Decanter
Decanter manages Wine environments for running Windows games on Apple Silicon Macs.
What Decanter is
Decanter manages Wine environments for running Windows games on Apple Silicon Macs. It examines a game's engine, architecture, and Direct3D requirements, then recommends a runtime and graphics layer and explains why. Each game gets a separate APFS copy-on-write Windows environment. The project says one can be cloned in about half a second. Games can access their own folder and a shared games directory, with access checked before each launch. Decanter can keep saves outside an environment, link them back in, and make snapshots before destructive actions. It also detects and configures BepInEx mods, identifies plugin failures, and can create diagnostic reports. Users can export a setup or package a game as a Mac app that runs without Decanter. It is free and open source under GPL-3.0. Users must supply Wine and Apple's Game Porting Toolkit; Decanter does not download them. It requires macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon and Rosetta 2. Releases are not notarised, so macOS users must allow the app to open once in Privacy & Security.
Good
- Recommends runtimes and graphics layers with explanations.
- Creates a separate environment for each game.
- Snapshots before destructive actions.
- Exports setups or packages games as Mac apps.
Watch out
- Requires macOS 14 or later and Rosetta 2.
- Users must supply Wine and Apple's Game Porting Toolkit.
- Kernel-level anti-cheat games do not work under Wine.
- Releases require a one-time macOS security approval.
Who it suits
Decanter suits Apple Silicon Mac users who want to manage separate Wine environments for Windows games. It may also fit players who need per-game save protection, mod diagnostics, or portable game setups.
Verdict
Decanter combines per-game Wine environments with setup recommendations, save safeguards, and mod diagnostics. Check its macOS requirements and runtime prerequisites, and note that games with kernel-level anti-cheat are not supported under Wine.
The facts
Each one read from Decanter's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Compatibility limits
- The maker says games with kernel-level anti-cheat do not work, and Unity 6 requires Metal graphics (DXMT) and a compatible Wine build.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Distribution caveat
- The project says its releases are not notarised, so macOS users must allow the app to open in Privacy & Security once.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Exports
- Users can export a setup file or bundle a game as a Mac app that can run without Decanter.checked 9 Oct 2026
- File access
- Each game is limited to its own folder and a shared games directory, and Decanter checks this scope before launch.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Game setup
- It analyzes a game's engine, architecture, and Direct3D requirements, recommends a runtime and graphics layer, and shows its reasoning.checked 9 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository identifies Decanter's license as GPL-3.0.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Mods
- Decanter detects and configures BepInEx mods and reports which plugin failed and why.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Mods and diagnostics
- Decanter detects and configures BepInEx mods, reports plugin failures, and can generate a diagnostic report for a game.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Per-game environments
- Each game gets its own APFS copy-on-write Windows environment, isolated from other games.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- The maker says Decanter makes no network requests; its Windows Components feature can fetch a runtime or codec from its publisher when the user invokes it.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Decanter runs Windows games on Apple Silicon Macs by choosing a Windows environment and graphics translation for each game.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Requirements
- Decanter requires macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon and Rosetta 2; its setup installs Rosetta 2.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Runtimes
- Users supply Wine and Apple's Game Porting Toolkit; Decanter does not download runtimes and keeps its own copies of those supplied.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Runtime setup
- Users supply Wine and the Game Porting Toolkit themselves; Decanter copies runtimes into its own store and does not download them.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Saved games
- Saves can be moved outside a game's Windows environment and linked back in, and Decanter snapshots before destructive actions.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Save protection
- Protected saves are stored outside a game's environment and linked back in, and Decanter snapshots before destructive actions.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Security caveat
- Releases are not notarised, so macOS requires users to allow the app to open once in Privacy & Security.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Security reporting
- The security policy asks users to report vulnerabilities privately through GitHub's security advisory form.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Setup recommendations
- It analyzes a game's engine, architecture, and Direct3D version to recommend a runtime and graphics layer, and shows its reasoning.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- Users can create a diagnostic report from a game's page and open a prefilled GitHub issue; they may redact the game name.checked 9 Oct 2026
- System requirements
- The README requires macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon and Rosetta 2.checked 8 Oct 2026
