How to install and completely remove Wine?





If you are following Ubuntu, you must be Wine familiar with Wine. Wine is an application that allows you to run Windows-based programs in Ubuntu. You install Wine by executing the following command in the Terminal (Applications -> Accessories -> Terminal).

sudo apt-get install wine

Now, you need to install the Windows-only application that you wish to use. Go to Appliactions -> Wine -> Configure Wine, and install the application. A simpler approach will be to just click on the Windows installer of the application. It will be installed inside Wine and a can be accessed under Applications -> Wine. To uninstall, use the Uninstall Wine Software option or do it from Configure Wine option.

Completely removing Wine: In case you want to completely remove Wine, the ususal uninstall command would leave you wondering what went wrong. It will uninstall Wine but leave the folders under the Applications menu. If you want a complete uninstall, execute the following commands in Terminal in the following order.

sudo apt-get remove wine
rm -rf $HOME/.wine
rm -f $HOME/.config/menus/applications-merged/wine*
rm -rf $HOME/.local/share/applications/wine
rm -f $HOME/.local/share/desktop-directories/wine*
rm -f $HOME/.local/share/icons/????_*.xpm

PS: This is the sixth in a series on switching to Ubuntu from Windows, for non-geeks. At the end of the Ubuntu series, you will be a proud owner of a fantastic Linux system.

Ubuntu series:
Part1: Easy guide to getting started with Ubuntu
Part2: Dual-boot Ubuntu and Windows with common storage drives
Part3: Make Ubuntu mount partitions and drives automatically at startup
Part4: Activating restricted music formats, Java and Flash on Ubuntu
Part5: Installing some basic applications on your Ubuntu system
Part6: How to install and completely remove Wine?
Part7: Easily tweak Ubuntu with Ubuntu Tweak
Part8: Tasque manages to-do list locally or integrates with Remember The Milk
Part9: AllTray: Dock every application in tray
Part10: Install a Web server on Ubuntu home computer

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Author: Pritam P Hans

Date: Thursday, March 12, 2009

11 comments | Leave a comment

11 Responses to "How to install and completely remove Wine?"

Gary  (June 2, 2009 12:54 AM)
Thank you so much your guide helped me to perfection.
I would also uninstall the program for Windows library file that has the name winetricks hope can help me.
Rodrigo Haas  (July 15, 2009 9:49 AM)
Thank you very much Pritam!

I found your blog in google for my problem (removing completely Wine)

Rodrigo (from Brazil)
Kevin Brooks  (October 31, 2009 4:24 AM)
Thank you so much for posting this solution- it worked perfectly. I had tried at least five other approaches, so your help was much appreciated.
Luis  (November 24, 2009 7:26 AM)
Hello
I've used the command
rm -rf $HOME/.wine
put unfortunately it deleted my pictures folder!! Do not understand why.
Is there a way to recover my pictures folder?
Thanks
Anonymous  (January 14, 2010 8:46 PM)
Excellent post!
Thanks a lot... if you are a beginner using wine and you have some problems trying to remove software, this is the best way to solve them.
Anonymous  (March 15, 2010 10:41 AM)
What the heck !

It deleted my many other folders too...it had alot of important data in them :(

how to recover them ???
Anonymous  (April 12, 2010 11:45 PM)
Thx for this. I was wondering how to remove Wine completely, then I found this and it worked!

-Simon
Kanna  (April 16, 2010 7:18 PM)
I uninstalled wine and installed it again. But it is not showing under Application Menu. I wondered for it on Main Menu (System >Preferences). It is there but there are no subfolders under wine.

Please help how can I get wine under application menu to use it.
Anonymous  (May 31, 2010 8:38 AM)
thanks a lot........

it's very nice post

ubai (indonesia)
Rop  (June 18, 2010 5:20 PM)
thanks. helpful post.
Teddy Kent  (July 9, 2010 7:12 AM)
sudo apt-get autoremove wine

that is probably the best way

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