # Configure applications for the current user
./installer.sh --system # Configure applications for the entire system
./installer.sh --user --uninstall # Remove all configured applications for the current user
./installer.sh --system --uninstall # Remove all configured applications for the entire systemIn KVM, the CPU timing is not optimized by default. Use virsh edit RDPWindows to edit the VM and change:
<clock offset='localtime'>
<timer name='rtc' tickpolicy='catchup'/>
<timer name='pit' tickpolicy='delay'/>
<timer name='hpet' present='no'/>
<timer name='hypervclock' present='yes'/>
</clock>to:
<clock offset='localtime'>
<timer name='hpet' present='yes'/>
<timer name='hypervclock' present='yes'/>
</clock>- Some icons pulled from
- Fluent UI React - Icons under MIT License
- Fluent UI - Icons under MIT License with restricted use
- PKief's VSCode Material Icon Theme - Icons under MIT License
- DiemenDesign's LibreICONS - Icons under MIT License