Omgcanadian

Dec 12 2019

Q: Can I run Windows programs (.EXE files) on a Mac? A: While it is possible to open most Windows documents on a Macintosh, Windows applications will not run natively on the Macintosh platform. This is because the programs are written for a specific operating system and processor type.

EXE files are made for users of Microsoft's Windows, but today you have several ways to use EXE files on your Mac.

File Juicer	VirtualBox	Parallels	Fusion	ClamAV	Boot Camp	Crossover
Extracts images, CAB and other files from EXE	Virtual Machine can run Windows	Virtual Machine can run Windows	Virtual Machine can run Windows	Virus scanning	Lets your Mac run Windows natively	95% Windows replacement
$18	$0 + $129	$80+$129	$99+$129	Free	$0+$129	$40-

File Juicerdoes not run EXE files. It searches inside the EXE file to see if it contains images, Flash games or animations, compressed .ZIP or .RAR archives and many other formats. If if finds any, it will extract and save them. An example EXE file containing photos: AutumnToadStools.EXE

13 second movie showing how to extract images from an EXE file (a screen saver). This will work on some EXE files, but not if the EXE file is encrypted or use a proprietary storage system.

ZIP and RAR files are common inside EXE files which are made 'self extracting' on Windows by wrapping them in an EXE file. You open ZIP files by double-clicking them. RAR files require RAR Expander.

Pocket PC applications are often packaged as 'Windows only installers' in EXE files, and the developers forget to make an installer for Mac OS X.
File Juicer can extract the CAB files from the exe file, and you can manually copy this file to the Pocket PC and get it installed this way.

Adobe/Macromedia's Flash files are also often wrapped inside an EXE file. File Juicer can extract them, and you can play them with iSwiff .

Some EXE files containing other files are not possible to open with File Juicer. Typically this is packages made by installer applications like InstallerVise from MindVision.

The most affordable free and supported app to run Windows and apps on your Mac is VirtualBox from Oracle.

You do need a copy of Microsoft Windows, and the Home Edition of Windows 10 is about $129

It takes only a few minutes to download and install Virtual Box, but it may take more than an hour to get your copy of Windows and all the Windows software updates installed. You will also need 30-50GB of free disk space to set aside as to a virtual disk for your 'Windows PC'. I have successfully been able to run Windows 7 on a 20GB virtual disk

Parallels Desktop require a Mac with an Intel processor. It is more convenient to use than Apple's Boot Camp as it does not require to restart your Mac every time you want to run a Windows application.

Parallels Desktop is focused on personal use, while VMWare cater for enterprise users even though they keep VMWare Fusion for personal use

You still need a copy of Microsoft Windows and install it on a part of your hard disk. You also need to keep this part of your disk free of spyware, viruses. You can keep the Mac part of your disk separate from your Windows part, so nasty applications will not ruin your Mac data.

If your Mac is not quite new and only updated to macOS 13 'High Sierra' you can get away with an older copy of Parallels from Amazon: Parallels Desktop 13 for Mac

If you have a Mac with an Intel processor, VMWare Fusion will be an alternative to Parallels Desktop. VMWare is mostly focused on business users, but they still sell a version for personal use which is conveninent if you want to use the same software at home and at work. They are already known for making virtual Windows environments on Windows, so Windows users can run different versions of Windows on the same PC.

You do need a copy of Microsoft Windows

EXE files can be nasty to Windows users. If you want to use any of the applications below to run the EXE file you have, I recommend checking it for virus first. This is a good idea even though Windows viruses will only be dangerous for the part of your hard disk you set aside for Windows: one can never be too careful when running EXE files. Because File Juicer does not run EXE files, but search them for images, Flash animations and more, even infected EXE files are not dangerous when dropped on File Juicer for a search for extractable files.

ClamAV knows about 90.000 viruses. It is free and you can download ClamXav for Mac OS X here.

ClamXav is quite nice as it does not run in the background and slow your Mac down unless you directly ask for it (by launching ClamXav Sentry from the File menu).

The newest Macs have an Intel processor inside, and Apple has made it possible via BootCamp to install Windows in a part of your disk. With Boot Camp, you shut down your Mac and restart it as a real Windows PC which works at full speed. When you want to go back to Mac OS, you restart it again as a Mac.

You still need to purchase a copy of Microsoft Windows, install it and keep that corner of your hard disk free of virus, worms and spyware.

Amazon: Microsoft Windows

Codeweavers CrossOver (since 2007) - is a way to Windows applications without having Windows. This is of course more affordable, and you don't have to work through a Windows installation which may take hours.

The disadvantage is that it is not a 100% Windows replacement, but they have focused on the most common parts of Windows, and if an application only depend on those it should work. Their compatibility list of supported applications give an impression of how much of Windows they support.

Amazon: Code Weavers Crossover Mac (Mac)

The 3 most popular places to look for Mac software are: Visit them both as they are different in how they present their lists. MacUpdate and VersionTracker has user reviews of the software too.

While all active software developers list their software on these 3 sites, there are more which write about using Mac software. MacWorld.

This morning, one of our visitors pinged us in Discord server asking about .gblorb files and how to run those files. We had a look and after browsing some resource, we have figured it out. So I am writing this article so that you can easily understand and run a gblorb file easily.

First of all, you need WinGit. You may be thinking, “Ok, I am just gonna google and download it.” We also did the same but the result was very confusing. Then after browsing some forum, we found the right application to play .gblorb games.

How to play .gblorb games in Windows PC

First of all, download the game file. If it is a .zip, .rar file then extract it (learn how). You should have a file named like gamename.gblorb.

Download WinGit from here:

Extract and run Git.exe. Now select the gamename.gblorb and hit Open button. You Should be able to play the .gblorb game.

How to play .gblorb games in MacOS and Linux

Download and install Wine from https://www.winehq.org/. Follow their instruction and install it. It basically allows you to run Windows applications. We may share a full tutorial on how to install Wine but not today. After installing Wine, run Git.exe with Wine and do same as Windows instruction. You should be able to play it.

So that’s all about it. It is fairly simple so you should be able to do it without issues. Even so,if you face any problem please let us know in comment section.