A .deb can include a Windows .exe , but that .exe will not run on Linux without extra software (Wine, Box86/64, etc.).
Create the script: nano my-app_1.0_amd64/usr/local/bin/my-app Add this content: #!/bin/bash wine "/usr/share/my-app/application.exe" "$@" Use code with caution. Make it executable: chmod +x my-app_1.0_amd64/usr/local/bin/my-app Use code with caution. Phase 4: Create the Desktop Entry
If your goal is to distribute a Windows application to Linux users cleanly, creating a DEB file is rapidly becoming outdated. Modern Linux deployment favors containerized formats like Flatpak or Snap. These formats bundle the EXE, the exact required version of Wine, and all dependencies into a single sandboxed package that works across all Linux distributions, not just Debian-based ones. Step 1: Install Flatpak Builder Install the required tools to compile a Flatpak package: sudo apt install flatpak flatpak-builder -y Use code with caution. Step 2: Define the Manifest File how to convert exe to deb
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 sudo apt update sudo apt install wine wine32 wine64
wine /path/to/exe/file.exe /tmp/exe-contents Phase 4: Create the Desktop Entry If your
You will now see a file named myapp-package.deb in your workspace folder. You can distribute this file to any Ubuntu or Debian user, and it will automatically handle installing Wine and configuring the app. Method 3: Using JPkg or Inno Extract (For Extracting Data)
Converting an file directly into a package is generally not possible because they represent fundamentally different architectures: Windows executables vs. Debian Linux packages Step 1: Install Flatpak Builder Install the required
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In those cases, consider finding a native Linux alternative or running Windows in a VM.
Windows installers built with Inno Setup, Nullsoft Scriptable Install System (NSIS), or self-extracting ZIP executables that contain web code (like Electron apps) or assets.
These are standard Unix archives (containing tar archives) that hold the application files, binaries compiled for Linux architectures (like x86_64 or ARM), and a control file outlining dependencies, installation paths, and metadata.