In this post I will describe how to install WeChat for PC on Fedora 33 using Wine.
Installing WineHQ
Add the repository:
sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/fedora/33/winehq.repoInstall the staging branch:
sudo dnf install winehq-stagingInstall those extra dependencies to make WeChat application launch:
sudo dnf install samba samba-winbind* mesa-dri-drivers.i686Setup Wine
Open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and run the following commands:
export WINEARCH=win32
export WINEPREFIX=~/.wine32
winecfg
When you run the winecfg command for the first time, Wine will start to setup the required environment under the specified WINEPREFIX, which in this case we set to ~/.wine32.
You should be prompted to install Wine Mono and Wine Gecko. Choose Install for both.
If you are using a HiDPI screen, it might be worth scaling the interface under Screen resolution, in the Graphics tab
Providing a Chinese font
For the Chinese characters to be rendered correctly we need to provide Wine with a Chinese font. We will use winetricks for this, which is a helper script to download and install extra Wine stuff.
Download winetricks:
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Winetricks/winetricks/master/src/winetricks
Set the executable flag:
chmod +x winetricks
Some winetricks “packages” require a few external tools to be installed. We need cabextract:
sudo dnf install cabextract
In this step, we just install all the fonts that winetricks has in its repository:
./winetricks allfonts
Finally, we need to edit regedit to enable the font we just installed. Download this .reg file.
Open regedit with the command:
./winetricks regedit
In the Menu bar, click Registry and select Import Registry File…
When the browser shows up, select the .reg file you have just downloaded and install it.
Installing WeChat
We are now ready to install WeChat itself. Download the Windows installer from here:
Once the download has finished, install it by running:
wine ~/Downloads/WeChatSetup.exe
The installer should start. Click on Install WeChat.
Final result
After the installation has completed, you may launch WeChat. The application should be listed in the Applications drawer.
System Tray on Gnome
If you are using Gnome on Fedora, chances are you will be greeted a nasty windowed legacy system tray/
Install this Gnome Extension and the problem will be gone
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