Freedom251 › Windows Compatibility Layers
Bottles
What Bottles is
Bottles helps people run Windows applications and games on Linux by managing Windows prefixes, which the project calls bottles. It offers Gaming, Application, and Custom environments, with Wine and Proton runners including Soda, Vaniglia, and CrossOver builds. Installers can apply rules to set up programs automatically, and a dependency manager draws on a public, community-driven repository. Users can manage graphics components such as DXVK, VKD3D, DXVK-NVAPI, and LatencyFleX. Its community App Store offers Windows application installers with compatibility grades from Bronze through Platinum. Other listed tools include backups, versioning, duplication, and importing bottles from other managers. The project recommends Flatpak: it bundles dependencies, is identified as the most supported and tested release, and is the only fully sandboxed package. Bottles supports Linux and macOS and is free software. Connection-dependent features do not work offline, and exposing the system home directory to a runner breaks the Flatpak sandbox and risks personal files.
Who it suits
Bottles suits Linux users who want to run Windows applications or games. Its macOS support is also listed.
What it does well
- Gaming, Application, and Custom environments
- Supports Wine and Proton runners
- Community installers include compatibility grades
- Offers backups, versioning, and duplication
- Free software project
What to know first
- Connection-dependent features are blocked offline
- Exposing the home directory breaks Flatpak sandboxing
- First launch downloads components
Limits
Bottles has no paid plan listed; it is free software. Connection-dependent features are blocked offline. Exposing the system home directory to a runner breaks the Flatpak sandbox and can put personal files at risk.
Getting started
- Open the Bottles website or use its documentation and download links.
- On Linux, install the recommended Flatpak release through Flathub.
- Launch Bottles and let it download and check its first-run components.
- Choose a Gaming, Application, or Custom environment for a bottle.
- Select a runner or use an installer from the community App Store.
Verdict
Bottles offers prefix management, runners, installers, and graphics components for running Windows software on Linux. The project recommends Flatpak, while warning that exposing the system home directory to a runner defeats its sandbox.
Questions
How much does Bottles cost?
Bottles is free software, and its pricing model is free. The project lists donation options including GitHub Sponsors, PayPal, and LiberaPay.
Which platforms does Bottles support?
Bottles supports Linux and macOS, including Apple silicon. Its official recommended installation route is Flatpak via Flathub for Linux.
What can Bottles run?
Bottles manages Windows prefixes for running Windows applications and games. It supports Wine and Proton runners, with Gaming, Application, and Custom environments.
Is Bottles open source?
The project describes Bottles as a free software project.
Does Bottles work offline?
Connection-dependent features are blocked while offline.
What should I know about the Flatpak sandbox?
The Flatpak release is the only fully sandboxed package. Giving a runner access to the system home directory breaks that sandbox and can put personal files at risk.
Facts from Bottles's own pages
- Backups and versioning
- The documentation lists versioning, backups, duplication, and importing bottles from other managers among its features. · usebottles.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Bottle environments
- Bottles calls its Windows prefix environments “bottles,” which use compatibility-layer runners to run Windows applications on Linux. · usebottles.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Community catalog
- The App Store offers community-maintained installers for Windows applications, with compatibility grades from Bronze through Platinum. · usebottles.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Component checks
- At first launch, downloaded components are checked against repository checksums; a failed check causes the file to be deleted and installation to fail. · usebottles.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Dependencies
- Bottles provides a dependency manager backed by a public, community-driven repository of dependency manifests. · usebottles.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Environments
- It offers Gaming, Application, and Custom environments with configurations and dependencies for different uses. · usebottles.com, 28 Sept 2026
- First-run downloads
- On first launch, Bottles downloads components including Caffe, DXVK, VKD3D, NVAPI, LatencyFleX, and Runtime, and checks each file against a repository checksum. · usebottles.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Flatpak support
- The documentation says Flatpak is the only fully sandboxed package and calls it the most supported and tested release. · github.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Founded
- 2017 · usebottles.com, 23 Sept 2026
- Funding
- Bottles describes itself as a free software project and lists donation options including GitHub Sponsors, PayPal, and LiberaPay. · usebottles.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Graphics components
- Users can install and manage components including DXVK, VKD3D, DXVK-NVAPI, and LatencyFleX. · usebottles.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Installers
- Bottles installers automate software installation and bottle configuration, including installation of required dependencies through Bottles’ dependency manager. · usebottles.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Install method
- The official recommended installation is Flatpak via Flathub, supported on major Linux distributions including Steam Deck. · usebottles.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Intended users
- The project describes Bottles as a way to run Windows applications and games on Linux. · usebottles.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Notable limitation
- Bottles requires an internet connection for connection-dependent features, which are blocked while offline. · usebottles.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Purpose
- Bottles is an application for managing Windows prefixes and running Windows software on Linux. · usebottles.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Runners
- Bottles supports Wine and Proton runners, including Soda, Caffe, Vaniglia, and CrossOver builds. · usebottles.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Sandbox
- The Flatpak package is sandboxed, bundles needed dependencies, and is described as the most supported and tested release. · usebottles.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Sandboxing
- The project describes Bottles as sandboxed and identifies Flatpak as its official recommended installation method. · usebottles.com, 28 Sept 2026
- Security limitation
- Bottles warns that exposing the system home directory to a runner breaks the Flatpak sandbox and can expose personal files to danger. · usebottles.com, 29 Sept 2026
- Support
- The site directs users to documentation and offers links to report bugs, request features, and report dependencies. · usebottles.com, 29 Sept 2026
- UMU integration
- ProtoSoda is the default runner for Bottles’ UMU integration and supports games managed through UMU. · usebottles.com, 28 Sept 2026
Where Bottles stands on Freedom251
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