PortWin — Windows games and apps on your Mac, no Windows needed

A 60 GB virtual machine

Apps run right inside macOS

No second operating system eating your memory and battery. Each program opens in its own window, right next to your Mac apps.

A Windows license

No need to buy Windows

PortWin runs on Wine — open technology that understands Windows programs without Windows itself.

Hours on forums and in Terminal

It sets itself up

The Wine engine is already built in. Recipes install the components a program needs, and proven graphics and sound settings are applied for you.

How it works

Three steps to your Windows app

Nothing to configure on first launch: open the app and start installing.

Pick a recipe or drop a file

Steam, Epic Games, Skyrim — one click in Recipes. Any other .exe or .msi installer — just drag it into the window.

PortWin prepares everything

It creates a separate “Windows” — a bottle — downloads the installer (resuming if your connection drops) and installs the required components.

Launch it like any other app

The program appears in your list, in the Programs menu and in the menu bar icon. One click and it’s open.

Features

Built to just work

Everything you’d usually dig up on forums is already inside.

One-click recipes

Ready-made install scenarios, from download to first launch. Every step is visible — and if something fails, you see exactly what.

Drop it and it installs

PortWin tells an installer from a program by itself. After installation, new programs show up in your list automatically.

Two graphics engines

Apple’s D3DMetal and DXMT for DirectX 10–12. If a game misbehaves with one, switch to the other in a single click.

See why it crashed

After a program closes, you see whether it exited normally. The detailed log shows the cause of a crash.

Crackle-free sound

The Skyrim recipe installs Microsoft’s audio components and switches your Mac speakers to 48 kHz — no crackling, and NPC voices included.

Steam Cloud saves

The Documents, Downloads and Desktop folders inside Windows are your Mac folders. Game saves aren’t lost and keep syncing.

Launch from the menu bar

Every program in every bottle sits in the Programs menu and in the icon next to the clock. No need to open the main window.

A “Windows” for each game

Bottles don’t interfere with each other: one game’s settings can’t break another. Delete a bottle you don’t need to the Trash.

Windows XP-era software

Pick any Windows version for a bottle — from Windows 95 to Windows 11. Old software often runs better here than on modern Windows.

Tells you what’s missing

If a program needs Visual C++, DirectX or .NET, PortWin spots it after launch and offers to install it in one click.

Memory & cleanup

See how much memory Windows programs use. Leftover Wine services stop by themselves, and caches and temp files clean up in one click.

In your language

English, Русский, 简体中文, Deutsch, Español, Français. Light and dark themes, nine accent colors.

Recipes

One-click installs

PortWin creates the bottle, downloads and sets up everything needed. Recipes marked “beta” work, but still need one click inside the installer window.

Steam

Valve’s game store and library — fully automatic

Skyrim Special Edition

Via Steam, with crackle-free sound and NPC voices

Epic Games Store beta

The Epic store and free games every week

GOG Galaxy beta

A DRM-free game store

Battle.net beta

Diablo, World of Warcraft, Overwatch and other Blizzard games

Windows XP Classics

A bottle in XP mode with the libraries early-2000s programs and games need

Essential Game Components

Visual C++, DirectX 9 and the shader compiler — what most games ask for

New recipes are added regularly. And if you like to tinker, a recipe of your own is just a simple .json file.

Honest about compatibility

What runs — and what doesn’t

We don’t promise “everything, instantly”. PortWin is built on Wine, which means most programs work — but not all of them.

Usually works

Most games on DirectX 9, 10, 11 and 12
Steam, Epic Games Store and games from them
Single-player and many online games without aggressive anti-cheat
Office, engineering and accounting software for Windows
Old games and programs that haven’t been updated in years

Doesn’t work

Games with kernel-level anti-cheat — for example, Valorant and Fortnite
Device drivers and programs that install their own drivers
Programs that need genuine Windows (such as some banking clients with hardware tokens)
Intel Macs — Apple silicon (M1 or later) is required

Compare

How PortWin is different

There are several ways to run Windows programs on a Mac. Here’s an honest comparison.

	PortWin	CrossOver	Parallels Desktop	Whisky (discontinued)
How it works	Wine, apps run right in macOS	Wine, apps run right in macOS	Virtual machine with full Windows	Wine, apps run right in macOS
Windows license required	No	No	Yes	No
Compatibility	Most programs	Most programs	Almost everything that runs on Windows for ARM	Most programs
Second OS on disk	Not needed	Not needed	Needed, tens of GB for Windows	Not needed
Development	Actively developed	Actively developed	Actively developed	Not maintained since 2025 — its own site now sends you to CrossOver
Price	€29.99 one-time	from $74 per year	from $99.99 per year + Windows	Free, but no updates

Competitor prices and details are from the vendors’ websites as of October 2026.

Pricing

Pay once, use it

14 days free first. Then pay once — no subscription.

PortWin

€29.99 one-time

All recipes, including new ones
Built-in Wine engine with D3DMetal and DXMT
Unlimited bottles and programs
A year of updates
Email support

Download — 14 days free Buy a key — €29.99

Try it first: 14 days with every feature. Like it? Buy a key — it arrives by email right after payment.

macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon (M1 or later) · about 1.1 GB on disk

FAQ

Frequently asked

Do I need to buy Windows?

No. PortWin doesn’t run all of Windows — it uses Wine, which “translates” what Windows programs ask for into macOS terms. So you need neither a Windows license nor a virtual machine.

Will my game run?

Most games and programs work, but not all. Games with kernel-level anti-cheat (such as Valorant and Fortnite) and programs that need drivers won’t run. If a game crashes, switch the graphics in the bottle’s settings — from D3DMetal to DXMT or the other way round. That often helps.

What’s a “bottle”?

A separate “Windows” with its own drive C:. It’s handy to give each big game its own bottle, so one game’s settings can’t get in another’s way. The name is a joke: Wine runs inside it.

Which Mac do I need?

A Mac with Apple silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4 or later) running macOS 14 Sonoma or later. The app itself takes about 1.1 GB, plus space for your games and programs.

Where are my saves stored?

The Documents, Downloads and Desktop folders inside Windows are your regular Mac folders. So most game saves live in Documents, get backed up by Time Machine and sync through Steam Cloud.

Is it safe?

PortWin runs programs the same way Windows would — with access to your folders. Wine is neither an antivirus nor a sandbox, so only install programs from sources you trust, just as on any computer.

I used Whisky. What now?

Whisky is no longer maintained, so it won’t get fixes for new macOS versions or games. PortWin is actively developed: create a bottle, click “Link Existing…” and choose your Whisky bottle folder — your programs stay where they are.

Can I bring my bottles from Porting Kit or Wineskin?

Yes. When creating a bottle, click “Link Existing…” and choose the wrapper — PortWin links it without copying anything.

Windows games and apps on your Mac. No Windows needed.