On Windows 11, it’s now possible to install the Google Play Store in the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) to download and install Android apps on your computer through a workaround that includes many steps.
It was just a matter of time until someone figured it out. You can now install Android apps from the Play Store on Windows 11, but not officially. Instead, a person using the ADeltaX handle on Twitter crafted a procedure to get around the original Windows Subsystem for Android to install the Google Play Store app, giving you access to the entire catalog of Android apps.
Although this is a welcome discovery, since the process isn’t supported, it’s unclear how it will affect future updates. In other words, this workaround may only be a temporary fix because it is still not clear what will happen after WSA receives an update through the Microsoft Store. Probably, anyone using this approach will have to redo the entire process. Of course, that’s unless you disable automatic app updates through the Microsoft Store.
Disclaimer: These steps are meant for demo only. It’s not meant to be a tutorial to run the apps on Windows. This process is unsupported, and it may go against the Google Play Services agreement. If you use these instructions, use them at your own risk.
In this video tutorial, we will demonstrate the process of installing the Google Play Store app on WSA to install Android apps on a Windows 11 machine.
Install Google Play Store on Windows 11
The Google Play Store installation process on the Windows Subsystem for Android to run Android apps on Windows 11 requires several steps, including downloading third-party tools, installing WSL, and running various commands using different tools.
Before processing, it’s important to uninstall any previous installation of the Windows Subsystem for Android. Otherwise, the instructions below won’t work.
Step one: Create setup folders
The process will require four working folders in the root of the drive where Windows 11 is installed.
To create the WSA working folders, use these steps:
Open File Explorer.
Click on This PC from the left pane.
Under the “Devices and drivers” section, double-click the main drive (C).
Click the New menu and select the Folder option.
Name the folder WindowsSubsystemAndroid and press Enter.
Click the New menu and select the Folder option.
Name the folder GAppsWSA and press Enter.
Click the New menu and select the Folder option.
Name the folder ADB and press Enter.
Click the New menu and select the Folder option.
Name the folder WSADownloads and press Enter.
Once you complete the steps, the necessary folders will be created, and you can continue downloading and setting up the working environment.
Step two: Download and install required tools
To modify the original Windows Subsystem for Android to run the Google Play Store will require a few tools, including the original WSA package, the Open GApps tools, WSAGAScript scripts, ADB tools, and 7-zip. You will also need to install Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and enable Developer mode on Windows 11.
To download the required tools, use these steps:
- (Video) Windows 11: Install Google Play Store to run Android apps (Ultimate Demo)
Select the x86_64 platform option.
Select the Android 11 option.
Select the pico option variant.
Click the Download button to save the file on the WSADownloads folder.
Click the Code menu.
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Under the “Downloads” section, click the Download SDK Platform-Tools for Windows link.
Check the option to accept the terms.
Under the “Downloads” section, click the “Download Android SDK Platform-Tools for Windows” button to save the file on the WSADownloads folder.
Select the Productid option, paste this ID: 9p3395vx91nr, select the Slow option, and click the Check button.
Click the MicrosoftCorporationII.WindowsSubsystemForAndroid_1.7.32815.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle link to save the on the WSADownloads folder.
Install 7Zip on Windows 11
To install the 7-zip file manager app, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to install 7-zip and press Enter:
winget install --id 7zip.7zip
Install Windows Subsystem for Linux
To install WSL on Windows 11, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to install WSL with the Ubuntu distro and press Enter:
wsl --install
Restart the computer to apply the settings.
(Video) Windows 11: Install Android apps via WSA (official)Continue with the on-screen directions to complete the Ubuntu setup.
Enable Windows 11 Developer mode
To enable Developer mode on Windows 11, use these steps:
Open Settings.
Click on Privacy & security.
Click the For developers page on the right-side.
Turn on the Developer mode toggle switch.
After you complete all the above steps, you will have all the components to install the Play Store on the Android subsystem for Windows 11.
Step three: Configure working environment
To configure the working environment to create a custom version of WSA, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for 7-zip File Manager and click the top result to open the app.
Copy and paste the
C:\WSADownloads
path in the address bar and press Enter.Double-click the MicrosoftCorporationII.WindowsSubsystemForAndroid_1.7.32815.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle file.
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Select all the files in the location.
Click the Extract button.
Copy and paste the
C:\WindowsSubsystemAndroid\
path and click the OK button.Copy and paste the
C:\WindowsSubsystemAndroid\
path in the address bar and press Enter.Select and click the Delete button for these files: AppxMetadata, AppxBlockMap.xml, AppxSignature.p7x, and [Content_Type].xml.
Copy and paste the
C:\WSADownloads
path in the address bar and press Enter.Double-click the WSAGAScript-main.zip file.
Double-click the WSAGAScript-main folder.
Select all the files in the location.
Click the Extract button.
Copy and paste the
C:\GAppsWSA\
path and click the OK button.(Video) Windows 11: Sideload Android apps (apk)Select the open_gapps-x86_64-11.0-pico.zip file.
Click the Copy button.
Copy and paste the
C:\GAppsWSA\#GAPPS\
path and click the OK button.Double-click the platform-tools_r31.0.3-windows zip file.
Select all the files in the location.
Click the Extract button.
Copy and paste the
C:\ADB\
path and click the OK button.Copy and paste the
C:\WindowsSubsystemAndroid\
path in the address bar and press Enter.Select and click the Copy button for these files: vendor.img, system_ext.img, system.img, and product.img.
Copy and paste the
C:\GAppsWSA\#IMAGES\
path and click the OK button.
Once you complete the steps, you will have all the components in place to install the Google Play Store app.
Step four: Install WSA with the Google Play Store app
To install the Android subsystem with the Google Play Store app on Windows 11, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Ubuntu, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to gain root access and press Enter:
sudo su
Type the following command to open the GAppsWSA folder and press Enter:
cd /mnt/c/GAppsWSA
Type the following command to download package information from all configured sources in the system and press Enter:
sudo apt-get update
Type the following command to install the dos2unix tool on Ubuntu and press Enter:
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Type the following command to install the lzip unzip tool and press Enter:
apt-get install unzip lzip
Type the following commands to convert the scripts to Unix format and press Enter (on each line):
dos2unix ./apply.sh dos2unix ./extend_and_mount_images.sh dos2unix ./extract_gapps_pico.sh dos2unix ./unmount_images.sh dos2unix ./VARIABLES.sh
Type the following command to execute the scripts and press Enter (on each line):
./extract_gapps_pico.sh ./extend_and_mount_images.sh ./apply.sh ./unmount_images.sh
Open File Explorer.
Copy and paste the
C:\GAppsWSA\#IMAGES
path in the address bar and press Enter.Select and click the Copy button for these files: vendor.img, system_ext.img, system.img, and product.img.
(Video) Windows 11: Uninstall Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA)Copy and paste the
C:\WindowsSubsystemAndroid
path in the address bar and press Enter.Click the Paste button and replace the files in the destination.
Copy and paste the
C:\GAppsWSA\misc
path in the address bar and press Enter.Select and click the Copy button for the Kernel file.
Copy and paste the
C:\WindowsSubsystemAndroid\Tools
path in the address bar and press Enter.Select and click the Rename button for the kernel file.
Rename the file kernel.bak and press Enter.
Click the Paste button to paste the new kernel file.
Open Start.
Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to install the Windows Subsystem for Android with the Google Play Store package and press Enter:
Add-AppxPackage -Register C:\WindowsSubsystemAndroid\AppxManifest.xml
Open Start.
Search for Windows Subsystem for Android and click the top result to open the app.
Turn on the Developer mode toggle switch.
Click the Manage developer settings option to start the platform.
Clear the Share my diagnostic data option.
Click the Continue button.
Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to open the ADB folder and press Enter:
cd C:\ADB
Type the following command to connect to the WSA and press Enter:
adb connect 127.0.0.1:58526
Type the following command to start the shell and press Enter:
adb shell
Type the following command to get root access to the Android subsystem and press Enter:
su
Type the following command to unlock the Google Play Store app on Windows 11 and press Enter:
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Once you complete the steps, you can start and sign in to the Google Play Store to download and install Android apps on Windows 11.
If you want to prevent future updates for the Windows Subsystem for Android resetting this process, you may want to disable automatic updates for apps in the Microsoft Store > Profile menu > App settingsand turn off the App updates toggle switch. If you want to update other apps, you need to update them manually through Microsoft Store > Library.
FAQs
How do I download Google Play Store on Windows 11? ›
- How to install Google Play Store on Windows 11.
- Uninstall Windows Subsystem for Android and enable Developer Mode. ...
- Getting and installing the modified Windows Subsystem for Android from GitHub. ...
- Using Google Play Store on Windows 11.
Locate the APK file on your device, or grab one from a site like APK Mirror, and double-click on it like any other .exe file on Windows. WSA PacMan takes care of the rest, prompting a message similar to what you would see on Android. You'll also get the option to create a desktop shortcut for your app once installed.
How do I manually install Android apps on Windows 11? ›- Go to the Microsoft Store. Go to the Microsoft Store on your PC. ...
- Go to the Amazon Appstore. Type in Amazon Appstore into the search bar and click on the app when it shows up.
- Click on Install. ...
- Sign in. ...
- Follow the instructions. ...
- Sign in. ...
- Download the Android apps you want.
Windows 11 has confirmed to support running Android apps in its new versions in February 2022, and now the public is able to install APK on Windows 11 and run favored Android apps through Microsoft Store. So how to install APK to sideload and run the Android app on Windows 11?
How can I run Android apps on Windows 11 without emulator? ›To install Android apps on Windows 11, you will need to update to the latest build and install the Amazon Appstore from the Microsoft Store. If you're in an unsupported region, you can also sideload the Windows Subsystem for Android and manually install apps using APK files.
How to sideload Android apps on Windows 11 without Insider Program? ›- Step 1: Install Windows Subsystem for Android. ...
- Step 2: Enable the Virtual Machine Platform. ...
- Step 3: Install the Minimal ADB Setup in Windows 11. ...
- Step 4: Sideload Android Apps in Windows 11.
...
How to sideload Android apps on Windows 11
- Save the platform-tools zip to the computer.
- Open the recently downloaded zip folder.
- Click the Extract all button.
Navigate to the Platform Tools folder, right-click, and select Open in Terminal. Open Windows Subsystem for Android, go to Developer, and turn on Developer mode.
Does Windows 11 have Android emulator? ›NoxPlayer. If you're looking for an android emulator for Windows 11 that offers more features than just gaming, NoxPlayer is best. It comes with a number of useful features, which improve the user experience.
How to install APK on Windows 11 without emulator? ›- Download and install Windows Subsystem for Android. Press the Windows + I keys to open the Start Menu. ...
- Download and install the Amazon Appstore. Press the Windows + I key to open the Start Menu and click on All apps. ...
- Sideload APKs using an APK file.
Do APK files work on Windows 11? ›
With Windows 11, you can officially install Android apps on your Windows PC through the Amazon Appstore. Plus, you can also sideload Android app APK files and run them on your PC.
Can Windows 11 run Google Play apps? ›You can natively run Android apps on Windows 11 via Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA); however, it has its limitations. The new OS only natively supports Amazon's Appstore and not Google Play Store. And while sideloading Android apps is an option, anything that requires Google Play Services will not work.
How do I install unverified apps on Windows 11? ›...
Disable Developer Mode on Windows 11
- Open Settings.
- Click on Privacy & security.
- Select the For developers page on the right side.
- Turn off the “Developer Mode” toggle switch to disable the feature.
...
- Disable Windows S Mode. ...
- Check App Compatibility. ...
- Enable Third-Party App Installation From Settings. ...
- Free Up Storage Space. ...
- Run as Admin. ...
- Check 32-Bit or 64-Bit. ...
- Run App Compatibility Troubleshooter. ...
- Enable Developer Mode.
To use mobile apps on your Windows 11 PC, you need to install the Amazon Appstore. Once it's set up, you'll be able to browse and install mobile apps from a curated catalogue. Android is a trademark of Google LLC.
How do I get Android apps on Windows 11 unofficially? ›Officially, you can only install apps from Amazon Appstore, but it's also possible to sideload Android apps using the Android Debugging Bridge (ADB) tools. The platform is currently available as a preview for devices running the most up-to-date version of Windows 11 and the Microsoft Store app.
How to download Android apps on Windows 11 without Amazon Appstore? ›- Open WSATools page (opens in new tab).
- Click the Get in Store app button.
- Click the Install button.
An Apk installer tool for WSA(Windows 11's Subsystem for Android). Apk File Installer is a simple apk installer for WSA(Windows 11's Subsystem for Android). Apk Installer currently requires a few prerequisites to work: 1. ( WSA)Windows Subsystem for Android 2.Android Debug Bridge Tip:HOW TO CONNECT WSA?
Does WSA need Hyper V? ›WSA runs in a Hyper-V VM for compatibility with open-source Android and Windows device interfaces, such as mouse and keyboard. Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) also runs in a VM.
Does Windows 11 release Android Apps? ›Microsoft has confirmed that it is now rolling out Android app support to Windows 11 users in 21 more countries. Starting Tuesday, WSA (Windows Subsystem for Android) became available for all Windows 11 users to download to enable Android app support.
Do I need Bluestacks on Windows 11? ›
Even though Windows 11 natively supports Android apps & games, users prefer to use Android emulators because they provide a better gaming experience & features. As of now, there are hundreds of Android emulators available for Windows 11, but out of all, it was the BlueStack that was the best and recommended.
Can we play Android games directly on Windows 11? ›Windows 11 supports Android games for users who join the Windows Insider Program and install the Amazon Appstore. If you have already done these two things, all that is left to do is open the app to start downloading and installing your desired games.
Can you get Google Play Store on Windows PC? ›Begin installation
Click Download. To install the app, open the downloaded file, then follow the instructions on your PC. Installation can take a few minutes.
On your Windows 11 computer, click the Microsoft Store icon on the taskbar to access the storefront. The home screen displays sections for promoted apps, essential apps, free games, top free apps, trending apps, and collections. The Microsoft Store is further split into tabs for apps, games, and movies and TV shows.
Is Google Play Safe to install on Windows 11? ›Android apps, games, and notifications are natively supported on Windows 11. However, the official Amazon Appstore is only available to Windows Insiders. But thanks to a few package alterations on the original Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA), you can easily operate Google Play services on Windows 11.
Is Google available in Windows 11? ›All in all, anytime you open up a file type associated with a web browser, it should open up your new default browser in Windows 11, Google Chrome.
Can Android games play on Windows 11? ›Windows 11, Microsoft's latest operating system, rolled out one of its most anticipated features, Android apps for PC, in February. The Amazon Appstore preview in the Microsoft Store -- where you can download Android apps -- now lets you explore more than 20,000 apps and games, according to Microsoft.
How do I enable Android subsystem in Windows 11? ›Navigate to the Platform Tools folder, right-click, and select Open in Terminal. Open Windows Subsystem for Android, go to Developer, and turn on Developer mode. Once turned on, Android's Developer options pop up in a window.
Can I install Google Play Store APK? ›Install the Google Play Store – Open the APKMirror Installer and select the Browse Files option. Find the APK you downloaded and tap it. Tap the “Install package” option and then select to watch an ad and install. Deal with permissions – Finally, Android will open up the Install Unknown Apps prompt.