Can you run Affinity Photo on Linux?

Best option: Cloud Windows PC (works, general method, not tested with this app). Native alternatives: GIMP, Krita, darktable.

No official versionNo official version

Affinity Photo is now part of a single free Affinity app from Canva, available for Windows and macOS. Canva lists no Linux version, only an iPad version in progress.

Source: Canva (Affinity) · Verified

Official platforms: Windows, Mac (all Affinity Photo platforms)

What works instead

RouteResultCost
Cloud Windows PC Works Subscription

Cloud Windows PC

Works

General method, not tested with this app

Shadow streams a full Windows PC where you can install your regular Windows apps, including Affinity for Windows.

Setup steps

  1. Choose a Shadow PC plan on Shadow's offers page. (Shadow)
  2. Wait for the activation email. You can log in once your Shadow PC is activated. (Shadow support)
  3. Log in to your Shadow account page, open the Downloads tab and download the Shadow PC app for your device. (Shadow support)
  4. Open the Shadow PC app, click Log In and sign in with your email and password or single sign-on. (Shadow support)
  5. On the Shadow PC, download the free Affinity app for Windows from affinity.studio. (Canva (Affinity))

Cost: Subscription. Affinity is free for individuals, but Shadow costs from 33.99 EUR a month.

Sources: Shadow, Shadow, Canva (Affinity) · Verified

Not yet tested (3 routes: Windows in a virtual machine, Wine on Linux, CrossOver)

No source we could read confirms whether these routes work for Affinity Photo. They are listed so you know they exist.

Windows in a virtual machine

Not verified

Not confirmed for Affinity. A Windows VM gives it a full Windows environment, but graphics and audio go through virtual devices.

  • VirtualBox gives Windows guests Direct3D 11 and OpenGL 4.1 at most.

Cost: One-time purchase. Affinity and VirtualBox are free, but you need a Windows license.

We found no Canva statement on Affinity in a VM.

Source: Oracle VirtualBox · Checked , not verified

Wine on Linux

Not verified

No vendor or forum source we could read confirms the current Affinity app under Wine.

Cost: Free

The WineHQ AppDB could not be read automatically (browser check page), and the current combined Affinity app is new. Add a rating after a manual check.

No source yet · Checked , not verified

CrossOver

Not verified

Check the CodeWeavers compatibility database for the current Affinity app.

Cost: One-time purchase. CrossOver costs $74 for 12 months of upgrades or $494 lifetime.

The CodeWeavers compatibility page could not be read automatically.

Source: CodeWeavers · Checked , not verified

Native alternatives on Linux

GIMP

Free

Free, open source image editor with a Linux Flatpak.

Sources: GIMP, GIMP · Verified

Krita

Free

Free editor and painting app with a Linux AppImage.

Source: Krita Foundation · Verified

darktable

Free

Free, open source raw photo developer for Linux.

Source: darktable · Verified

Sources

  1. Affinity by Canva. Canva (Affinity), vendor. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  2. Shadow, a full Windows PC in the cloud. Shadow, vendor. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  3. Shadow PC offers. Shadow, vendor. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  4. VirtualBox manual, Guest Additions and 3D acceleration. Oracle VirtualBox, vendor knowledge base. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  5. CrossOver store and pricing. CodeWeavers, vendor. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  6. GIMP, the free and open source image editor. GIMP, vendor. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  7. Download GIMP. GIMP, vendor. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  8. Download Krita. Krita Foundation, vendor. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  9. Install darktable. darktable, vendor. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  10. Getting started with Shadow PC. Shadow support, vendor knowledge base. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.

Record last verified 17 October 2026. Ratings from third-party compatibility databases are linked to their original pages. How we verify.

Report a correction for this record.

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