How To Use Kegworks on a Mac

Kegworks is a clever open source tool that allows you to run Windows apps and games for free on a Mac.

Although there are definitely better and easier ways to run Windows apps on Macs, Kegworks is free to use as it is completely open source.

It’s designed to create Wine-wrapped ports of Windows software on macOS, allowing you to run Windows applications without the need for a full Windows installation.

It’s a particularly popular choice for gamers that want a free way to play Windows only Steam games on a Mac.

It’s also a free way to use or play 32 bit apps on a Mac.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to use Kegworks on a Mac as a way to play Windows only games on your Mac from the Steam platform.

What is Kegworks?

Kegworks is an application that simplifies running Windows software on a Mac using the open source project Wine.

It’s actually been developed to replace Wineskin, which is designed to create Wine-wrapped ports of Windows applications, including games and productivity software.

There are other commercial apps that do this such as the excellent Crossover (which is much easier to use and more advanced) but Kegworks is free.

Advantages of Kegworks:

• Easier App Porting – Provides a graphical interface to wrap Windows applications for macOS.
• Gaming Support – Supports Steam and other game launchers with options like DXVK (DirectX to Vulkan) and D3DMetal (DirectX to Metal).
• Custom Wine Builds – Allows users to use different Wine versions for compatibility with various apps.
• macOS Integration – Runs Windows programs as standalone macOS apps without needing a full Windows installation.

Kegworks is particularly useful for Mac users wanting to run Windows games or software without using virtual machines like Parallels or Boot Camp.

Disadvantages of Kegworks:

• Can Be Hit And Miss – Some Windows apps/games may not work properly.
• Setup Can Be Tricky – Requires manual configuration using Terminal which isn’t easy for beginners. However, once installed you don’t need to use Terminal again.
• Limited DirectX 12 Support – D3DMetal helps, but it’s still experimental.
• Performance Varies – Some apps run slower compared to native Windows or virtualization.
• Potential Bugs & Crashes – As with any Wine-based solution, stability depends on the app.

How To Use Kegworks on a Mac

Before you install Kegworks, you’ll need to make sure you have the following:

• A Mac running macOS 10.15.4 or later. If not, you’ll need to update your Mac.
• Your Mac must be connected to the internet.
• Basic familiarity with macOS terminal commands.

Kegworks can be installed using package managers like Homebrew or MacPorts.

Using Homebrew:

1. Open Terminal on your Mac.
2. Install Homebrew by entering the following command and following the on-screen instructions:​ /bin/bash -c “$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)”
3. Make sure that Homebrew is fully updated by typing: brew update
4. Uninstall any existing versions of Wineskin by typing: brew uninstall --force --zap wineskin
5. Install Kegworks using Homebrew: brew install --cask --no-quarantine gcenx/wine/kegworks

Using MacPorts:

Alternatively, you can also install Kegworks using MacPorts by doing the following:

1. Open the Terminal application.
2. Update MacPorts by typing: sudo port selfupdate
3. Install Kegworks: sudo port install kegworks

Step 2: Launch Kegworks

1. Press Command (⌘) + Space to open Spotlight Search.​
2. Type Kegworks Winery and press Enter to launch the application

Step 3: Install a Wine Engine

1. In Kegworks Winery, click on the + button to add a new engine.​
2. Select an appropriate engine version (e.g., WS12WineCX23.0.0) and click Download and Install. At the time of writing, the WS12WineCX23.0.0 engine is recommended for better compatibility with most applications.

Step 4: Create a New Blank Wrapper

Before you can create a new blank wrapper in Kegworks Winery, you must first install a wrapper engine, as none are included by default. If you skip this step, the “Create New Blank Wrapper” option will remain greyed out and unusable.

To do this:

• Open Kegworks Winery.
• Click on the “+” button near the bottom left under the Wrapper Versions section.
• In the pop-up window, select a wrapper engine to download. For example Wineskin-3.1.7_2 is a good recent version to use.
• Click Download and Install.

Once installation completes, the wrapper will appear in the list, and the “Create New Blank Wrapper” button will now be active.

1. Click on Create New Blank Wrapper.​
2. Provide a name for your wrapper (e.g., Steam).​
3. Click OK to initiate the creation process.​
4. Once the wrapper is created, locate it in the Finder by clicking View Wrapper in Finder.​

Step 5: Install Steam via Winetricks

1. Right-click on the newly created wrapper (e.g., Steam) and select Show Package Contents.​
2. Open the Wineskin application within the package contents.​
3. Click on Advanced.​
4. Navigate to the Tools tab.​
5. Click on Winetricks.
6. In the Winetricks window, expand the Applications category.​
7. Select Steam and click Run to install Steam.​ Installing Steam through Winetricks ensures that all necessary dependencies are correctly configured.​

After Steam is installed, you also need to tell the wrapper which file to run when launching it by doing the following:

1. In Kegworks Winery, select your wrapper and click Advanced.
2. Go to the Configuration tab.
3. Under Windows EXE, click Browse.
4. Navigate to: Program Files (x86) > Steam > steam.exe
5. Select steam.exe and click Choose (or Open).

This ensures your wrapper knows where Steam is and can launch it correctly.

Step 6: Configure DirectX Support (Optional)

Like Crossover, Kegworks now includes built-in support for DXVK and D3DMetal (DXMT), which enhances DirectX compatibility.​ This may be necessary depending on the game you want to play. To activate it:

1. In the Wineskin application, click on Advanced.​
2. Go to the Tools tab.​
3. Click on Winetricks.​
4. In the Winetricks window, expand the dlls category.​
5. Select dxvk to enable DXVK or d3dmetal to enable D3DMetal.​
6. Click Run to apply the selected option.​

Step 7: Launch Steam and Install Windows Games

1. Close all configuration windows.​
2. Double-click the wrapper (e.g., Steam) to launch Steam.​
3. Log in to your Steam account.
4. Install and run the Windows-only game you want to play directly from Steam.​

Important Notes & Problems

There’s a few things you should be aware of when following this tutorial:

• Avoid installing Steam using the SteamSetup.exe file, as this may lead to configuration issues. Using Winetricks is mote reliable in our experience.
• Performance and compatibility may vary depending on the specific game or application. Some titles may require additional configuration or may not function correctly.​
• Regularly update Kegworks and its components to make sure you get the latest improvements and compatibility fixes.

Despite this, Kegworks is still under development and can be tricky to setup. It’s not uncommon to run into problems but here’s a few fixes for common Kegworks issues I encountered:

• If Steam doesn’t start and displays an error about steamwebhelper, it may be due to compatibility issues with certain wrapper versions. Sometimes you may need for an updated wrapper or change to different one.
• For games requiring DirectX, Kegworks supports various renderers so make sure they are activated. Supported renderers include:
  • WineD3D (default): Supports DirectX 11 and below.
  • VKD3D: Limited DirectX 12 support.
  • D9VK and DXVK: Available via Winetricks for DirectX 9, 10, and 11 via Vulkan.
  • D3DMetal: Supports 64-bit DirectX 11 and 12 via Metal.

Fixing “Content Unavailable” Errors

Sometimes I find that when trying to download a game in Kegworks, I receive a “Content Unavailable” error. There are a few things I’d suggest doing if you have the same problem:

• Delete the partially downloaded installer from the Kegworks wrapper folder.
• Restart Kegworks and re-install the game fresh using “Install Software”.
• Watch the download progress to ensure it completes fully.

Often I found that re-downloading fixes the error immediately. However, if you’re still receiving the error, try the following:

Update the Wine Engine

The root of many issues – including install errors – is usually using an outdated Wine engine. To update your Wine engine to the latest version:

• Opening the Kegworks Winery.app
• Clicking the ➕ on the engine list
• Installing the latest WS12WineCX23.7.1_3 engine
• In the wrapper, going to Tools → Change Engine Used and selecting that new engine by doing the following:

1. Open the Kegworks Winery.app
2. Click + under available Wine engines
3. Download/install the latest engine (if available)
4. Navigate into your game wrapper (~/Applications/Kegworks/YourGame.app)
5. Right‑click → Show Package Contents → open KegworksConfig
6. Go to Tools → Change Engine Used and pick the new engine
7. Re-run the installer

The new engine should resolve the DLL and installer compatibility issues to prevent the Content Unavailable error.

Rebuild the Wrapper (Optional)

If you’re still getting the “Content Unavailable Error”, rebuilding the wrapper often helps by doing the following:

• In Kegworks Winery, create a New Blank Wrapper
• Go through install again with the latest engine
• This will ensure you have a clean environment free from corrupted files or old configs

As I say, it’s not easy to get Kegworks working smoothly and it’s much easier to use a commercial project like Crossover or a slightly easier open source alternative like Whisky.