Windows apps
Real Windows apps.No guesswork.
Wild OS doesn't imitate Windows to run your programs. It runs a genuine copy, sealed away out of sight, and shows each program as a normal window on your desktop. If it runs on Windows, it runs here.
Double-click the installer
Wild OS recognises a Windows program and installs it into Windows mode. You see one familiar dialog.
2First time only, Windows mode sets itself up
It downloads Windows 11 from Microsoft, activates it with your PC's own licence and tunes it, while you carry on.
3It opens like any other app
Its own window, its own taskbar icon, snapping and Alt+Tab like everything else. You'd never know.
What you need
Windows 11 Pro. For now.
Our focus is a seamless workflow: each Windows program as its own window, indistinguishable from the rest of your desktop. The feature that makes that possible is built into Windows 11 Pro.
Windows 11 Pro
Most PCs sold with Windows 11 Pro have the licence stored in the computer itself. Wild OS finds it and activates Windows automatically, so there's nothing to buy and nothing to type. If your PC doesn't have one, you can enter a Pro key instead.
Windows 11 Home
Home leaves out the feature Windows mode uses to show programs as separate windows, so it won't work for now. Microsoft sells an upgrade from Home to Pro that uses your existing licence. We're also working on our own way to support Home, and we'll share news when it's ready.
Virtualisation switched on
Almost every PC from the last decade supports it. If it's switched off, Wild OS shows you how to turn it on.
16 GB recommended
8 GB works. Windows mode borrows about 2 GB while you use it and hands it back when you stop.
About 30 GB
For Windows and Microsoft 365. Your documents stay in your own folders, outside it.
Compatibility
What works. And what doesn't.
Because Windows mode is real Windows, compatibility is as good as Windows itself. Games go through Steam's Proton instead. The exceptions are the few things that refuse to run outside Windows on real hardware.
| Software | Notes | Works |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 and Office | Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote | |
| Adobe Creative Cloud | Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat (heavy 3D work is slower) | |
| Business and accounts software | Accounts packages, line-of-business and industry tools | |
| Everyday Windows programs | Anything that installs from an .exe or .msi | |
| Video calls | Zoom and Slack install their Linux versions, and Teams runs as its web app | |
| Windows games | Run through Steam's Proton, which runs most of the Steam library on Linux without Windows mode | |
| Games with kernel anti-cheat | Valorant, Fortnite and a few others refuse to run on Linux or in a virtual machine | |
| Windows-only hardware drivers | Some dongles and scanners; device passthrough is planned |
Everyday
It feels like one computer.
The point isn't just running Windows programs. It's running them without ever thinking about where they live.
Never lose work
Shut down with an unsaved spreadsheet and Wild OS keeps Windows exactly as it was. Next time, it's all still there.
Files where you expect them
Save in Word and the file is in your Documents folder on Wild OS, ready for any app.
Matches your desktop
Windows apps follow your light or dark mode and accent colour.
Contained
Windows, on a short leash.
Windows mode is sealed off from the rest of your computer. It's useful, and it's kept firmly in its place.
Can't see your computer
It reaches the internet through a private connection and can't see the rest of your computer or your home network.
Only what you share
Documents, Downloads, Pictures and Desktop by default. Nothing else on your disk is visible to it.
Tracking switched off
Wild OS strips out Windows' adverts and turns its data collection down as far as Microsoft allows.