Steam can launch some Windows applications on Linux when you add them to Steam as non-Steam entries and select a compatibility tool such as Proton. The setup works for specific apps, not as a guarantee for every Windows program. On Steam Deck, a 2022 demonstration used this method to run MAME in Desktop Mode.

Set up a Windows app in Steam on Linux

You’ll need Steam installed on Linux and the Windows app’s installer downloaded. Proton is a compatibility layer, based on Wine, that lets some Windows software run in Linux. XDA’s described setup gives each app its own Windows-style filesystem, keeping its app files separate from other entries.

  1. Add the installer to Steam. In Steam, choose Games > Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library, then select the downloaded installer executable.
  2. Choose a compatibility tool. Open the new entry’s properties, go to its compatibility settings, and select a tool such as Proton Experimental. XDA also describes selecting other Proton versions or the Steam Linux Runtime.
  3. Run the installer. Launch the Steam entry to install the application.
  4. Find the installed app. In XDA’s setup, app data is under ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/compatdata/, followed by the app’s folder and pfx/drive_c. Look in Program Files or Program Files (x86) for the application executable. The path can differ with the Steam installation.
  5. Point the Steam entry to the app. In its properties, change Target to the installed application’s executable and Start in to the folder containing that executable. Launch the entry again to try the installed app.

Running a Windows executable on Steam Deck

Watch Cave Maniac STG’s Steam Deck demonstration of adding MAME and launching it with Proton Experimental

On Steam Deck, the demonstrated route starts in Desktop Mode: add the Windows executable to Steam as a non-Steam game, force a compatibility tool in its properties, then launch it. Cave Maniac STG demonstrated the steps with the Windows x64 version of MAME and Proton Experimental in a video published March 14, 2022. The demonstration shows MAME booting Dodonpachi Saidaioujou.

The creator also reported that some applications may work in Desktop Mode but fail to launch fully in Gaming Mode. That observation comes from this MAME tutorial, so test the mode you intend to use.

Results depend on the application

In tests reported by XDA on October 21, 2026, Notepad++ worked well, while Clip Studio Paint crashed after installation and Microsoft 365 refused to install. XDA also reported that Affinity’s installer would not launch through Steam and that Obsbot Center crashed when the author connected a webcam.

Some problems involved the selected runtime rather than the installer alone. XDA reported that switching Vivaldi and OnlyOffice from Proton to Legacy Steam Runtime resolved a KDE window-frame rendering issue in those tests. Vivaldi’s webcam worked in a Discord call, although the author could not see the other participants.

Steam’s per-app environments make it possible to keep application files separate. For more configuration options, XDA describes Bottles as more flexible than Steam’s approach. Wine is the compatibility foundation for Proton, but installing an app through Wine does not by itself ensure that the app will run correctly.

Valve’s Steam Deck guidance

Valve’s Steam Deck guide gives instructions for forcing a compatibility tool on a specific game in the Steam library. Its separate advice for non-Steam apps is to check Arch Linux support. The guide also recommends updating and restarting the Deck, disabling third-party applications installed through Desktop Mode, and contacting the app’s support if instability continues. Valve’s Steam Deck software and troubleshooting guide.