Learn how to install the APK file of Android apps on Windows 11

Fortunately, in Windows 11, users are not limited to downloading Android apps from the Amazon Store and have the ability to download APK files (the default Android app installation file format) from other sources and download them to their system.

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With the release of the latest update for Windows 11, Microsoft has finally added the ability to support Android applications. The new feature seems to be one of the main reasons for the high popularity of this operating system among users. Of course, Microsoft has decided to work with Amazon to achieve this goal. So the main way to experience Android apps on Windows 11 is to actually download them through the official Amazon store. But the good news is that it is not possible to download Android applications on Windows 11, which we will teach in this article.

What is Side Download and why do we need Side Download Android apps on Windows 11?

As you probably know, siding an application actually means downloading its installation file from a space other than app stores such as Play Store or Amazon Store and downloading them manually on the system. Since Amazon Apps Store does not have a large number of Android apps and not everyone can create a US-specific account in this store, while Windows 11 has the potential to support all Android apps without the need for an account, It seems we have to resort to side-by-side, which fortunately is possible in Windows 11.

To do this, you will need a tool called Android Debugging Bridge, or ADB for short, which you can download and install from any source. But in this tutorial, we will provide you with all the relevant links.

Install ADB

As mentioned, we start by installing the ADB tool, which is actually a common language between Windows and Android. First, make sure that Windows and the Windows Subsystem for Android application are up to date, and then follow the steps below, as you may encounter problems in the middle of the process.

  • You can download the latest version of ADB by clicking on this link and in the size of 13 MB.
  • When the file is downloaded, decompress it and save it to any path you want.
  • Now open the folder you saved and copy the path address.
  • You are done with launching ADB and now it is time to download the apk file you want to install on the system.

Download Android application

In order to be able to download Android applications in Windows 11 this way, you need to have an apk file. On some websites, the installation file of Android applications does not have such a format, and therefore may not be installed on Windows. Therefore, it is recommended that you download them from websites that only offer the apk format of the applications.

Note: In the middle of the process, you may encounter an error message stating that Virtual Machine Platform is not active on your system, which you can enter in the Control Panel, Programs category, click Turn Windows Features on or off in Programs and Features, Enable the Virtual Machine Platform option. This should restart the system once, so it is recommended that you do this first.

  • Download the apk file you want and save it to the folder mentioned above.
  • After downloading the apk file, go to the Windows 11 search box and search for Windows Subsystem for Android.
  • Click the Windows Subsystem for Android app, and in its settings menu, enable Developer Mode to enable a series of additional options for more access.
  • In the same menu and at the bottom of the Developer Mode section, you will see a phrase called IP address, which you must click on the copy option. Note that if the IP address is not available to you, you can try “Refresh” once to see if it appears. If this does not happen, click on the first section, Files, to restart it and click Refresh to display the IP address.
  • Do not close this application because it is known as the Android virtual machine for the system and establishes the connection between Android and Windows. So it must be running in the background.
  • In this step, you must run the Windows command prompt menu by entering the Start menu and typing cmd in the search field.
  • First type two letters cd and then paste the path of the same folder that you first downloaded and saved on the system in front of it. Like the following phrase.
cd D:\program\g1\abd-tools

Everything that comes after the cd is actually the storage path of the same folder so it can be completely different from what you enter. So be sure not to paste the above phrase exactly in cmd.

  • In this step, we go to the Android debugging tool. In the same cmd menu, type adb connect and enter the IP address you copied in front of it. Like the following phrase:
adb connect [ip-address]
  • In this step, you have to install the Android application you want, from which you have downloaded the apk file, with the following address via cmd.
adb install file-apk-name
  • Here file-name is actually the name of the apk file you downloaded. For example, if your apk file is named apple-music-app. apk, you must paste the following address in cmd.
adb install apple-music-app.apk

Note that when you copy the file name to cmd, be sure to manually apk. Enter at the bottom so that the system can recognize it as an Android file. If you have followed all the steps according to the instructions above, you should see the name of the application in your list of applications. Do the same process for as many applications as you want to be downloaded to your system without any problems.

Note that a number of applications may crash after successful installation, as we are just beginning to release this feature for Windows, and of course it takes a while for everything to reach full stability. However, if you encounter a problem with the application download process on your system, be sure to let us know in the comments section.

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