Android apps on the desktop

5 Free Ways to Run Android Apps on Your PC

Want to use Android apps on a PC? These are the apps, services, and OSes that can make it happen.

Ever wish you could run an Android app or game on your PC so you weren’t relegated to a tiny phone screen? Maybe you need to test a feature on Android, but don’t have an Android device handy. Your options will depend on what mobile device you own or what version of Windows you’re running, but here are a few ways to run Android (and its apps) on your computer.

Mirror Your Phone With Windows

For apps installed on your phone, you don’t need anything fancy to get Android on your PC. Microsoft’s Your Phone app allows you to connect your Android mobile device to Windows in order to access apps, view notifications and photos, and send messages. You can even add Android apps to Favorites or pin them directly to the Windows taskbar.

If you want to mirror your phone screen directly, just click the phone screen image in the Your Phone desktop app. Grant permission to the app on your phone, and your phone screen will be displayed in Windows. You can then navigate the phone screen with the click of the mouse.

This isn’t always the ideal solution. While the feature will work with many Android phone manufacturers, it works best with Samsung phones. Some features require a Windows 10 PC running the May 2020 Update or later with at least 8GB of RAM and Android 11. If you’re looking to play games, this may come with some delay and graphical blurriness, and you won’t be able to easily share files from your PC directly to an app in Android. But for quick access to Android apps you already have installed, it definitely works in a pinch.

Run Your Favorite Apps With BlueStacks

If you’re just looking to run a couple apps and don’t need the emulator to look like Android, you should try BlueStacks. Over the years, it’s become the best Android app emulator around, and it’s packed with features that ensure your apps and games run smoothly. Since it uses virtualization to emulate Android, you’ll want to jump into your computer’s BIOS and enable Intel VT-x or AMD-V, if your computer supports it, for best performance.

Install BlueStacks as you would any other Windows or Mac app. BlueStacks 5, the latest version of the software, takes up 5GB of space on your computer (plus any apps you download). Open the app, and you’ll be greeted with a customized home screen and access to the Play Store. Download any apps you want, and they will appear on the BlueStacks home screen and your Windows desktop as their own shortcuts. Just double-click an icon to run the app in question.

BlueStacks is great for apps that don’t have corresponding desktop apps, but the emulator really shines when it comes to games. The emulator features built-in mappings for your mouse and keyboard, which you can customize to the touch controls you find on different Android games.

You can also adjust the resolution, DPI, FPS, and amount of CPU or RAM allocated to the emulator, ensuring you get the best balance between speed and graphical fidelity. (This is useful given that BlueStacks is fairly resource-intensive, as many virtual machines are.)

BlueStacks does, unfortunately, come with some ads and clutter, but it’s not as intrusive as it once was, and it’s a small price to pay for the functionality you get—especially considering the Android version options it offers.

Emulate Full Android Experience With Genymotion

If you’re looking to explore the Android operating system itself—rather than individual apps—Genymotion is a decent emulator. Its main product is designed for developers and costs money to use, but there is a free version of the software you can download for personal use; you just need to first create an account on the website.

Genymotion uses VirtualBox to emulate Android, so you’ll either need to have VirtualBox installed on your PC or download the version with VirtualBox bundled. Install it like you would any other program, ensuring you select the Personal Use version during the wizard. (And, like BlueStacks, you’ll want to enable Intel VT-x or AMD-V from your computer’s BIOS if you have it.)

When you start Genymotion, it’ll present you with a list of device templates you can install—this determines the screen resolution, Android version, and resources allotted to the emulator. Install the template you want and double-click it to enter Android. You’ll be able to navigate around the home screen, launch apps, and emulate certain events like GPS location.

Note that you’ll start with a very barebones version of Android that doesn’t even come with many of Google’s apps or modern features, though you can add the Play Store by clicking the Open Gapps icon in the sidebar to install it.

Also, no matter which template you choose, you won’t get any custom versions of Android—picking the Samsung Galaxy S10 template, for example, won’t get you Samsung’s One UI. It just determines the resolution and specs of the virtual machine. (Genymotion does support Android versions from 4.4 all the way up to 10.0, though.)

Genymotion works well for exploring Android’s settings and other built-in features, though I wouldn’t necessarily use it to run individual apps, as it doesn’t integrate as well with your PC as something like BlueStacks. If Genymotion doesn’t suit your needs, Google’s official Android software development kit also comes with an Android emulator, though setup is more complex.

Run Android Directly on Your PC With Android-x86

If you’re looking for something a bit more full-featured, the Android-x86 project gets you as close as you can get to true Android on your PC. Android-x86 is an open-source project that ports Android to the x86 platform, allowing you to run it on your computer instead of an ARM-based phone or tablet.

To run Android-x86, you have a couple of options. If you want to run Android on its own, as a desktop operating system for your PC, you can download it as an ISO disc image and burn it to a USB drive with a program like Rufus. Then, insert that USB drive into the PC in question, reboot, and enter the boot menu (usually by pressing a key like F12 during the boot process).

By booting from your Android-x86 USB drive, you’ll either be able to run Android in a live environment—without having any effect on your PC—or install it to your PC’s hard drive for permanent usage (and better performance).

Alternatively, if you want to run Android-x86 on top of your existing operating system, you can download the disc image and run it inside VirtualBox. This is, again, a bit more advanced if you aren’t familiar with VirtualBox, but our guide to running Windows on a Mac can get you acquainted with the process.

The official site has some tips for getting Android-x86 up and running in a virtual machine as well. It’s more work than using something like BlueStacks, but it’s also closer to pure Android, which is a nice perk.

Install Android Apps From the Amazon Appstore

With Windows 11, Microsoft adds built-in support for Android apps, but for now it’s limited to those enrolled in the Windows Insider beta program, who can currently play around with 50 apps from the Amazon Appstore. You’ll also need a PC that can run Windows 11.

Windows 11 taps into a feature called Windows Subsystem for Android, which makes Android apps compatible with Microsoft’s own OS. You’ll need to install the Amazon Appstore from the Microsoft Store, which will prompt you to install Windows Subsystem. Here’s a full rundown.

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Free Download Android Mobile Software for PC

Looking to have the best and top free Android apps on your smart phone? Wondering which app will work the best for you? Here is a list of the top 50 free Android apps that you will love to know about and which are a must have for any Android smart phone owner.

Android Apps Manager

One Stop Solution to Install, Uninstall and Backup Android Apps

• Backup your music, photos, videos, contacts, SMS, Apps etc. to computer and restore them easily.
• Manage, export/import your music, photos, videos, contacts, SMS, Apps etc.
• Phone to Phone Transfer — Transfer everything between two mobiles.
• Highlighted features such as 1-click root, gif maker, ringtone maker.
• Fully compatible with 3000+ Android devices (Android 2.2 — Android 8.0) from Samsung, LG, HTC, Huawei, Motorola, Sony etc.

You can simply download the 50 free Android apps to computer, and then install the apk to your Android devices via TunesGo.

The android phones have created a revolution in the world. Whatever we need is accessible from our smartphones. But sometimes it becomes difficult when we want to access the apps on our phone through our desktop. The solution to this problem is a host of free Android apps that let’s you run your apps on your Mac or Windows pc. Below are listed some of the such most popular free Android apps. We have also included some apps that have pc versions available.

1. BlueStacks

BlueStacks is free to download and lets you run your apps and games on your pc without draining your phone’s battery. You can transfer files between your mobile and pc. BlueStacks also enables you to download apps directly on your computer.

You can get it here: http://www.bluestacks.com/

2. Andy

Andy lets you synchronize your mobile and desktop easily. It keeps your android OS updated all the time. You can use your phone as a remote control while playing games on your pc. Download it here: http://www.andyroid.net/

3. AMIDuOS

AMIDuOS is the perfect computer app for android versions Lollipop and Jellybean. It runs your smartphone apps on Windows 7,8 or 10 pc and tablets. 3D acceleration and Open GL makes the graphic heavy games run smoothly without any glitch. The link to download: http://www.amiduos.com/

4. GenyMotion

One of the free Android apps, this one is a gem. Many android developers prefer to do their device testing using GenyMotion. It supports Google Play services and is a much reliable app free of bugs. You need to install Virtualbox before you can run this. Visit https://www.genymotion.com/ to download it.

5. Jar of Beans

This emulator runs the android Jelly bean version. It can be run as an executable file without the need of installing. It presents you with a number of configuration options.

Get it here: https://www.wondershare.com/mirror-emulator/download-best-android-emulator-for-pc-mac-windows.html

6. Droid4X

Droid features enhanced performance of graphics rendering and Android kernel. It has a compatibility rate of 99% running all apps on the pc. It is the first multi touch supported simulator. The website url is: http://www.droid4x.com/

7. Windroy

This emulator preserves all the originality of android from UI to Dalvik virtual machine. It provides full porting of Android on Windows devices. you can get it here: http://windroy.software.informer.com/4.0/

8. MoboRobo

Moborobo is an easy way to arrange all the data on your phone. It analyzes the data on the phone and separates it in different categories like data, images, videos, music and apps. You can download apps from the Mobo Market, which is an app store like Google Play. Download MoboRobo here: http://www.moborobo.com/

9. Xamarin Android player

Being developed by a programming based company, it is best for developers. It is almost bug free. It requires Virtualbox to work. You can download it here : https://xamarin-android-player.s3.amazonaws.com/installer/Windows/XamarinAndroidPlayerx32.exe (32 bit)

https://xamarin-android-player.s3.amazonaws.com/installer/Windows/XamarinAndroidPlayerx64.exe (64 bit)

10. Whatsapp for PC

Instant messengers are the in thing today and whatsapp is the most popular of all. You can send messages, photos files and even call without having to pay anything. You can run this on your pc by going to https://web.whatsapp.com/ and following the instructions.

11. SHAREit

Share it has been a very popular phone to phone file transfer free Android app. It can now be used to transfer files between any smartphone and your pc wirelessly using bluetooth or NFC connectivity. The website is: http://www.shareitforpc.com/p/lenovo-shareit-for-windows-8.html

12. AirDroid

AirDroid gives full access to your phone from PC or Mac. You can handle calls, sms and notifications on your computer screen at ease.

Get it here: https://www.airdroid.com/

13. Gmote Server

Gmote Server helps you use your phone as a remote control by connecting with your phone via Gmote. You can control various functions related with music and movie playback like play, pause, stop, increase or decrease volume. Download it at: http://gmote-server.en.lo4d.com/

14. Mobogenie

Apart from being an Android manager, Mobogenie lets you download varied content for free using your pc’s bandwidth. You can uninstall stock apps and backup your phone’s data with just one click. It is available at: http://www.mobogenie.com/in/product/mobogenie-pc.html

15. Android Studio

It is the official app from Android which you can use to run your apps on pc. But this software is mostly for developers who engage in creating apps or testing them. The link for downloading is: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html

16. Wondershare MobileGo

It is one of the most powerful android files manager fro your pc. You can download, install. import and export files using one click. You can create backups and restore your device too. Try it for free http://mobilego.wondershare.com/

17. ShowBox for pc

Showbox is an android app for watching, downloading and streaming movies and TV series. The free android app now can be installed on your pc by going to https://showboxa.com/showbox-apk/. You need to have an android emulator installed to run this.

18. Vibosoft Android Mobile Manager

Vibosoft gives you unlimited control of the data and apps of your home. It can organize your apps, contacts and messages and export them to your Pc. The link is: http://www.vibosoft.com/android-mobile-manager.html

19. Manymo

Quick to start, this lightweight Android emulator is used for developing, testing and automation. It can be tried for free: https://www.manymo.com/

20. Syncios iOS & Android Manager

Apart from having all the features of an emulator, it also offers audio and video converter and ringtone maker. It is totally free: http://www.sync-droid.com/

21. QTADB

It gives access to files, data and can be used to manage and synchronize the Android device with Mac, Linux as well as Windows PC. The download link is: https://qtadb.wordpress.com/download/

22. 91 PC Suite

You can access all the settings of your smartphone including backup and import, installing and uninstalling of apps, etc.

Get it here: http://91-pc-suite-android.en.lo4d.com/

23. MOBILedit

It is a central toolbox which provides quick access and easy modification of your phone’s content. It also creates auto backup of your data while you are browsing it. You can try it at: http://www.mobiledit.com/mobiledit

24. Android SDK

This emulator created by Android itself lets you explore all the software and hardware features of the phone. It cannot be used to make calls.

25. YouWave

Youwave plays out your games and apps on the pc. You can check out how an app performs on your pc before installing it on your phone.

26. AndRock

Androck is an computer software that runs all your messaging services like whatsapp, Snapchat and Tango on your pc. Link: http://www.androck.co/

27. Nox App Player

It gives the best performance and maximun compatibility to play your android games on the pc. Download: http://en.bignox.com/#p1

28. Androcontroller

You can control your phone with ease via your pc using free android app. Get it at: https://androcontroller.jaleco.com/

29. Wondershare Dr. Fone for Android

The best pc software for recovering lost data of your phone such as contact,audio,video,sms, documents. Try for free: http://www.wondershare.net/ad/dr-fone/dr-fone-android.html

30. Kingo Android Root

Root your phone and get access to admin level permission with Kingo. Link: https://www.kingoapp.com/android-root.htm

31. Apowersoft Phone Manager

One step phone management software for viewing, transferring, backing up and restoring of your pone data. Download: http://www.apowersoft.com/phone-manager

32. SnapPea

Simple and easy to use, SnapPea allows you easy management of pone data through a pc. The link is: http://snappea.en.softonic.com/

33. APK Installer and Launcher

View, install and launch APK files using this free software. Link: http://download.cnet.com/APK-Installer-and-Launcher/3000-20432_4-75915554.html

34. Pushbullet

It connects your Android or iOS with pc and enables you to chat, send links and texts, receive notifications. Download: https://www.pushbullet.com/apps

35. MyPhoneExplorer

You can pair your phone and pc using WiFi, USB cable or Bluetooth and access and edit phone content. Try for free: http://www.fjsoft.at/en/downloads.php

36. Pushline

A nice pc app for managing notifications, calls and messages via your pc. It is free: http://www.getpushline.com/

37. SRS-Root

An one click rooting solution for your phone to get rid of tethering problems. Download: http://download.cnet.com/SRS-Root/3000-20432_4-75862706.html

38. Tenorshare Android Data Recovery

Phone data recovery with the most professional and powerful tool available at: http://www.tenorshare.com/products/android-data-recovery.html

39. Mobikin Doctor for Android

A powerful program to recover lost data like contacts, sms and pics from your phone. Try for free: http://www.mobikin.com/download.html

40. Mobisynapse

An Android pc manager and Outlook Sync which supports USB or WiFi connection. Download: http://mobisynapse.software.informer.com/2.2/

41. Droid Explorer

With simplicity of windows interface, Droid Explorer lets you install/uninstall and explore apps from the pc. Link: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Mobile-Phone-Tools/Droid-Explorer.shtml#download

42. Mobikin Assistant for Android

One of the earliest data retrieving programs for backup of phone data. Get it here: http://www.mobikin.com/download.html

43. One Click Root

A fast, simple and safe one click rooting solution for your smartphone. Link: https://www.oneclickroot.com/download/

44. Mobikin Transfer for Mobile

One of the widely used transfer software for Android and iOS devices. Try for free: http://www.mobikin.com/download.html

45. Android Multi-Install Tool

Lets you install multiple APK files on your Android device using the debugging mode via pc. Download: http://www.freewarefiles.com/Android-Multi-Install-Tool_program_98937.html

46. Android Manager WiFi

It is a free software that syncs phone and pc and enables edit and backup of phone data. It can be found at: http://download.cnet.com/Android-Manager-WiFi/3000-10440_4-75322116.html

47. Odin3

You can update your phone OS, firmware and overwrite system files using this pc app.It is free: http://odin3.en.lo4d.com/

48. Android Commander

Featuring a dual panel interface, this is a fast and small size Android phone manager. Link: http://android-commander.en.lo4d.com/

49. Bluetooth Phone Transfer Software

A Bluetooth file transferring program for Android and iOS devices and pc. Download for free: http://bluetooth-phone-transfer-software.en.lo4d.com/

50. CyanogenMod Installer

This lets you install the best Android OS Cyanogen in your phone through your pc. Get it here: http://cyanogenmod-installer.en.softonic.com/

These are some of the free Android apps that you need to check out. Which one did you list the most? Let us know. If this guide helps, don’t forget to share it with your friends.

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