How do I enable and use UMU (Unified Launcher Enabler) in Heroic Games Launcher

UMU (Unified Launcher Enabler / umu-launcher) is a tool developed by the Open Gaming Collective (OGC) to run games outside of Steam using Valve’s Steam Linux Runtime container and protonfixes database.

By enabling UMU in Heroic, you can run Windows games with Proton or GE-Proton exactly as Valve intended inside a pressure-vessel container—eliminating host system library conflicts and automatically applying game-specific fix scripts.

How to Enable and Use UMU in Heroic

Heroic Games Launcher natively integrates UMU, so you do not need to install umu-launcher manually.

1.Download Proton or GE-Proton:Required before launching games via UMU.

UMU requires a Proton runtime to execute games.

1. Open Heroic Games Launcher.

2. Go to Wine Manager on the left sidebar.

3. Under the Proton-GE tab, download a recent build (such as GE-Proton9-X or later).

2.Enable UMU in Settings:Enable globally or per-game.

• To enable globally for all games:

  1. Go to Settings (left sidebar) > Game Defaults.

  2. Navigate to the Advanced section.

  3. Toggle Use UMU / Use Steam Runtime to On.

• To enable for a specific game only:

  1. Click on the game in your Library and open its Settings (gear icon).

  2. Select Advanced on the left menu.

  3. Toggle Use UMU as Proton runtime to On.

3.Set Wine/Proton Version:Must select Proton rather than Wine.

1. In the game's settings (or Game Defaults), go to the Wine tab.

2. Set Wine Version to your installed GE-Proton or official Steam Proton build.

3. (Optional) Verify that Enable Steam Runtime remains checked so UMU can spawn the container environment.

4.Launch the Game:Automated runtime execution.

Click Play. Heroic will invoke UMU under the hood (umu-run), creating the isolated Steam Linux Runtime container, setting up prefix overrides, and applying relevant game fixes automatically.

Why Use UMU in Heroic?

• Container Isolation: Standard Wine runs directly against your host OS libraries. UMU places the game inside Valve's sniper runtime container, preventing issues caused by distribution-specific updates to glibc or system drivers.

• Automatic protonfixes: Games requiring specific DLL overrides, registry keys, or video playback codecs automatically draw from the community-maintained protonfixes database without manual tinkering.

• Steam-Free Proton Execution: Allows you to use standard Valve Proton releases without needing the Steam client running in the background.

Troubleshooting & Tips

• Save File Locations: If you switch an existing game from standard Wine-GE to Proton via UMU, the virtual Windows drive path change may make it look like your saves are missing. Your old save files are still intact in the previous prefix directory (~/.config/heroic/prefixes/).

• Disabling for Older Games: If an older GOG or indie Windows title fails to launch inside the Steam container, open the game’s Settings > Advanced in Heroic and turn off Use UMU, reverting the runner back to a standard Wine-GE or Wine-Staging build.

Share on Google Plus

About Giampaolo Rossi.

Fond of computer and video games. Stay informed of the latest news on games for Linux and Android. The future of gaming is in Linux. All you need to know about How to play Windows games on Linux.