Home : Wine Explained : Prefixes

What are "prefixes"?
Prefixes are simply virtual 'machines' or 'systems'. Each "prefix" contains the configuration files for wine, and the entire C drive of the virtual machine, containing the program files, windows folder, etc.

How does WineBottler handle prefixes
WineBottler.app allows you to install several useful premade prefixes, with specific windows apps preconfigured for maximum compatibility. Alternatively, WineBottler allows you to install a program of your choice, and allows for compatibility components (provided by winetricks) to be installed simultaneously. WineBottler creates prefixes "wrapped" in OS X applications, so simply double-clicking on the resulting application created will launch your installed wine application. These wrapped apps still require the prescence of Wine.app on the computer. Wine also includes a default prefix used for running .exe files directly from the finder.

How do I switch between prefixes manually?
In the Wine.app 'wineglass' menu, choose "Change Prefix..." which will open a window with all of the prefixes detected on your computer. The circle with a line through the centre removes that prefix, and the circle with the magnifying glass reveals the location of the prefix in the Finder. Keep in mind, that this will only affect 'naked' .exe files run by double clicking, not .app wrapped prefixes.