How to download Android apps on Windows 11

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Almost three weeks after the stable release of Windows 11, Microsoft has started rolling out Android app support for beta testers in the US You currently need an Amazon account in the US to run and install Android apps. Android on Windows 11. Additionally, the Amazon Appstore offers only a limited selection of Android apps at this time. So if you are looking to install TikTok, Snapchat, or any of your favorite apps on Windows 11, let’s learn how to bypass all limitations and download Android apps on Windows 11. You can download any Android app of your choice on your Windows 11 PC with help from ADB. So without delay, let’s go ahead and learn how to download APK files in Windows 11.

Downloading Android Apps on Windows 11 (2021)

We have added the step-by-step process to download Android apps on Windows 11 in this article. In fact, you can install any Android app you want outside of the Amazon app store on your PC with this method. I suggest you follow the instructions below for easier setup. But if you are a professional user, please go to any relevant section of the table below.

Find the IP address of the Windows subsystem for Android

  1. First of all, you need to configure Windows subsystem for Android to run and install Android applications on your Windows 11 PC. You can follow our linked guidefor detailed steps.
  2. Once done, open the Windows Subsystem for Android from the Start Menu.
  3. After that, in the Windows Subsystem settings for Android, enable “ developer mode”. A new pop-up window will open. Let me complete the process.
  4. Now, click the ” Update” button next to the IP address. An IP address will be generated, which you will need to write down. If no IP address is assigned, follow the next step to manually find the IP address of the Windows system for Android.
  5. If an IP address does not appear, click ” Manage Developer Settings” In Developer mode.
  6. Next, scroll down the developer options menu and tap “ Wireless debugging”.
  7. Here, make a note of the IP addressshown in the wireless debugging settings. For example, mine is 172.22.172.245. It is not necessary to copy the port. Now close the window.

Connect to Windows subsystem for Android via ADB

  1. Once you have the WSA IP address, go ahead and configure ADB on your Windows 11 PC. You can go to this link and downloadwindow platform tools. It is necessary to download the APKs of the Android application in Windows 11.
  2. Now unzip Platform Tools and extract it to your desktop or a location of your choice. Under the folder, click on the Address Barand type cmdand hit Enter. This will instantly open the command prompt in the same folder.
  3. Here, we need to connect to the Windows Subsystem for Android. Run the command as follows. Just replace IP_addresswith the actual IP addressyou noted earlier. You should get the output “Connected to IP_address”.

adb connect IP_address

  1. If you get a “Connection Failed” error, don’t worry. Run the command again and this time you are connected. You can also run the adb devicescommand to check if you are connected to the Windows Subsystem for Android.

Download any Android app on your Windows 11 PC

  1. Once the connection is established, go ahead and download your favorite Android application that you want to download to your Windows 11 PC. You can download APK from APKMirror or other legitimate websites. I would like to recommend downloading x86_64 packaged APKsfor better performance. If the app does not have an x86 APK, you can also download the ARM64 APKs. You also have the option to download universal packaged APK files on Windows 11.
  2. After downloading, right-click the APK and click “ Copy as path” to copy the path address (file location) to the APK.
  3. Now, go back to the CMD window and type the command below. Replace apk_pathwith the route address you copied above. You can right click on the CMD black screento paste the copied address easily.

adb install apk_path

  1. Finally, press Enter and the Android application will download to your Windows 11 PC. You will get a “ Success” Output after installation is done. If you get any errors, please download other APK files of different architecture, such as ARM, x86_64, Universal, etc. And if you get an error similar to “more than one device / emulator”, we have included a solution for this problem below.
  2. Once the application is downloaded, find it in the Start menu, just like any other Windows application. You can even search for Android apps from the Start menu and pin them to the taskbar.
  3. For example, here I am running WhatsApp, Instagram, Signal, Apple Music and Aurora Store at the same time. And they all work surprisingly well. They behave like a native app and scale well on Windows 11 without any DPI or scaling issues.

Install Third-Party App Store to Download Android Apps on Windows 11

If you don’t want to install apps individually via command line, you can side-download Aurora Store APK (download) on Windows 11 from CMD for one-time setup. After that, you can easily install popular Android apps from the Aurora Store in just a few clicks. There is no need to use the Amazon Appstore, which requires an Amazon account in the US and has a limited app library. By the way, Aurora Store is a perfect and open source alternative to Google Play Store.

How to uninstall Android apps in Windows 11

To uninstall an Android application from your Windows 11 PC, simply right-click on it in the Start menu and click ” Uninstall “. That is all. You can remove Android apps from your PC just like any other Windows app.

How to fix ‘More than one device / emulator’ error in Windows 11

If you are getting the “ more than one device / emulator ” error in Windows 11 when installing Android apps, it is likely that you are running an Android emulator. You can uninstall the emulator to solve the problem immediately or define your command as shown below to download the APK on the Windows subsystem for Android. Just replace IP_addressand apk_path.

adb -s IP_address install apk_path

Install any Android app on Windows 11 outside of the Amazon app store

This is how you can download any Android app on your Windows 11 PC. The best part is that with ADB, you can bypass the Amazon Appstore and install all your favorite Android apps without any hassle. I haven’t tried Android games on Windows 11 yet, but stay tuned with us for more interesting discoveries about the Windows Subsystem for Android. Anyway, that’s it for us. If you want to configure Windows Subsystem for Linux on your Windows 10/11 computer, please follow our linked article. And if you have any questions, let us know in the comment section below.

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by Abdullah Sam
I’m a teacher, researcher and writer. I write about study subjects to improve the learning of college and university students. I write top Quality study notes Mostly, Tech, Games, Education, And Solutions/Tips and Tricks. I am a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.

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