Wine 10.19 Released: Game Changing Support for Windows Reparse Points on Linux

Introduction

If you use Linux and occasionally run Windows applications, whether via native Wine or through gaming layers like Proton, you’ll appreciate what just dropped in Wine 10.19. Released November 14 2025, this version brings a major enhancement: official support for Windows reparse points, a filesystem feature many Windows apps rely on, and a host of other compatibility upgrades.

In simpler terms: Wine now understands more of the Windows filesystem semantics, which means fewer workarounds, better application compatibility, and smoother experiences for many games and tools previously finicky under Linux.

What Are Reparse Points & Why They Matter

On Windows, a reparse point is a filesystem object (file or directory) that carries additional data, often used for symbolic links, junctions, mount points, or other redirection features. When an application opens or queries a file, the OS may check the reparse tag to determine special behavior (for example "redirect this file open to this other path").

Because many Windows apps, installers, games, DRM systems, file-managers, use reparse points for features like directory redirection, path abstractions, or filesystem overlays, lacking full support for them in Wine means those apps often misbehave.

With Wine 10.19, support for these reparse point mechanisms has been implemented in key filesystem APIs: for example NtQueryDirectoryFile, GetFileInfo, file attribute tags, and DeleteFile/RemoveDirectory for reparse objects.

This means that in Wine 10.19:

• Windows apps that create or manage symbolic links, directory junctions or mount-point style re-parsing will now function correctly in many more cases.

• Installers or frameworks that rely on "when opening path X, redirect to path Y" will work with less tinkering.

• Games or utilities that check for reparse tags or use directory redirections will have fewer "stuck" behaviors or missing files.

In effect, this is a step toward closer to native behavior for Windows file-system semantics under Linux.

Other Key Highlights in Wine 10.19

Beyond reparse points, the release brings several notable improvements:

• Expanded support for WinRT exceptions (Windows Runtime error handling) meaning better compatibility for Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps and newer Windows-based frameworks.

• Refactoring of "Common Controls" (COMCTL32) following the version 5 vs version 6 split, which helps GUI applications that rely on older controls or expect mixed versions.

• Typed arrays support in JScript (the Windows JavaScript engine), improving compatibility for web-based/embedded apps that rely on typed arrays.

• A slew of bug fixes: Wine 10.19 closes 30+ bug reports, improving compatibility for many games (e.g., some users report improved behavior with titles like Baldur’s Gate 3, Horizon Zero Dawn) and apps.

What This Means for Linux Users & Gamers

For anyone using Wine (or Proton) to run Windows applications or games on Linux, this update is important. Some of the practical implications:

• If you had an app that hung, errored or failed because it couldn’t create or follow a junction/symlink or installer that used directory redirection, that may now work cleanly.

• Gaming setups: Many games use complex directory structures, virtual file overlays, or redirections. With reparse-point support, fewer games need manual tweaks, merges, or external hacks.

• Developers/packagers: If you package Windows apps for Wine prefixes (e.g., using Bottles, Lutris, or custom scripts), you can expect fewer "file system weirdness" edge cases.

• Future-proofing: Wine is nearing a major stable version (Wine 11); features like this mean the next stable release will be even more robust for real-world usage.

How to Upgrade or Try Wine 10.19

If you’re ready to test out the new version:

• Visit the official WineHQ news page, Wine 10.19 is officially released.

• On your Linux distro (if supported), update your Wine package via your package manager. If not yet packaged, you may build from source (the GitLab release page has details).

• After installing, test a previously problematic application that may have depended on reparse point behavior, see if its installer, directory junctions or file redirections now handle cleanly.

• Note: Because Wine 10.19 is a development release (the next stable being Wine 11), you might encounter minor quirks, so backup important prefixes before significant use.

Final Thoughts

Wine 10.19 isn’t a flashy version full of UI redesigns, it’s more of a foundational improvement that cracks open a long-standing compatibility barrier: reparse points. For many users, that means fewer hacks, smoother behavior, and less chasing of workarounds. Coupled with improvements in WinRT, JScript and control libraries, this update brings the Windows-on-Linux experience that much closer to "just works".

George Whittaker is the editor of Linux Journal, and also a regular contributor. George has been writing about technology for two decades, and has been a Linux user for over 15 years. In his free time he enjoys programming, reading, and gaming.