dpkg-deb --build myapp
You’ll get myapp.deb. Install with sudo dpkg -i myapp.deb.
nano myapp/usr/share/applications/myapp.desktop
[Desktop Entry]
Name=My Windows App
Exec=run-myapp
Icon=wine
Type=Application
Categories=Utility;
Package: myapp Version: 1.0-1 Section: utils Priority: optional Architecture: all Depends: wine Maintainer: Your Name you@example.com Description: MyApp packaged to run under Wine
The most common solution for running .exe files on Linux is not conversion, but translation. This is achieved through Wine (Wine Is Not an Emulator). Wine is a compatibility layer that translates Windows system calls into Linux system calls in real-time. how to convert exe to deb
While Wine allows you to run an .exe directly, users often want a .deb file for easier installation and integration into their system menu. This has led to the creation of "portable wrappers."
Tools like PlayOnLinux or Lutris essentially take a Windows executable, configure a specific Wine environment for it, and bundle that environment together. However, these are usually scripts rather than true .deb packages. While effective for the end-user, this method does not convert the software; it simply creates a compatibility bubble around it.
Before we start, let's clear up a major misconception: dpkg-deb --build myapp
You cannot take a .exe file and magically turn it into a .deb file that runs natively. However, you can wrap the EXE inside a DEB package so that it installs and runs via Wine (a Windows compatibility layer for Linux).
mkdir -p npp-deb/usr/share/npp cp npp.8.5.3.Installer.exe npp-deb/usr/share/npp/
Converting a Windows .exe into a Debian .deb package isn’t a literal binary translation; it typically means packaging a Windows executable so it can be installed on Debian-based systems (via compatibility layers like Wine) or rebuilding/repackaging the program for Linux. Below are three practical approaches with detailed, step-by-step instructions, trade-offs, and examples. You’ll get myapp
Solution: Use winetricks to install those DLLs into the Wine prefix, then package the entire prefix.
Example with winetricks:
WINEPREFIX="$HOME/.wine-myapp" winetricks vcrun2019
Then modify your launch script to use that same WINEPREFIX.