Vinter

Vinter

Windows apps, poured onto your Mac.

Vinter runs Windows programs on macOS and Linux, without a Windows license or a virtual machine.

Download for Mac View on GitHub

Free and open source. Early development. Also for Linux.

How it works

  1. Pick an app or installer

    Choose the Windows installer you downloaded, or start from a ready-made recipe.

  2. Vinter sets up a bottle

    A bottle is a small, self-contained Windows environment with its own C: drive and settings. Your Mac stays untouched.

  3. Launch it like a normal app

    Your program gets a tile with its own icon. Open it with one click, and soon from Spotlight too.

What Vinter does

  • Bottles

    Keep each app in its own environment. Create, duplicate and delete them in seconds, and pick the Windows version per bottle.

  • One-click recipes

    Pick an app and Vinter downloads its official installer, checks it, and sets up a bottle with the right settings. A few to start with, more to come.

  • Graphics backends

    Choose how DirectX is translated per bottle: Wine's built-in renderer or DXVK over Vulkan, with Metal based options planned. A built-in test shows what you get.

  • Native launchers Coming

    Start your Windows programs from Spotlight, Launchpad or your Linux app menu.

  • Per-run logs

    Every launch gets its own log, with live output while it runs. Handy when something does not start.

  • Built in Rust

    A small, fast native app. Downloads are checksum-verified before anything is installed.

Honest status

Vinter is early. Plenty of Windows software runs well, and plenty does not yet. There is no downloadable release yet.

Works today

  • Installing Wine runtimes, with checksum verification
  • Creating, duplicating and deleting bottles
  • Running installers and finding the installed programs, with their icons
  • Launching and stopping programs, with live logs
  • Choosing the graphics backend per bottle (Wine's built-in or DXVK)
  • One-click recipes for a few apps (Notepad++, 7-Zip, PuTTY), and your own
  • macOS on Apple Silicon (with Rosetta 2) and Linux x86_64

Coming next

  • Metal based graphics backends (DXMT, D3DMetal)
  • More app recipes
  • Launchers in Spotlight and app menus
  • Signed releases and automatic updates
  • Native Apple Silicon runtimes that do not need Rosetta 2

Questions

Is this an emulator?

No. Vinter builds on Wine, a compatibility layer that translates Windows calls into macOS and Linux ones. Programs run directly, not inside an emulated PC.

Do I need Windows?

No. You do not need a Windows license or a virtual machine.

Will my app work?

It depends on the app. Many work, some need tweaks, and some do not run yet. Recipes capture the tweaks for apps that are known to work.

Is it free?

Yes. Vinter is free and open source.

Does it run on Apple Silicon?

Yes. Today's Wine builds for Mac need Rosetta 2, and Vinter offers to install it. Apple is limiting Rosetta in a future macOS release, so native Apple Silicon runtimes are on the roadmap.

Can I play games?

Some. Games with anti-cheat systems are not supported.