How to Install PhotoFlare on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
You’ll learn how to get the Windows‑only PhotoFlare working on a fresh Ubuntu 22.04 box using Wine, plus a quick way to launch it from your menu. No more juggling virtual machines or hoping for native support.
Check if you really need PhotoFlare
Before you start the installation wizard, ask yourself why you’re chasing this Windows app. If you only want to add simple flare effects to photos, GIMP with a plugin can do the trick. But if you’ve already invested in a PhotoFlare license and like its UI, skip the detour.
Prepare your system – install Wine and its dependencies
Wine is the bridge between Windows binaries and Linux. Open a terminal and run:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install wine64 winbind
wine64 pulls in all the 64‑bit libraries you’ll need, while winbind lets the installer talk to Windows network drives if you ever link a shared folder. After installation, check the version:
wine --version
If it prints something like “9.x”, you’re good to go. If you see an error about missing libstdc++, add the development libraries with sudo apt install libstdc++6.
Download the PhotoFlare installer
Head over to the official website or a trusted mirror, grab the latest .exe file, and drop it into your Downloads folder. I usually rename it to something like PhotoFlare_Setup.exe so you can spot it in Wine’s virtual C drive later.
Run the installer with Wine
Navigate to your download directory:
cd ~/Downloads wine PhotoFlare_Setup.exe
The Windows wizard should pop up. Follow the prompts just as you would on a PC, choosing “Install” and selecting /home/$USER/.wine/drive_c/Program Files (x86)/PhotoFlare if prompted for a destination. The installer will create a photoflare.exe executable in that folder.
Verify installation & create a desktop shortcut
After the wizard finishes, launch PhotoFlare to confirm it works:
wine "C:\Program Files (x86)\PhotoFlare\photoflare.exe"
If you see the splash screen and can open an image, the program is running. To avoid opening it from the terminal every time, create a simple desktop entry:
1. Open ~/.local/share/applications/ in your file manager.
2. Create a new text file named photoflare.desktop.
3. Paste this content:
[Desktop Entry] Name=PhotoFlare Comment=Add flare effects to your photos Exec=wine "C:\Program Files (x86)\PhotoFlare\photoflare.exe" Icon= Terminal=false Type=Application Categories=Graphics;
4. Save and close. The icon will be a generic Windows app until you point Icon= to an actual .png file.
Now you can launch PhotoFlare from the Activities overview or your favorite launcher just like any native app.
Troubleshooting common hiccups
- Installer freezes on “Installing files” – This is often caused by a corrupt Wine prefix. Remove it with rm -rf ~/.wine and start over. I’ve seen this happen after a bad driver update that broke the Windows subsystem libraries.
- PhotoFlare crashes immediately – Try running it in 32‑bit mode:
WINEARCH=win32 wine "C:\Program Files (x86)\PhotoFlare\photoflare.exe"
Some older apps still need 32‑bit support.
- Missing fonts or icons – Install fonts-wine and wine-mono packages.
sudo apt install fonts-wine wine-mono
