How to Download and use Android apps in Windows 11

Windows is a great operating system that is getting better day by day. Just remember those initial, ancient Windows versions like Windows XP and Windows Vista. They were good, quite ahead of their time too but when you compare them to the latest version of Windows, Windows 11, you can’t even imagine how far we’ve come. Now, there’s almost nothing that any other operating system can do but Windows can’t, when we talk about computers/laptops specifically. From intense editing to hardcore gaming, everything’s the cup of tea for Windows 11. 

But the users have always asked for a single thing for years, even while using the not-so-old, Windows 10. What’s that? The ability to use Android apps on Windows devices.

How to Use Android Apps on Windows 11

Android Apps are fun and very productive too, we all can agree on that. Many of us can’t really spend a day without using those apps, their importance has skyrocketed in recent years. So, won’t you ever be able to install and use Android Apps on your Windows 11 computer? Of course, you’ll!

With the announcement of the latest update of Windows, Microsoft also announced that with the new version, the users will be able to download Android Apps, install them and even use them on their desktops. Just WoW! 

But the question is, how do we start using Android Apps on our Windows computers? So let us be your guide in the matter and we’ll make sure that you understand everything as easily as possible so as to use Android Apps on your Windows 11 computer. We’ve mentioned the best methods below to run Android Apps on Windows 11 with the easiest steps, make sure to follow them. 

But before installing any Android App on your Windows 11 computer, you must enable two important features which are, ‘Hyper-V’ and ‘Virtual Machine Platform’.

Here are the steps to do the same:-

1. Click on the ‘Start’ icon and search for ‘Settings’. Now open the ‘Settings’ App. or Press ‘Windows + I’ keys together to open the ‘Settings’ App directly.

2. When the Settings App opens, click on ‘Apps’ that can be found on the left side of your screen.
    
3. The Apps menu will now appear. Click on the ‘Optional features’ tile, present on the right pane.
   
4. Next, click on the ‘More Windows features’ option which is right under the ‘Related settings’ section. Now, a separate window will be opened on your Windows 11 device.
   
5. This new window is the ‘Windows Features’ window. Find the ‘Hyper-V’ option in the same window and select it by clicking on it’s checkbox.
   
6. From there, scroll down a bit and find the ‘Virtual Machine Platform’ option. Select it by clicking on it’s checkbox.
   
7. Now, click on ‘OK’ and both of these features would be installed on your Windows 11 computer. 

Once both of these features are installed on your Windows 11 device, you’ll have to download and install Windows Subsystem for Android with Amazon App Store. All of the Android Apps which we can use on our Windows 11 computers are available on the Amazon App Store. But, the Amazon App Store runs on Linux kernel and Android OS, which aren’t compatible with Windows. So to allow the users to install Android Apps from the Amazon App Store, Microsoft developed Windows Subsystem for Android. Though you’ll have to download it yourself now, Microsoft will soon provide an app for ‘Windows Subsystem for Android’ which will allow you to download and install Android Apps with utmost ease. 

For now, follow these steps to download and install ‘Windows Subsystem for Android’ on your Windows 11 device: 

1. From the Start menu, find and open the ‘Microsoft Store’ app.
2. When the app opens, click on the search bar and type ‘Windows Subsystem for Android’ and hit the ‘enter’ key. 
3. When the search results are shown, click on ‘Get’ for the app that we require.
4. Things might start to get a bit technical now, but you’ll understand everything if you read the steps carefully.
5. After the installer package gets downloaded to your Windows 11 device, navigate to the path where it is located. 
6. Right-click on the installer package.
7. A pop-up window will then appear. Select the ‘Properties’ option. 
8. Now, a separate window will be opened. There’d be a field, named ‘Location:’, select the path that’s just next to it. 
9. Copy that path or jot it down since it is important for the installation.
10. Get back to your computer’s desktop and press ‘Windows + X’ keys to open the Windows super user menu. 
11. Among all the options displayed on the menu, select ‘Windows Terminal (Admin)’ option.
12. Here comes the tricky part, an elevated window of the Windows Terminal.

Type, or paste the command given below-

Add-AppxPackage -Path “<copied path>\<package name>.msixbundle”

12. Now, replace the ‘<copied path>’ placeholder with the path to the installer package that we copied earlier.
13. Replace the ‘<package name>’ placeholder with ‘Windows Subsystem’. Now proceed further by pressing the ‘Enter’ key.

The package will now be installed by PowerShell on your Windows 11 computer.

After the App is installed, you can find it in the Window Start Menu. 

There are many users who didn’t get the ‘Amazon Appstore’ along with the ‘Windows Subsystem for Android’ installer package. So, if you’re one of them, follow these steps to download the ‘Amazon Appstore’ on your Windows 11 computer:- 

1. Go back to the elevated window of the Windows Terminal.
2. Type or copy/paste the following command- 

Add-AppxPackage -Path “<directory path>\<package name>.msixbundle

3. Here, replace the ‘<directory path>’ placeholder with the path that you copied while installing the ‘Windows Subsystem for Android’.
4. Then, replace ‘<package name>’ placeholder with ‘Amazon Appstore’.
5. Press the ‘enter’ key. 

Now, the Amazon App Store will get installed on your Windows 11 computer by PowerShell. 

Since the Windows Subsystem for Android and Amazon App Store are now installed, you can easily download any app easily. For anyone who’s still wondering how, here is a brief explanation: 

1. Open the Amazon App Store on your computer by either searching it in the Start menu or manually going to it’s installed path.
2. Right at the beginning, you’ll be asked to sign-in or login to your Amazon account. Follow the on screen instructions to do so.
3. After the process is completed, you’ll reach the Amazon App Store’s home screen. There, you can find all the Android apps of your choice. Download them by clicking on the ‘Get’ option for different apps. 

Now, download as many Android apps as you like from the Amazon App Store and enjoy using them. 

We know that the process for downloading Android Apps on a Windows 11 device is really long and might be a bit tricky for many users but once done, downloading other apps in the near future would be easier. According to Microsoft, they’d soon give an update which would have the Windows Subsystem for Android pre-installed on the Windows 11 devices, so that would be much better for everyone.

But we don’t know for sure how much time you’ll have to wait for it and if you can’t, then it’s recommended to go through the steps mentioned above. We’ve managed to keep the steps as simple and easy to understand as possible, hence you shouldn’t have much trouble while following them.

Furthermore, we talked about how to download Android Apps on a Windows 11 computer but there’s another way that can help you with your desire to use Android apps on your computer i.e. ‘Sideloading’. This is another process that lets you install and run different apps on your device by using third-party sources. 

To know more about ‘Sideloading’, feel free to ask any questions in the comments.