During the launch of Windows 11, Microsoft said that users would be able to install Android apps on Windows 11 from the Amazon Store. However, they didnโt mention anything about sideloading Android apps or runningย Google PlayStore on Windows 11. Users can easily sideload Android apps by opening APK files on their PC. If you want to open APK files on Windows 11 but donโt know how to do so, this article will help you.
How To Install & Run APK Files On Windows 11
This is the step-by-step guide to open APK files on Windows 11.
Opening APK Files On Windows 11
Opening APK files on Windows 11 is easy but a bit lengthy. We will be dividing the complete process into different sections to help make it easier for you. To open APK files on Windows 11, follow the steps given below-
Enabling Hyper-V And Virtual Machine Platform On Your PC
Firstly, you will have to ensure that you have enabled your PCโs Hype-V and Virtual Machine Platform. Given below are the steps to let you enable Hyper-V on your PC-
- Open theย Settingsย app on your Windows 11 PC by pressing theย Windows + Iย key combo.ย
- On the left sidebar of theย Settingsย app, click onย Apps.ย
- Now, click on theย Optional Features option on the right side of the Apps section.
- Next, click on theย More Windows Featuresย option under theย Related Settingsย section.ย
- Search forย Hyper-Vย and check the checkbox beside it on the pop-up window that opens up.ย
- Next, search for and check the checkbox forย Virtual Machine Platform.ย After doing so, click onย OK, and Hyper-V and Virtual Machine Platform will be enabled on your PC.ย
Download And Install Windows Subsystem For Android
Next, you will have to download and install the Windows Subsystem for Android. It is a new component layer on top of Windows 11, including Linux Kernel and Android OS, to run Android apps on your Windows 11 PC. You can download and install the Windows Subsystem for Android from the Microsoft Store. To do so, follow the steps given below-
- Press theย Windowsย key to open theย Start Menuย on your PC. In theย Start Menu, search forย Microsoft Storeย and click on the relevant search result to open theย Microsoft Store.ย
- In theย Microsoft Store, search forย Windows Subsystem for Android.ย
- Select the relevant search result and click onย Getย to install theย Windows Subsystem for Androidย on your Windows 11 PC.ย
If you cannot install Windows Subsystem for Android, you can manually install it. Follow the steps given below to download and install Windows Subsystem for Android manually-
- Firstly, download the Windows Subsystem for Android msixbundle. To do so, head to this link. On the window that opens up, click on the drop-down menu sayingย URL (Link)ย and selectย ProductID.ย In the given field, enter the product id asย 9P3395VX91NRย and search for the product. From here, download the Windows Subsystem for Android msixbundle.ย
- Next, head to the location where the file has been downloaded. Right-click on the file, and then from the context menu that opens up click onย Properties.ย From theย Propertiesย window, note down the location of the folder somewhere as you will need it in the process ahead.
- Next, press theย Windows + Xย on your keyboard, and then from the menu that opens up, selectย Windows Terminal (Admin).ย
- In theย Windows Terminal,ย execute the following commandย Add-AppxPackage -Path โ<copied path>\<package name>.msixbundleโ
Note-ย Here, replaceย copied pathย with the folderโs location and theย <package name>ย with the name of the package.
- This will install the Windows Subsystem for Android. Now, open theย Start Menu, and search forย Windows Subsystem for Android, and you will find this option listed here.
Opening APK Files On Windows 11
Now that you are done with the above process, you will open the APK files on Windows 11 without any issue. To do so, follow the steps given below-
- Download theย SDK Platform Toolsย on your PC from thisย link. Open the link given, and you will find the SDK platform tools for Windows listed under theย Downloadย section.
- After you have downloaded the file, head to the location where the file has been downloaded. Now select the file, right-click on it, and click onย Extract All.ย
- Next, copy theย APK fileย you want to open on your Windows 11 PC and paste it inside the folder you have extracted. Note down the name of the APK file somewhere, as you will need it ahead in the process.
- Now open theย Start Menuย by pressing theย Windowsย key. Here, search forย Windows Subsystem for Androidย and hitย Enter.ย
- In theย Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), search forย Developer Modeย toggle and turn it on. Here, note down the IP address that you will see right below theย Developer modeย toggle.
- Head to SDK Platform Tools extracted folder. Here, on the address bar, typeย CMDย and hitย Enterย to openย Command Promptย set to the current directory.
- Here, enter the commandย adb.exe connect <IP address>ย and execute it. Ensure you replaceย <IP address>ย with the IP address you copied.
- Next, enter the commandย adb.exe install <file name>.apkย and execute it. Here, replaceย <file name>ย with the name of the APK file you want to install on your PC.
- Now your file will be installed on your PC. Once the process is completed, you will get a message regarding your screen.
- After doing so, search for the application you installed in theย Start Menu, and you will find it listed here. Click on it, and you will be able to open the APK file on Windows 11.
This is how you can use your Windows 11 PC to open APK files. The above guide will walk you through the process of sideloading APK files on your Windows 11 PC.
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