Run Android apps in Windows 10: As everyone knows, Android applications can be installed and run on Windows 11 thanks to the IBT technology, which we explained in a previous article. It is considered the essential feature distinguishing this version from all earlier versions of Windows. For the first time, it is possible to try applications and enjoy games for Android directly from the computer, along with Windows programs, without installing any emulator. Unfortunately, Microsoft did not allow this feature to be officially obtained in Windows 10, although it is still supported by the company until 2025. But this does not mean that the feature of running Android applications will be exclusive forever to Windows 11 users. Fortunately, one of the developers devised a way to add The feature is also in Windows 10. Based on the following lines, we will review how to do this
Let us initially agree that obtaining the advantage of running Android applications on Windows 10 currently requires many steps and conditions, so for your device to be eligible; it must be running Windows 10 version 21H2 at least, in addition to activating the virtualization feature or the virtualization from the BIOS settings if the processor is originally It supports it. It must contain at least 4 GB of RAM. If these conditions are met, follow the steps below to enable the feature to install and run Android apps on Windows 10 — just as you do on Windows 11
How to run applications
The first step is to download the Android launcher in Windows or, as Microsoft calls it, Windows Subsystem for Android, which, as the name suggests, is responsible for providing the necessary environment to run Android applications within the Windows system. As it is not officially available for Windows 10, we will download a modified version from a developer on GitHub. So first visit the WSA-Windows-10 GitHub page, then go to the Releases section and click on WSA-Setup.rar to download the driver file, which is over half a gigabyte in size. This file is compressed, so use any decompression tool and extract the root folder.
The second step is to configure Windows 10 settings so that it is ready to run on the WSA platform. To start, press the Win + R keys together to open the Run window, where you type the “optional features” command and press Enter. Then the Windows Features window appears; scroll down and put a checkmark (✔️) next to the “Virtual Machine Platform” feature, the “Windows Hypervisor Platform” feature, and finally, the “Windows Subsystem for Linux” feature, then After completing, press OK and restart the computer for the changes to take effect. While the device is continuing, open the BIOS settings screen to ensure the Virtualization feature is enabled.
Also, among the requirements for running the WSA platform on Windows 10 is to download the Windows Subsystem for Linux application from the Microsoft Store, where you click on Install and wait for the application to download and install. Meanwhile, there is an important step that you must take so that you do not encounter a problem during the installation, which is to activate Developer Mode in Windows 10 by opening the Settings application through the Start menu or pressing the Win + I button, and then pressing Update & Security From the side menu, click For developers and activate the “Developer Mode” option, then confirm your desire to activate the mode by pressing Yes.
When you have completed all the previous steps, go to the WSA-Setup folder that you downloaded in the first step, and after opening it, right-click on the setup.bat file, then choose from the menu Run as administrator, after which the Command Prompt window appears, where the modifications are carried out Remaining on the Windows version in addition to installing the Windows Subsystem for Android platform. This will only take a few minutes, so wait for the Command Prompt window to disappear, and you can now run Android apps in Windows 10.
To ensure that the feature has been added, open the Start menu, and in the Applications column, you will find that Windows Subsystem for Android is installed and the Amazon AppStore is also installed. You can also open the settings interface of the Android application launcher on Windows by pressing the Win + S (S) keys together, and in the search bar, type “WSA” and then press Open.
Launch the Amazon Appstore from the start menu to install Android apps and sign in with your Amazon account.
Fortunately, Android apps can be installed outside the Amazon store; you can download Android apps in APK format either from APKMirror.com. After visiting the site, you search for the name of the game or application, press the icon in the search results, and then press the “Download APK” button until the download starts. Note that we want an APK, not an XAPK. So be careful while downloading so you don’t face a problem later in the installation. The app can then be installed manually through ADB commands, or if you are unfamiliar with Command Prompt (CMD), I would suggest using APK installers to install Android apps on Windows 10 with a single click.
Reinstall any app you can access from the Start menu, as it appears like any program installed on the device, and you can even uninstall it by right-clicking on the app and selecting Uninstall. This seamless integration between Android and Windows apps you won’t get if you use an Android emulator like BlueStacks. In any case, you now can run Android applications and games in Windows 10, and it will work as expected; you can use the keyboard and mouse to control, and any application you run will work in portrait mode; you indeed can change the size of the application window, but the content will not fill the screen fully as intended.
This method is not official in any way by Microsoft and involves some risks due to the implementation of several modifications in the installed version of Windows, because of which unexpected problems may arise.
You can also review the previous sections for some information and do not forget to include a comment below and share the article with friends.
