Windows running android apps

Use apps from your Android device on your PC

With Your Phone apps, you can instantly access the Android apps installed on your mobile device right on your PC. Using a Wi-Fi connection, Apps allows you to browse, play, order, chat, and more – all while using your PC’s larger screen and keyboard. You can add your Android apps as favorites on your PC, pin them to your Start menu and taskbar, and open them in separate windows to use side-by-side with apps on your PC – helping you stay productive.

Note: For the best experience, we recommend making sure your Android device and PC are on the same Wi-Fi network and band. Some Wi-Fi networks offer different connection bands, like a 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz band. Make sure both your devices are connected to the same one. Learn more about how to do that in our Wi-Fi troubleshooting help.

How do I interact with apps?

You can use your PC’s mouse, trackpad, keyboard, pen or touch-enabled screen to open, type, scroll, and interact with apps. A few tips for using your mouse and keyboard:

Single click will behave the same as any single touch/tap interaction

Right click anywhere on your phone screen to navigate to the previous page

Click and hold will behave the same as a tap/hold interaction

Click and hold and drag to select content

Mouse scroll to move between pages vertically or horizontally

Some games and apps might not work with a mouse or keyboard. You’ll need to use a touch-enabled PC to interact with them.

If you’re encountering issues using Apps, our troubleshooting tips may help.

How do I know I’m using the multiple apps experience?

The requirements for using multiple apps are:

A PC running the Windows 10 May 2020 Update or later. For best performance, we recommend having at least 8GB of RAM.

An Android device running Android 11.0.

On your Android device, you need Link to Windows version 2.1.05.6 or higher, or Your Phone Companion version 1.20104.15.0 or higher.

Your Phone versions 1.20104.20.0 or higher.

How do I pin Android apps into Windows?

You can pin your Android apps to the Windows Start menu, taskbar, or add it to Your Phone app favorites.

To pin an app on your PC:

Open the Your Phone app

Right click on the app icon you want to pin or add to your favorites

How do I remove pinned Android apps from my Windows taskbar or Start menu?

If you’ve pinned an app to your taskbar, just right-click the app icon and select Unpin from taskbar.

If you’ve added an app to your Windows start menu, you’ll need to uninstall the app from your apps list. Go to Windows Settings > Apps & features, search for your app in the list. Select it, then select Uninstall.

Are the apps from my Android device now installed on my PC?

No, apps you open will be running from your Android device. The Your Phone app is mirroring apps from your Android device to your PC, meaning you’ll see the same thing on your PC that’s being displayed on your Android device.

Can I access Android apps without linking my device?

No, you need to connect your Android device to your PC via the Your Phone app in order to use this experience. Learn more about how to set up Apps here.

Can I open multiple apps at the same time?

If you have Android 11 on your Android device and one of select Samsung devices, yes. For most other Android devices, you can only open one Android app at a time.

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How to run Android apps on any Windows 11 PC without Windows Insider

It’s been just a day since Microsoft unveiled the long-anticipated Windows Subsystem for Android for Windows 11. The company has also published a plethora of documentation related to the integration with Amazon Appstore and Android app development on Windows using the native Android subsystem. However, unlike typical bleeding edge features, the Dev channel of Windows 11 isn’t officially permitted to access the initial preview for Android apps. For now, not only you’ll need to be enrolled in the Beta channel, but also your PC’s region should be set to the United States. Apart from these “soft” restrictions, you can only run a small set of Android apps published to the Amazon Appstore that are approved by Microsoft and Amazon at this moment.

If you’re on the Stable or Dev channel of Windows 11 and you don’t want to change the update channel just for the sake of running Android apps, then you would be glad to know that the current release of the Windows Subsystem for Android can be easily installed and run on the unsupported builds as well as on legacy platforms without any kind of modifications. It is also possible to sideload Android apps using ADB, which means you can enjoy all the bells and whistles without limiting yourself to the Amazon Appstore offerings.

Note: Before we get into the manual installation process of the Windows Subsystem for Android, keep in mind that the current release is nowhere near a stable milestone. Microsoft has put the restrictions by keeping the performance parameters in mind, which is why you may face occasional glitches (or even crashes) on the unsupported platforms. It is always a good idea to create a full disk image of your current Windows 11 installation before tinkering with it so that you can quickly revert back to a working state.

How to run Android apps on any Windows 11 PC

Step 1 – Grab the installer package of the Windows Subsystem for Android

Just like the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), the Windows Subsystem for Android is also distributed through the Microsoft Store for devices running Windows 11. Since Microsoft doesn’t offer an official way to fetch the direct download link of an app package from its Store, we will opt for a third-party site to pass the hurdle.

1. Click here to open the website of Online link generator for Microsoft Store by @rgadguard.
2. The product ID of the Windows Subsystem for Android app is 9P3395VX91NR, so you have to put the same in the search box after selecting “ProductId” from the first drop-down menu. Alternatively, you can directly put https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/windows-subsystem-for-android/9p3395vx91nr as the “URL (link).” Next, select the channel as “Slow” from the second drop-down menu.
   
3. Locate the largest file from the list. It should be a MSIX Bundle (with the extension .msixbundle) sized a little over 1 GB. This is the main installer package for the Windows Subsystem for Android. Click on the filename to download the file.
   • At the time of writing this article, the version number of the Windows Subsystem for Android package is 1.7.32815.0. We’ve also mirrored this particular build for easy-downloading. The SHA-1 hash of the MSIX Bundle for this version is 0c4b3430bcd37be562f54322c79fb14f11ce1348 .

Step 2 – Install the Windows Subsystem for Android package

A MSIX Bundle is a packaging format that comprises multiple MSIX packages – each of which can support a specific system architecture. This is why you can install the package on both traditional x64 PCs, as well as on compatible ARM64 devices.

1. Open Windows Terminal as administrator and start a PowerShell instance. To do so, right click on the Start button and select Windows Terminal (Admin). By default it should open with PowerShell, but if it doesn’t, then invoke a new tab with PowerShell.
2. Execute the following command to install the MSIX Bundle you downloaded:

If everything goes right, then the package will be deployed and you’ll see a new icon in your Start Menu.

Step 3 – Sideloading apps on the Windows Subsystem for Android

Now that we’ve installed the Windows Subsystem for Android, it’s time to configure it for app sideloading. To make things easier, we have a separate comprehensive tutorial for sideloading Android apps on Windows 11. Take a look at the guide below:

The end result should be something like this:

Termux, a popular Android terminal emulator app running under Windows 11

As you can see, the screenshots have been taken on a Windows 11 instance that is running build 22000.258, i.e. the first post-General Availability update. Matter of fact, the model of the CPU is the Intel Core i5-6500T, which is neither officially supported by the Windows Subsystem for Android, nor Windows 11. We haven’t encountered any groundbreaking glitches so far, but your mileage may vary.

Stay tuned to XDA as we cover all the updates and new features related to the Windows Subsystem for Android as they come out!

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How to run Android apps in Windows

When it comes to app selection, few platforms rival Android. Unfortunately, using your Android phone and tablet apps isn’t normally possible on Windows. There are ways to use your apps on a full screen if you know how to run Android apps in Windows, though. This way, you can enjoy the best Android apps and the best Android games on the big screen.

If you’re running a Chromebook, we’ve also put together a dedicated guide on how to install Android apps on Chrome OS.

Emulating Android on Windows

The easiest way to run Android apps on Windows is through an emulator. We have two different emulators, both with different focuses. If you’re interested in development, Google offers Android Studio, which includes an Android emulator. It’s really only for developers, though, while our two recommendations focus on end users.

Bluestacks

The Bluestacks App Player is one of the most popular and robust Android emulators around, allowing you to run 32-bit and 64-bit games and apps for Android 7.1.2 (Nougat) on your Windows desktop.

It’s free to use, and you can easily toggle emulation settings and launch apps using the custom-designed interface. “Layercake” technology uses hardware accelerators to improve the performance of Android games running on Windows-based machines.

If you have a Twitch or similar account and a PC with more than 8GB of RAM, you can even broadcast Android apps and games using the Bluestacks “stream mode” and OBS Studio. However, users may want to enable AMD-V or Intel VT-x within the BIOS for optimal performance, if available.

Bluestacks offers an optional subscription ($4 per month or $40 per year) that enables premium support, disables advertisements, includes wallpapers, and more. It’s also now compatible with the Galaxy Store, allowing you to use and play apps purchased through Samsung’s app store.

Here’s how to install Bluestacks to your computer:

Step 1: Download the installer from the official Bluestacks website.

Step 2: Launch the install application and choose the storage location for the app and data files. Unfortunately, you can’t change the Bluestacks directory — it will install on your boot drive by default.

Step 3: Once Bluestacks installs, launch it and enter your Google and/or Samsung account credentials. You’ll need this info to log in to the Google Play Store and Galaxy Store and access your Android app library.

Genymotion

While Bluestacks is focused on apps and games, Genymotion provides the full Android experience (though at the cost of performance). Genymotion offers several paid emulation modes, including an option to run Android emulation from the cloud. There’s a free version for personal use.

The app runs with Virtual Box, so you’ll need to download that beforehand. Otherwise, Genymotion supports templates for basically every popular Android device in existence, and you can emulate the experience with different devices using different versions of Android.

Here’s how to get started:

Step 1: Download VirtualBox for Windows.

Step 2: Download Genymotion for personal use.

Step 3: Open Genymotion and select Create Account. After you’re done setting up your account, activate it, and log in with your credentials.

Step 4: Click the Plus icon and select a device you want to emulate. You can also emulate a custom device.

And that’s it! Like Bluestacks, you’ll want to enable AMD-V or Intel VT-x in your BIOS before getting started. Genymotion can emulate Android 4.4 onward. Keep in mind that it’s focused on developers, so it’s not as user friendly as Bluestacks.

Dual booting

There’s an alternative to emulation that gives you newer versions of Android, but the setup is a bit more involved. It’s called “dual booting,” and it effectively transforms your Windows computer into an Android device. You’ll gain the option to boot into Android when you switch on your computer, and Android will work just like it does on your smartphone or tablet.

However, getting started is not as simple as installing native Android. Because computer hardware — processors, graphics cards, and hard drives — must be added to Android by a third-party developer, you’ll need to find a custom distribution that supports your machine.

Android-x86

Android-x86 brings Android to x86-based PCs with AMD and Intel processors. What’s interesting about this project is that users can install any flavor of Android, whether it’s the now-stale Donut (v1.6) or the more recent Pie (v9). The project even offers builds of LineageOS (cm-x86) that can run on x86-based processors.

For those seeking a more recent Android build, Android-x86 9.0-r2 was the latest release at the time of this publication. Based on Android-9.0.0_r54, it fixed an audio issue on the Surface 3 and another one regarding booting into UEFI mode. Contributors have released more builds since, though for earlier versions of Android.

Though customizations to the Android operating system are minimal, the Android-x86 team did add some meaningful tweaks to give your Android install a desktop-like interface. It comes with features like a new Taskbar launcher and the ability to launch apps in resizable windows rather than just full-screen.

Android-x86 also lets you customize Android to your liking. You can install third-party themes, home screens, and more without having to worry about whether or not they will play nicely together.

To use Android-x86, your PC must have:

• An AMD or Intel processor.
• 2GB or more RAM.
• 4GB or more disk space.
• An available USB port.

If your PC meets the requirements, you will need these three tools:

• A blank USB drive.
• Android-x86 downloaded to your PC
• UNetbootin downloaded to your PC.

Now let’s get started:

Kevin Parrish/Digital Trends

Step 1: Find and open UNetbootin and click the Three Dots button to the far right of Diskimage.

Step 2: Locate and select the downloaded ISO file.

Step 3: At the bottom next to Type, select USB Drive from the list, and then click OK.

Wait for UNetbootin to copy and install Android-x86 to your flash drive.

Step 4: Reboot your computer. This may require you to hit a specific key to prevent Windows 10 from loading, like ESC or F12. A screen should appear allowing you to select Boot to the Boot Device Selection.

Step 5: Select your flash drive.

Step 6: From the UNetbootin menu, select Install Android-x86 to Hard Disk.

Step 7: Select the partition — or location — to which you want to install Android-x86. The program will ask if you plan to format the disk. If you’re unsure, don’t.

Step 8: Select Yes to install GRUB and then select Yes again.

Step 9: A prompt asks if you want to “make system r/w,” which enables Android-x86 to read and write data to your hard drive. Select Yes.

Step 10: Reboot your computer for the second time. Once installed, use the Google Play Store to install Android apps as you wish.

Link to Windows

Microsoft’s Your Phone app allows Android phone owners to send and receive texts from their Windows PC without using their mobile devices. Users can also access their phone’s photos from Windows 10 and see phone-related notifications in the Action Center.

Samsung takes this cool relationship one step further with Link to Windows. This technology now provides two services: Phone Screen and Apps. With the former, you’re essentially streaming a Samsung phone’s screen to an interactive window on your PC. With Apps, you’re streaming individual apps rather than mirroring the phone’s entire screen.

However, all Android apps remain on the Samsung phone. Moreover, this method requires the Windows 10 PC and Samsung Android phone to be on the same local network. Microsoft provides a list of compatible Samsung phones here — not all Samsung phones support Link to Windows.

Finally, this method requires the Windows 10 November 2019 update (at the very least) to work properly. All Samsung phones must have Android 9 or newer.

Step 1: Open the Your Phone app or download it from the Microsoft Store if it’s not installed.

Step 2: Sign in to your Microsoft Account.

Step 3: Move to the Samsung phone. Swipe down on the Quick Panel and tap Link to Windows. If it doesn’t appear in the Quick Panel, download it from the Google Play Store — it’s typically integrated into newer Samsung phones.

Step 4: If other Microsoft apps are already signed in, you won’t need to do it again on your phone. If not, sign in manually.

Step 5: Allow permissions when prompted.

Step 6: The Samsung phone and Windows 10 should begin synchronizing. When complete, tap the blue Allow button on the Samsung phone’s screen to allow the pairing.

If successful, the Samsung phone will display a switch that’s toggled on — tap it to disconnect at any time. The screen also lists the connected PC’s name and the Microsoft Account login name.

Step 6: With the Your Phone app open in Windows 10, click the Gear (settings) icon in the bottom-left corner.

Step 7: Verify that the Display My Phone Screen option is on.

Step 8: Select the Phone Screen or Apps option on the left to begin.

Surface Duo and Microsoft’s Emulator

The Surface Duo is a high-tech piece of equipment that first came out on September 10. This dual-screen device is a folding Android smartphone that operates on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC.

It supports the same Link to Windows program that many Samsung devices do, and you can use the official Google Android Emulator with it, too.

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