Wiki
Setup guides, dependency fixes, and troubleshooting for Crosswire. If something is missing or wrong, open an issue.
Installing a game or app
Click Install Windows App in the toolbar, or drag a Windows .exe straight onto the window. Crosswire runs the installer (or adopts a portable executable), detects what the app needs, and adds it to your Library by name. From there it launches with one click.
Crosswire handles runtimes
Most apps that fail to launch on other tools are missing a Windows runtime. Crosswire detects the common ones automatically while it installs an app and offers to add them — you don't go hunting for components. The runtimes it recognizes include:
| Runtime | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Visual C++ 2008–2022 | Covers most software, going back to 2008. |
| .NET Framework 4.x | Most .NET desktop apps. |
| DirectX 9 components | Older DirectX 9 games that ask for them. |
| Core fonts | Standard Windows fonts many apps expect. |
| XACT audio | Sound in some older games. |
| PhysX | Games that use NVIDIA PhysX physics. |
Known titles, set up automatically. For a growing set of recognized games, Crosswire applies the exact setup that title needs the moment you install it — no manual steps.
Running & managing apps
Click an app in your Library to launch it (or use the arrow keys and Return). Open an app's page for more: run a specific program it installed, Launch with Diagnostics to capture a log when something misbehaves, or Uninstall to remove it and its files. Right-clicking an app in the Library gives you the same actions.
Settings
The gear in the toolbar opens Settings. Crosswire keeps the compatibility layer and runtimes managed for you, so there's little to configure beyond update preferences.
Rosetta
On Apple Silicon, Windows software runs through Rosetta. Crosswire checks whether Rosetta is installed at launch and walks you through installing it if not — you don't need to set it up beforehand.
If the prompt doesn't appear and apps fail to launch, install it manually with softwareupdate --install-rosetta in Terminal.
Portable apps
Apps with no installer (a folder with an .exe and some DLLs) work fine. Install it the same way — drop the .exe onto the window or pick it from the Install dialog — and Crosswire adds it to your Library once it runs.
Common issues
The app won't open
Crosswire offers the common runtimes while installing, so this is usually handled. If an app still won't launch, reinstall it so detection runs again, or open the app's page and choose Launch with Diagnostics to capture a log. Then open an issue with the app name and that log.
Black screen on launch
Quit and relaunch the app once. If it persists, lower the in-game resolution, and use Launch with Diagnostics from the app's page so the log can be attached to a report.
App installed but doesn't appear
Some installers place the program in an unexpected spot. Reinstall and let the installer finish completely; for a portable .exe, it appears in your Library after it runs the first time.
Gatekeeper blocks Crosswire on first launch
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the Security section, and click Open Anyway next to Crosswire, then confirm. (On macOS 14 you could right-click the app and choose Open, but Apple removed that shortcut in macOS 15 Sequoia.) You only need to do this once — Crosswire isn’t notarized by Apple yet.