FunOS

Affinity—formerly distributed as three separate applications (Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher)—is now a unified creative suite developed by Serif Europe and, as of 2025, owned by Canva. The modern Affinity application offers high performance, advanced editing tools, and professional-grade capabilities in a single package. Although there is no native Linux version, the Windows release runs very well on FunOS using Wine with the right configuration.

This guide helps you prepare your system, install and configure Wine and Winetricks, and set up Affinity so it runs smoothly on FunOS.

Note: This guide also applies to Ubuntu and most Ubuntu-based distributions—including Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Lubuntu, Linux Mint, Zorin OS, and others—because FunOS shares the same underlying base.

What is Affinity?

Affinity is a professional creative application built by Serif Europe and, since 2025, maintained under Canva’s ownership. It originally existed as three separate programs—Affinity Photo, Affinity Designer, and Affinity Publisher. With the release of version 3.0, these tools were merged into one integrated application simply called Affinity, combining photo editing, vector illustration, and desktop publishing features within a single interface.

Affinity is widely appreciated for its speed, efficiency, and stability. While it is officially available for Windows and macOS only, FunOS users can run the Windows version through Wine with proper configuration steps.

How to Install Affinity on FunOS

Follow the steps below to prepare your FunOS system for running Affinity.

Step 1: Open a Terminal

Choose one of the following options to open a terminal:

• Click Menu in the lower-left corner of the screen, then click Terminal
• Click the Terminal icon in the Tray
• Press Ctrl + Alt + T

Step 2: Update and Upgrade the System

Before installing Wine, make sure your system is fully updated.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo reboot now

Rebooting ensures that all updates are applied correctly.

Step 3: Install Wine

Wine allows you to run Windows applications on FunOS. Follow the steps below to install the latest development version.

1. Enable the 32-bit Architecture

Note:
FunOS/Ubuntu 25.10 users do NOT need to run this command.
WineHQ packages for Ubuntu 25.10 and Debian Testing (Wine 10.18+ WoW64) no longer require 32-bit libraries.

For all other versions:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386

2. Add the GPG Key

curl -fSsL https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/winehq.key | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/winehq-archive.key > /dev/null

3. Add the Repository

sudo wget -NP /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/dists/$(lsb_release -cs)/winehq-$(lsb_release -cs).sources

4. Update the Package List

sudo apt update

5. Install Wine (Development branch)

sudo apt install --install-recommends winehq-devel

6. Verify Wine Installation

wine --version

Example output:

wine-10.19

Step 4: Install Winetricks

Winetricks provides additional libraries and components that Affinity requires.

sudo apt install winetricks

Step 5: Create a Clean Wine Prefix for Affinity

Before installing Affinity, you need a dedicated Wine prefix. This keeps Affinity isolated from other Wine applications and ensures a clean environment.

Open a terminal and run:

export WINEPREFIX="$HOME/.affinity"
wineboot --init

If the “Wine Mono Installer” window appears, click Install.

If, after Wine Mono installation and the initial configuration of the ~/.affinity prefix, the terminal becomes stuck for a long time (this is a common Wine behavior), press:

Ctrl + C

Then continue to the next step.

Step 6: Install Required Runtime Dependencies with Winetricks

Affinity requires several Windows runtimes and components to run correctly. Install them using Winetricks:

winetricks --unattended --force remove_mono vcrun2022 dotnet48 renderer=vulkan corefonts tahoma win11

This command does the following:

• remove_mono — removes Wine Mono in favor of real .NET
• vcrun2022 — installs Microsoft Visual C++ 2022 runtime
• dotnet48 — installs .NET Framework 4.8
• renderer=vulkan — sets Vulkan as the rendering backend
• corefonts & tahoma — installs required fonts
• win11 — sets Windows version to Windows 11 for compatibility

Step 7: Install Affinity

1. Download the Affinity Installer

Run the following command to download the official Affinity unified installer:

wget -O ~/Downloads/"Affinity x64.exe" "https://downloads.affinity.studio/Affinity%20x64.exe"

2. Run the Affinity Installer Under Wine

Use the Affinity Wine prefix to launch the installer:

WINEPREFIX="$HOME/.affinity" wine "$HOME/Downloads/Affinity x64.exe"

Follow the normal installation steps in the installer window until completion.

Step 8: Download Required Metadata and Shim Files

Affinity requires additional Windows metadata files and a shim DLL for proper function under Wine.

Run the following commands:

cd /tmp
curl -L -o Windows.winmd https://github.com/microsoft/windows-rs/raw/master/crates/libs/bindgen/default/Windows.winmd
curl -L -o wintypes.dll https://github.com/ElementalWarrior/wine-wintypes.dll-for-affinity/raw/refs/heads/master/wintypes_shim.dll.so
cd

Step 9: Copy Metadata and Shim Files to the Wine Prefix

Now copy the required files into the correct locations:

mkdir -p "$HOME/.affinity/drive_c/windows/system32/winmetadata"
cp /tmp/Windows.winmd "$HOME/.affinity/drive_c/windows/system32/winmetadata/"
cp /tmp/wintypes.dll "$HOME/.affinity/drive_c/Program Files/Affinity/Affinity/"

These files are necessary for Affinity’s Windows Runtime (WinRT) API compatibility.

Step 10: Configure DLL Overrides for Wintypes

Affinity requires Wine to load the shim wintypes.dll as a native Windows DLL.

1. Open Wine Configuration

WINEPREFIX="$HOME/.affinity" winecfg

2. Configure Wine

In the Wine configuration window:

1. Open the Libraries tab

2. Under “New override for library”, type: wintypes

3. Click Add

4. Click Edit

5. Select Native (Windows)

6. Click OK

7. Click Apply, then OK

This ensures Affinity can load the necessary Windows Runtime components.

Step 11: Optional Enhancements — Affinity Plugin Loader + WineFix

Affinity Plugin Loader + WineFix is a community-made enhancement bundle that significantly improves Affinity’s behavior under Wine. Although not officially supported by Serif, it is widely used by Linux users for better stability and compatibility.

Purpose of This Patch

• Enables plugin loading through Harmony-based patch injection
• Fixes the issue where Preferences do not save in Wine
• Temporarily bypasses the Canva sign-in dialog, which Wine cannot yet process
• Improves runtime consistency and reduces crashes

These enhancements are optional, but highly recommended for a smoother experience.

1. Define Wine Prefix

Start by pointing your terminal session to the Affinity Wine prefix and navigating to the installation directory:

export WINEPREFIX="$HOME/.affinity"
cd "$WINEPREFIX/drive_c/Program Files/Affinity/Affinity/"

2. Download & Extract AffinityPluginLoader + WineFix Bundle

Use the latest community bundle from GitHub:

curl -L -o /tmp/affinitypluginloader-plus-winefix.tar.xz https://github.com/noahc3/AffinityPluginLoader/releases/latest/download/affinitypluginloader-plus-winefix.tar.xz
tar -xf /tmp/affinitypluginloader-plus-winefix.tar.xz -C .

This extracts the loader, patcher, and related files into the Affinity directory.

3. Replace Launcher for Compatibility

The bundle uses a hook executable to ensure correct patch loading. Replace the default launcher:

mv "Affinity.exe" "Affinity.real.exe"
mv "AffinityHook.exe" "Affinity.exe"
cd

The new launcher (Affinity.exe) now loads the plugin loader and WineFix automatically each time Affinity starts.

Step 12: Enabling Dark Theme (Optional)

Wine defaults to light UI elements, but you can enable a dark theme to improve appearance consistency with Affinity.

1. Download the Registry File

wget https://github.com/seapear/AffinityOnLinux/blob/main/Auxiliary/Other/wine-dark-theme.reg

2. Apply the Dark Theme

WINEPREFIX="$HOME/.affinity" wine regedit wine-dark-theme.reg

This applies a Windows-style dark theme to Wine dialogs and UI components.

Step 13: Reload the Menu

After installing Affinity and its enhancements, you may need to refresh the FunOS menu so the new launcher appears.

• Click the Menu button in the lower-left corner.
• Click Reload menu.

Launching Affinity

You can launch Affinity using either the terminal or the FunOS application menu.

Method 1: Launch from Terminal

WINEPREFIX="$HOME/.affinity" wine "$HOME/.affinity/drive_c/Program Files/Affinity/Affinity/Affinity.exe"

Method 2: Launch from the Menu

Navigate to:

Menu > Others > Affinity

Troubleshooting

This section provides solutions to common issues that users may experience when running Affinity under Wine on FunOS.

1. Fix Window Not Maximizing

If the Affinity window does not maximize or refuses to go full screen even after clicking the maximize button, you can fix it by enabling Wine’s virtual desktop mode and matching it to your screen resolution.

Step 1: Open Monitor Settings

Click Menu > Settings > Monitor Settings

Take note of your current screen resolution.
For example:

1366×768

Close the Monitor Settings window.

Step 2: Open a Terminal

You can open the terminal in any of these ways:

• Click Menu in the lower-left corner, then click Terminal
• Click the Terminal icon in the Tray
• Press Ctrl + Alt + T

Step 3: Open Wine Configuration

Run:

WINEPREFIX="$HOME/.affinity" winecfg

Then follow these steps:

1. Go to the Graphics tab
2. Enable Emulate a virtual desktop
3. In the Desktop size field, enter your screen resolution, but adjust the height:
   • Subtract 52 pixels from the screen height
   • Example:
     • Screen resolution: 1366×768
     • 768 − 52 = 716
     • Use: 1366×716

Why subtract 52?

• JWM tray/taskbar height: 30 px
• JWM window title bar height: 22 px
• Total: 52 px

4. Click Apply, then OK

The Affinity window should now maximize correctly.

2. Fix Scaling Issues on HiDPI Displays

If Affinity’s user interface appears too small on a high-resolution monitor (HiDPI), you can adjust Wine’s DPI setting to scale the UI.

Step 1: Open Wine Configuration

WINEPREFIX="$HOME/.affinity" winecfg

Step 2: Configure Wine

1. Go to the Graphics tab
2. Look for the Screen resolution section
3. Increase the dpi value gradually until the preview text becomes comfortably readable
4. Click Apply, then OK

Higher DPI values increase the size of text and UI elements inside Affinity and other apps running in this Wine prefix.

How to Uninstall Affinity on FunOS

If you no longer need Affinity or want to reinstall it from scratch, you can remove it completely from your system. Follow the steps below to ensure all related files, Wine prefixes, and optional components are fully deleted.

Step 1: Open a Terminal

You can open the terminal in any of the following ways:

• Click Menu in the lower-left corner, then click Terminal
• Click the Terminal icon in the Tray
• Press Ctrl + Alt + T

Step 2: Remove the Affinity Wine Prefix

This deletes all Affinity program files, settings, custom DLLs, and installed patches:

rm -rf $HOME/.affinity

Step 3: Remove Affinity Desktop Entries

Remove any .desktop launcher files created for Affinity:

rm -f $HOME/.local/share/applications/wine-extension-af.desktop
rm -f $HOME/.local/share/applications/wine-protocol-affinity.desktop
rm -f $HOME/.local/share/applications/wine/Programs/Affinity.desktop

Step 4: Remove Wine (Optional)

If you no longer plan to use Wine for any other applications, you may remove it:

sudo apt remove --purge winehq-devel
sudo apt autoremove --purge

Step 5: Remove Winetricks (Optional)

If winetricks is not needed for other applications, you may remove it:

sudo apt remove --purge winetricks
sudo apt autoremove --purge

Step 6: Remove the Repository and Key (Optional)

To fully clean your system of WineHQ sources:

sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/winehq-$(lsb_release -cs).sources
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/keyrings/winehq-archive.key

Step 7: Update the Package List

After removing repositories:

sudo apt update

Step 8: Remove Wine Cache and Desktop Entry (Optional)

Delete leftover Wine-generated files:

rm -rf $HOME/.cache/wine
rm -rf $HOME/.local/share/applications/wine
rm -f $HOME/.local/share/applications/wine-*.desktop
rm -f $HOME/.local/share/desktop-directories/wine-wine.directory
rm -f $HOME/.local/share/desktop-directories/wine-Programs.directory

Step 9: Remove Winetricks Cache (Optional)

rm -rf $HOME/.cache/winetricks

Step 10: Reload the Menu

To refresh the FunOS menu and remove leftover entries:

• Click the Menu button in the lower-left corner
• Click Reload menu

Conclusion

Running Affinity on FunOS is entirely possible thanks to the power of Wine, modern WoW64 support, and several community-maintained compatibility patches. By following this guide, you can install Affinity, apply important runtime enhancements, optimize performance, and customize the experience to suit your workflow.

Troubleshooting steps help resolve common issues, and the uninstallation section ensures you can remove everything cleanly whenever needed. With proper setup, Affinity applications can run smoothly on FunOS, giving you access to professional creative tools directly from your Linux desktop.