About ExeBrowser
ExeBrowser is a free, open-source web tool that lets you run classic Windows .exe applications directly inside a browser tab — with no installation, no account, and no file upload. Everything happens locally on your own device using WebAssembly, a build of Wine, and an embedded x86 CPU emulator from the Boxedwine project.
What problem it solves
A huge amount of useful and historically interesting software was written for 32-bit Windows between roughly 1995 and 2008. Much of it still works perfectly well, but the machines that ran it are disappearing. Modern laptops, Chromebooks, tablets, and phones either can't run those binaries at all or require a full virtual machine to do so. ExeBrowser removes that friction: open a webpage, drop in an EXE, and the application runs. It's the lowest-effort way we know to revisit a piece of legacy Windows software without installing anything.
How it works, briefly
Three layers are stacked on top of each other. At the bottom, a software x86 CPU emulator (compiled to WebAssembly) interprets the machine instructions inside your EXE. In the middle, Wine intercepts the Windows API calls those instructions make — things like CreateWindowExA or ReadFile — and re-implements them on a POSIX foundation. At the top, a browser bridge maps Wine's display to an HTML <canvas>, routes your keyboard and mouse into the emulated environment, and provides a virtual C:\ drive that lives entirely in your browser's memory. For a deeper explanation, see the compatibility and internals guide.
Who builds it
ExeBrowser is built and maintained by Andrew Nakas, a software developer with a long-running interest in software preservation, emulation, and the web platform. Every compatibility verdict on the app guide pages comes from hands-on testing in the actual browser runtime — booting the app, poking at its menus, and writing down what worked and what didn't. The project is independent: it is not affiliated with WineHQ, CodeWeavers, Microsoft, or the Boxedwine project. ExeBrowser packages and presents their excellent open-source work in a form that's approachable from any modern browser. The glue code that makes the site work — the variant selector, the upload pipeline, the writable-layer downloader — is released under GPL-2.0 and is available on GitHub. You can reach Andrew directly via the contact page.
Our principles
- Your files never leave your device. The EXE you load is read locally and written into an in-memory filesystem. No network request carries it anywhere. See our privacy policy.
- Free and open. The runtime is open-source; so is our glue code. The site is supported by unobtrusive advertising so it can stay free to use.
- Honest about limits. Browser-based emulation is slow and incomplete. We tell you up front what works and what doesn't rather than overpromising.
Get in touch
Questions, bug reports, or compatibility findings are welcome. See the contact page for how to reach us, or open an issue on the GitHub repository linked above.