🚀 WinBoat is a new way to run Windows applications on Linux with seamless integration. Unlike Wine or Proton which try to translate Windows system calls, WinBoat runs a full Windows environment inside Linux using Docker and KVM, and then streams apps directly onto your Linux desktop so they feel native. This makes it perfect for apps like Photoshop, Microsoft Office, and other Windows software that fail to run properly on Wine or Proton. 💻 Works across Arch Linux, Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian and more. In this video I’m showing the process on Arch Linux with Hyprland, but it’s the same idea on other distros. ⚙️ Step 1: Install prerequisites sudo pacman -S docker qemu-full virt-manager dnsmasq bridge-utils ⚡ Step 2: Enable Docker sudo systemctl enable docker --now 🧾 Step 3: Check virtualization support egrep -c '(vmx|svm)' /proc/cpuinfo 📥 Step 4: Download WinBoat AppImage from the official site and make it executable link - chmod +x ~/Applications/ ./Applications/ 🔧 Step 5: Fix additional issues Install Docker Compose v2 sudo pacman -S docker-compose Add user to docker group sudo usermod -aG docker $USER If it still doesn’t work after reboot sudo gpasswd -a $USER docker Then log out and back in or run newgrp docker 🖥️ Step 6: Setup Windows VM Point WinBoat to your Windows 11 ISO Choose CPU and RAM (4 cores + 8 GB recommended) Install Windows normally and then your apps ⌛ Installation time depends on your internet and hardware. Without big downloads it takes about 30 to 45 minutes, with updates and slower speeds it can take up to 1.5 hours. 🔥 WinBoat is a great alternative to Wine, Proton, CrossOver or WinApps. It’s especially useful for Linux users who need Windows-only software while keeping their main workflow on Linux. Perfect for Arch Linux, Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Hyprland, GNOME, KDE Plasma and more. #linux #ubuntu #fedora #popos #zorinos #manjaro #arch #foss #tech