Get Windows on Linux in 10 minutes with these 2 commands

Sometimes you need a running instance of Windows to do quick work on Linux that can only be done on Microsoft’s operating system. If you want to make this process as fast as possible, check out Quickemu.

Meet Quickemu

Virtualization as soon as possible

Quickemu It’s a command-line program that uses scripts to automate the process of downloading, setting up, and optimizing a virtual machine on your Linux or Mac device. If you haven’t guessed by the name, it is It uses the QEMU emulator and virtualizer this is what works on the back end and when I start the Quickemu VM.

All Quickemu does is automate installation and launch. It configures everything for you; no need to worry about managing virtualized components. You simply select the operating system of your choice, and after the scripts have done their work, you can start working on it.

You’re also not limited to Windows desktops. Quickemu automates the installation of hundreds of operating systems, including Windows Server, macOS, UbuntuFedora and FreeBSD.

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Installing Quickemu

First you need to install Quickem. At the time of writing, it has limited availability in public repositories, but you can check it out official installation instructions for updates.

In Linux

Installing Quickem is easiest when you’re on Ubuntu or Debian. In any Debian derivative, you can download the latest version DEB package from Quickemu release pagethen use this command to install it:

sudo apt-get install ./quickemu_*.*.*-1_all.deb

In Ubuntu and its derivatives, you can add Quickemu instead PPA to your repositories:

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:flexiondotorg/quickemu

Then use this command to update your repos and install Quickem:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install quickemu

Quickemu is also available AURso Arch users can install using bow:

yay -Sy quickemu

If you’re using a different Linux distro or don’t want to use the AUR, see Quickemu guide to install from source.

on the Mac

On MacOS, you can install Quickemu and its dependencies Using Homebrew:

brew install bash cdrtools coreutils jq python3 qemu usbutils samba socat swtpm zsync

Next, you’ll want to clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/quickemu-project/quickemu

And finally enter the repo to start operations:

cd quickemu

You are now ready to use Quickemu commands.

Command 1: Download the OS image

Select the version of Windows you want

To get Windows, you must first download Windows 10 or Windows 11 ISO image. You can go and get that image yourself, but Quickemu automates it for you with a single “quick” command. You just need to name the version you want.

For example, I will Get the latest Windows 10 ISO with this command:

quickget windows 10

If everything went according to plan, you’ll see a message saying the download was successful and you’ll be returned to the command line.

Command 2: Start your virtual machine

It’s that easy

Now it’s time to start the VM. All you need to know is the name of the configuration file (with a .conf extension) that Quickemu creates and tells you after installation. In my case it was “windows-10.conf”.

quickemu --vm windows-10.conf

You may get a few strange looking screens at first, but wait while the software does its thing. You will soon see the Windows start screen.

Follow the prompts to agree to the terms and Quickemu will take care of the rest of the installation. You will soon arrive at your Windows desktop.

Play with it and when you’re done, close it like you would normally close Windows. Use that command again to run it in the future. You can even do it create a nickname To start the VM faster:

alias windows="quickemu --vm windows-10.conf"

Then you just have to write windows log into your terminal and you’ll be traveling Microsoft-style in no time.

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Start exploring VMs

Don’t be afraid to try different operating systems

Quickemu can do a lot more, including downloading custom editions. For example, Quickemu installs the “English International” edition of Windows 10 by default, but you can get the US edition with this command:

quickget windows 10 "English (United States)"

You can also get the preferred version of macOS (although you’ll need to apply Quickemu’s Complete Guide to macOS VMs because they can be a bit difficult):

quickget macos catalina

Older point versions of Linux distros are also available. To get Ubuntu 22.04, for example:

quickget ubuntu 22.04

Now you’re in a race to get virtual machines running faster than you can say on your Linux machine”Wine is not an emulator.”

Spinning a virtual machine is usually the most convenient way to access Windows software on a Linux PC or Mac. Of course, some machines aren’t powerful enough to run a reliable, stable VM, and Apple Silicon Macs can’t virtualize the x86 version of Windows. If you’re struggling with a virtual machine, it’s best to get into Windows through a variety of means, such as dual booting. Cheap mini PC it’s a great option if you need a dedicated Windows device.