How to Install PlayOnLinux 4.3.4 on Ubuntu 23.10 & 24.04

Quick Insight

PlayOnLinux gives you a visual front-end for Wine so you can run Windows apps on your Linux desktop. You add its repo, grab the .deb package, and let the tool fetch Mono and Gecko for you. Then, you pick an app from the built-in list or point to an exe file to start a guided setup. This keeps each program in its own sandbox, so dependency clashes do not break your main system. As a result, you run tools like Office or Notepad++ on an open-source OS with no Windows license needed.

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Nowadays, you may prefer Linux-based systems for your computing needs. However, there is a difficulty that we encounter most often in systems like Ubuntu. This is, of course, to run Windows programs. However, PlayOnLinux 4.3.4 offers an effective solution to these problems.

PlayOnLinux provides a user-friendly interface based on the Wine infrastructure. In this way, you can quickly run Windows-based programs on our OSes, such as Ubuntu 22.04, 23.10, or 24.04. In this article, I will tell you how to install this software correctly.

Installing PlayOnLinux on Ubuntu

How to Set Up and Use PlayOnLinux 4.3.4 to Run Windows Program in Ubuntu Distribution

PlayOnLinux, as can be understood from its name, is a front-end program that allows you to run a Windows-based Exe program or game on Linux platforms. It is designed with the Wine software infrastructure in mind.

This software was designed for Linux systems only. Still, PlayOnMac and PlayOnBSD versions were also developed for macOS and FreeBSD systems.

Linux operating system users can run programs such as Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Opera, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and iTunes on their computers with PlayOnLinux.

Properties

PlayOnLinux is a free software program that uses Bash and Python. The most essential feature of this software is that it does not need a Windows operating system license.

Thanks to this software, which was developed as an interface to the Wine software and includes a simple user interface, users can easily set up the program from the user interface without writing any code.

The only downside is that it doesn’t support some programs besides being able to install programs and games from the software store. Therefore, it may be necessary to install unsupported programs or games manually.

On Which Systems Does It Work?

This software runs on many Linux-based systems. For example, You can use PlayOnLinux on Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Fedora, CentOS, OpenSUSE, and RedHat.

Also, the PlayOnLinux setup steps for Debian systems are much like those for Ubuntu, but the package manager is different. In short, correctly setting up the Wine engine is key on both systems. My advice is to use the guide made for your own version.

If you are using a different Linux version, do not worry. Setting up PlayOnLinux on Linux Mint works almost the same way as on Ubuntu. You have probably noticed that Mint’s software tool can sometimes act a bit differently.

How to Download It?

To download the program, you can visit the official website and browse the installation guides. You can also install the program via the terminal and with both the .deb extension package.

How to Download and Build PlayOnLinux

Suppose you want to run the latest version of this software, which can run on many Linux distributions, on your Ubuntu computer. In that case, you may first need to configure the repository address.

Step 1

In order to run this software version 4.3.4 on Ubuntu 22.04, you need to add the playful address to your system’s repo list. Otherwise, you will not be able to download some dependent packages and complete the installation during the installation phase.

Open the terminal by pressing CTRL + ALT + T and execute the “echo “deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ impish main” | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list” command to add repo address.

echo "deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ impish main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list

Adding a Repository Address

Step 2

To update the software list on Ubuntu, open the terminal and type sudo apt update.

sudo apt update

Updating the Repository List

Step 3

You can see the installation packages for various Linux distributions on the program’s official website. If you are using a different Linux distribution, you need to download the relevant package.

Execute the command below in the terminal to download the appropriate package so that you can run Windows programs in Ubuntu.

wget https://www.playonlinux.com/script_files/PlayOnLinux/4.3.4/PlayOnLinux_4.3.4.deb

Downloading PlayOnLinux

Step 4

To install the PlayOnLinux_4.3.4.deb package you downloaded, execute the command below in the terminal.

sudo dpkg -i PlayOnLinux_4.3.4.deb

Installing PlayOnLinux

Step 5

When you try to install the deb package, you may find that the dependent packages are not installed on your system. Execute the “sudo apt install -f” command in the terminal to download and install these packages.

sudo apt install -f

Downloading and Installing Dependent Packages

Step 6

After checking the dependent packages, press Y and Enter to confirm the additional disk space usage of 934 MB.

Confirming Packages to Install

Step 7

After installing the dependent packages, you can check the version of the program using the command below in the terminal and use the “playonlinux” command to run it.

playonlinux --version

Checking the Version and Starting the Program

Step 8

You can check that you have installed the latest version by clicking the Help / About option from the program tool menu.

Run Windows Programs on Linux

How to Install a Windows Program

After installing PlayOnLinux on Ubuntu, you can start installing a Windows-based exe program on your system.

Step 1

Open the PlayOnLinux program and click Install a Program under Actions.

Installing Notepad Plus Plus

Step 2

In the information window explaining what you need to do during the installation, check the Don’t Remind Me Anymore option and click Next.

Reading Comments During Installation

Step 3

In order to avoid displaying the window stating that the PlayOnLinux software is not related to WineHQ again, select the same option and click Next again.

PlayOnLinux is not related to WineHQ

Step 4

When the installation wizard opens, after checking where the program will be installed and by whom it was developed, click Next.

Setup Wizard

Step 5

Wait while the Wine software is downloaded, which provides the infrastructure to run Windows programs.

You can run Windows programs without using PlayOnLinux. Setting up Wine in Ubuntu needs a bit more technical know-how. The truth is, some programs run more smoothly without virtual drives. I especially suggest trying this way for up-to-date software.

Downloading Wine

Step 6

After installing Wine, install Mono and Gecko packages.

Installing Wine Mono and Wine Gecko

Step 7

Accept the license agreement for Microsoft fonts and click Next.

Accepting the Microsoft Fonts License Agreement

Step 8

You can use the exe setup file you downloaded from the Notepad website to your computer, or you can choose to download the program from the Internet. At this stage, select Download the Program and click Next to download the Notepad application from the Internet.

Download Notepad Program

Step 9

When the Notepad Plus Plus installation wizard starts, choose the language of the program and click OK.

Selecting Notepad Language

Step 10

Continue by clicking Next in the window that reports you to close all applications before starting the installation.

Continuing the Setup Wizard

Step 11

Accept the license agreement of the Notepad program and continue.

Accepting the License Agreement

Step 12

Do not change the installation location; click Next.

Configuring the Installation Directory

Step 13

Configure the components of the Notepad application that you do not want to install and click Next.

Selecting Components

Step 14

Choose to create a shortcut for Notepad in your Ubuntu desktop location and click Next.

Creating a Desktop Shortcut

Step 15

After completing the installation of the note-taking application, click Finish.

Running Notepad

Step 16

You can check the version of the program in Help / About and start saving your notes quickly on your Linux PC.

Checking the Version of the Notes App

How to Uninstall a Windows Program

You can easily remove Windows software that you have installed on your Linux computer by selecting it from the program’s interface.

Step 1

Select the Notepad software and then click Remove from the tool menu to open Uninstaller.

Uninstalling a Windows Program

Step 2

Click Yes to confirm that you want to delete the virtual drive created in the Uninstaller window.

PlayOnLinux Uninstaller

Step 3

After you have successfully uninstalled the program from your Linux PC, click Next to close the wizard.

Notepad Removed Successfully

How to Uninstall PlayOnLinux from Ubuntu

Suppose you don’t want to use Windows applications on your Linux computer anymore. In that case, you can easily remove the program you installed and all the packages connected to it from your system.

Steps:

Step 1

To uninstall PlayOnLinux, execute the command below in the terminal and continue by typing your root password.

sudo apt purge --auto-remove playonlinux

Uninstalling PlayOnLinux

Step 2

Press Y and Enter to confirm deleting all dependent packages with a size of 857 MB and wait for the process to complete.

Confirming Packages to be Deleted

Video

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Installing Old Versions

Ubuntu | PoL VersionYouTube VideoSlide
17.10 | 4.2.12Watch–
18.04 | 4.2.12WatchView
22.04 | 4.3.4 (NEW)Watch–

Running Windows Programs on Ubuntu: 6 Critical Questions

I installed PlayOnLinux on Ubuntu 25.10 but the program does not open at all. Where am I going wrong?

This is one of the most common problems on new versions like Ubuntu 24.04 and 25.10. The problem is usually not your setup mistake, but a missing Python dependency in the system. PlayOnLinux from Ubuntu repos still needs the ‘asyncore’ module that was removed with Python 3.12. Without this module, the graphical interface cannot start and the app closes silently.
The solution is very simple. Open the terminal and run the command ‘sudo apt install python3-pyasyncore’. After this small fix, try starting PlayOnLinux again from your app menu. You will see the app open without problems.
In addition, you must also enable multi-architecture support on your system for 32-bit Windows apps. To do this, run the commands ‘sudo dpkg –add-architecture i386’ and then ‘sudo apt update’. Skipping this step causes mysterious errors when installing many old Windows programs.

Do I have to add the ‘impish’ repo mentioned in the article when installing PlayOnLinux on Ubuntu 25.10? Is this repo safe?

Definitely no, you do not have to add it and I personally do not suggest you do this at all. The ‘impish’ repo you mention belongs to an old Ubuntu version from 2021. Adding this repo to a modern system like 23.10, 24.04, or 25.10 is like putting a rotten brick in the foundation of a building.
This method causes serious conflicts and update errors in your system’s package manager. Later, when you run ‘apt update’, you will surely get error messages all the time. Also, this old repo is no longer actively updated, so it carries a security risk too.
Luckily, there are much cleaner ways. On Ubuntu 25.10, the simplest method is to type ‘sudo apt install playonlinux’ in the terminal. The repos usually include PlayOnLinux.
Even better, you can install the newest version via Flatpak with the command ‘flatpak install flathub com.playonlinux.PlayOnLinux4’. This method is both safe and protects the health of your system.

The program I want to run with PlayOnLinux is not in the list. What should I watch for in manual setup?

It is very normal not to find the software you are looking for in the supported programs list. The real power of this tool lies in the flexibility of manual setup. When you click the ‘Install a program not in the list’ option in the setup wizard, things are fully in your control. But at this point, making a few smart choices is very important.
The first critical decision is the virtual drive type. If you are installing an old game or accounting software, make sure to select the ’32-bit Windows installation’ option. Most old programs act strange or do not run at all in 64-bit setups.
The second important point is the Wine version choice. PlayOnLinux gives you the chance to assign a special Wine version for the app. If your program crashes on a new version, do not be afraid to try an old Wine version (like 3.0 or 4.0). Because each app’s virtual setup is isolated from others, these tries do not affect the rest of your system in any way.

The Windows program I installed runs very slow or gives strange graphics errors. How can I boost performance?

This complaint is often heard, especially when it comes to games or graphics-heavy apps. There are usually two reasons behind performance problems: missing graphics drivers or wrong Wine settings.
First, go to the ‘Additional Drivers’ tab in Ubuntu’s ‘Software & Updates’ menu. If you have an NVIDIA or AMD graphics card, make sure you enable the special drivers listed here.
Second, select the related program in PlayOnLinux and click the ‘Configure’ button. Go to the ‘Graphics’ tab in the ‘Wine Configuration’ window. Check the ‘Emulate a Virtual Desktop’ option here. Then, you can fix strange windowing errors in many apps by manually entering your screen resolution.
Also, changing the Windows version to ‘Windows 7’ or ‘Windows XP’ via ‘winecfg’ in the ‘Libraries’ tab of the same window can seriously boost compatibility.

I no longer need this program. How exactly can I remove it so it leaves no trace on Ubuntu?

There is a huge difference between ‘removing’ a piece of software and ‘wiping it out’. Just running the ‘sudo apt remove playonlinux’ command leaves the job half done. This command deletes the main package but Wine dependencies and unused libraries stay. Most importantly, the virtual Windows drives in your home folder stay there.
For a real cleanup, type this command in the terminal: ‘sudo apt purge –auto-remove playonlinux’. This command cleans the software itself, all packages that came with it, and config files from the system. But this is still not enough.
As a final step, you must manually delete the hidden ‘.PlayOnLinux’ folder in your home directory. This folder holds the virtual disks (C: drives) and registries of all the Windows programs you installed.
Deleting this folder lets you fully get your disk space back. To see this folder, use the ‘Ctrl+H’ shortcut in your file manager to make hidden files visible.

Is PlayOnLinux still a useful choice in 2026? Or should I switch to Lutris or Bottles?

The answer to this question depends fully on what you want to do. If you want to run a very old work app (like an accounting program from the 2000s) or a nostalgic game, this software is still a great tool. Thanks to its isolated structure and support for old Wine versions, it is perfect for antique software that refuses to run on new systems.
But when it comes to modern games or current Windows apps, things change. Community support has shifted to projects like Lutris and Bottles in recent years. Lutris is a strong platform optimized especially for gamers and works in sync with game stores. Bottles offers a more modern interface and makes it incredibly easy to manage each ‘bottle’ on its own.
In short, if PlayOnLinux is already installed on your system and does your job, do not rush to change it. But if you are starting from scratch, definitely keep one eye on these new generation alternatives.

Conclusion

As a result, thanks to the PlayOnLinux 4.3.4 software, you do not need a Windows license. Thus, you can run your Windows programs on Linux.

Obviously, this software has a user-friendly interface compared to its alternatives. On the other hand, it is compatible with various Linux distributions. In this way, you can easily install an app. Plus, it is possible to run a wide range of Windows programs and games.

However, PlayOnLinux may have limitations as some programs are not supported. Still, I can say that it is a valuable tool for you with its general functionality and simplicity.

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Tolga Bagci

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Computer Expert System Networking Virtualization

Hi, I'm Tolga, a computer expert with 20 years of experience. I help fix computer issues with things like hardware, systems, networks, virtualization, servers, and operating systems. Check out my website for helpful info, and feel free to ask me anything. Keep yourself in the loop about the newest technologies!

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