To run Bitvise like a native app from Ubuntu’s application menu:
Create a .desktop file:
nano ~/.local/share/applications/bitvise.desktop
Paste the following content:
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Bitvise SSH Client
Comment=SSH and SFTP client for Windows (via Wine)
Exec=wine /home/YOUR_USERNAME/.wine/drive_c/Program\ Files/Bitvise\ SSH\ Client/BvSsh.exe
Icon=/home/YOUR_USERNAME/.wine/drive_c/Program\ Files/Bitvise\ SSH\ Client/BvSsh.ico
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Network;RemoteAccess;
StartupWMClass=BvSsh.exe
Replace YOUR_USERNAME with your actual Ubuntu username. Save (Ctrl+O, Ctrl+X).
Refresh the applications database:
update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications/
Now find “Bitvise SSH Client” in your app launcher.
Bitvise SSH Client is renowned for:
On Ubuntu, native tools like openssh-client, Remmina, or PuTTY for Linux exist, but none offer Bitvise’s combined GUI for tunneling + file management. Hence, running Bitvise via Wine is a viable solution for power users.
Install Windows core fonts:
winetricks corefonts
Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run:
# Enable 32-bit architecture (if not already)
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
Use the terminal to copy (Ctrl+Shift+C) and paste (Ctrl+Shift+V) into the Wine window, or use Bitvise’s built-in clipboard support (sometimes works after enabling in winecfg).
Before starting, ensure: