How to open an APK (Android Package) file in Windows. We open, modify and package Android applications

Often, when downloading software, users encounter APKs. Users of smartphones and tablet computers are best aware of this type of file. But not everyone knows how to open an APK on a PC.

What does the abbreviation APK hide?

Any APK file is an archive, and the acronym stands for Android Package. That is, any application for Android OS is an archive. During compilation, the SDK packages all working files into this format. In this case, the name of the file does not matter, but the extension will definitely be APK.

Any archive after compilation can be launched in DalvikVM, but this software product is installed not only on the Android system, so there is more than one program that opens APK in other OSes.

Smartphone

The simplest answer to the question “How to open an APK?” - mobile devices. Programs of this type are downloaded to your phone or tablet from the official Google Play repository or from third-party resources. However, the OS manufacturer does not recommend the latter method of obtaining applications. Once downloaded from the Google store, the application will be installed automatically.

If you downloaded the application from another source, you first need to copy it to a flash drive or to the internal memory of your phone. There are a lot of such methods (USB cable, Wi-Fi, Bleutooth). Then launch any file on your phone and tap on the file icon. Carefully review the permissions that the application requires. Some may contain malicious code and secretly send SMS to other phones.

Many manufacturers do not allow Google Play into their devices for security reasons. To carry out such an action, you must first go to the security settings and check the box next to “Allow installation of applications obtained from unknown sources.”

How to open APK to view resources

As said earlier, the APK format is archival. Archives are not encrypted during compression, which provides some advantages. You can view all the resources stored in a container using programs found on almost any computer.

Since the archiving algorithms are similar to ZIP, the contents of the APK file are easily extracted by applications such as 7z, WinRAR, WinZip. Inside the container you can find Java classes, images, audio tracks.

How to open APK on a computer

Sometimes you like an application or game installed on a mobile device so much that you want to install it on your PC. There are many tools that will allow you to do this.

• For Windows OS family: IntelliJ IDEA, BlueStacks, Android SDK, ADT plugin for
• For Mac OS - Android SDK, App Player, IntelliJ IDEA, BlueStacks, Eclipse.
• For Linux OS - Eclipse, Android SDK, IntelliJ IDEA.

Almost all programs are produced for mobile application developers, but there are also those that are made specifically for users, the most popular among these is BlueStacks.

BlueStacks

"So many programs to open the APK format... What is the easiest way to open it?" - the reader will ask. The simplest solution is BleuStacks. To open a mobile application in BlueStacks, you first need to download the program distribution and install it on your computer. No one will have any problems with this step because BlueStacks is completely free for home use. Be careful, choose the version that suits your system, do not make a mistake with the bit capacity. During installation, it is advisable to remember the place where you can find the program later.

Now download any APK file on your PC. Open its properties by right-clicking. Here you need to find the “Application” line, opposite which there is a “Change...” button. After clicking on it, a window will open with the choice of program. Click on "Browse" and follow the path where BleuStacks was installed. In this directory, find the Bluestacks apk Handler file and double-click on it.

After this procedure, double-clicking on any APK file will force it to be installed in the BleuStacks emulator. When the installation of the application is completed, you can launch the emulator through the icon on the desktop. In the window that opens there will be a button with a flag. By clicking on it, you will see all the APK programs that have been installed.

Android SDK

If you decide that it is better to use the Android SDK than to open the APK in Bluestacks, the procedure will be much more complicated. First, download and install the Android SDK. Launch SDK Manager, it is located in the root directory of the program. In the window that opens, open the Wirtual Devices tab and click on the New button. After clicking, the parameters window for the new virtual device will appear, which will
emulated on a computer.

• Name - desired device name.
• Target is the desired Android OS version.
• SD-card - the volume of a virtual flash drive.
• Snapshot - Always set to Enbled.

Once configured, click Create. The configuration does not require anything else. To start the emulator, you need to select the created device and click on the Start or Launch button.

The emulator is running, it’s time to proceed to installing the APK application. Launch the command prompt by pressing Win+R and then typing cmd in the Run window. Move the required APK file to the platform-tools directory, which is located in the root of the folder with the installed Android SDK. On the command line, run:

• cd [path to directory with SDK];
• adb install<имя_файла>.apk.

Wait until the Success message appears on the screen. Done, the APK file is installed and can be opened through the emulator menu.

Don't have high hopes for this method. Emulators require a large amount of computer resources, and therefore running applications on a PC requires tens of times more than running them on mobile devices. This method is used for testing or checking APK programs, but not for using them. It is much more rational to find a product with similar functionality that is made specifically to run on a standard OS.

APK (Android Application) is the only extension for installing applications on the Android operating system. The format was developed by Google to adapt custom software to smartphones. The APK file contains fully compiled and ready-to-install program code.

Where is the apk file found?

Since APK is not a cross-platform extension, it is only supported by Android, regardless of the version and modification of the system. Files with this extension are stored in the official online store Google Play. Also, users can download APK files from third-party resources, and then move them to the phone memory and install them. Installation of the Android APK file is carried out manually by the user.

The APK launches the game or application installation wizard. The file itself has a clear structure and contains the following elements:

• Metadata (META.INF) - manifest files and checksum definitions;
• .LIB - libraries for working with different processors;
• Assets and.RES - program resources;
• .XML - program code (can be encrypted for security purposes);
• .DEX is a set of compiled classes.

The user does not see the file structure, but only the final object that is ready for installation. To view the contents of the APK, open it using any archiver. For example, 7Zip or WinRAR.

Programs for opening apk files

To run APK files you will need any device running Android OS. Users of the system can independently download installation files to the phone and then open them in any Explorer.

Despite the limitations of using the extension, the APK can be opened on Windows, MacOS and other operating systems using an emulator - a program that creates a virtual machine of the Android system on the user's computer. The best examples of emulators are BlueStacks, Droid4X and Genymotion.

If you have a smartphone running the Android operating system (OS), then you have probably heard about apk files (files with the .apk extension). And you would probably like to know what it is and how to use these files. It is especially important to understand this if you want to install applications that are not in the official Play Store from Google. In this article you will learn what APK files are, how to download them, and of course how to install them on your phone.

What is an APK file?

A good analogy to apk files are files with the .exe extension in Windows, which are used to install programs. Android OS does the same thing - APK file is a file format used to install applications on Android OS.

Why do I need to install an APK file?

Most often, the latest versions of applications that are not yet available in the official store are distributed using APK files. This gives you the opportunity to gain access to new functionality of applications even before they are published in the Play Store. In addition, some applications are prohibited from official distribution in some countries, such as the currently most popular game Pokemon GO.

Very often, updates from Google itself can be installed much faster using APK files than waiting for official Android OS update channels. This is important for the security of your Android phone. And of course, many smartphone owners simply do not have access to the Google Play Store at all. For such users, apk files are the only way to get updates and new applications on their phone.

You need to be careful when installing applications using APK files. The Internet is full of sites that offer you to download pirated applications. You should know that this is not legal and often not safe. Therefore, before you install another APK file, study it thoroughly on the Internet to ensure its legality and safety. I advise you to check the APK file on the website https://virustotal.com/ (on this site you can check files for viruses among popular antivirus programs), this does not guarantee you 100% security, but it’s still better than nothing.

How to install an APK file from your computer?

So, first of all, you need to find the APK file with the application or game you need. Now, before you copy the found file to your smartphone, you need to make sure that your phone’s settings allow the installation of applications from third-party developers. Go to Menu > Settings > Security and check the box “Allow installation of applications not from the Play Store”. A warning will pop up, click OK.

Once you have downloaded the APK file to your computer, connect your smartphone to the computer. Select “connect as media device” from the list of possible options. After this, you need to find the folder with the files on your phone in “My Computer” and copy the APK file to your phone.

Now you need to find the APK file on your smartphone; for this you can use the “File Management” application or any other application that allows you to view the list of files on your phone. Find the copied APK file and click on it, then select install. Congratulations, you have just installed your application from an APK file and you can open it and check how it works. If it doesn't work, try your luck with an APK file from another site.

How to install an APK file on an Android device?

As you already understood, you can install the APK file directly from your smartphone or tablet. Just download the APK file through your phone's browser. After the file is downloaded, click on it and the application will be installed on your phone. Everything is simple isn't it?

An Android application can be installed in several ways. The easiest option is the usual way through the play market.

Additionally, you can use other alternative android stores. There is a third option, which is self-installation of applications in the form of APK files.

Not everything is on the Play Store. You can find many games and programs online that are available for download from places like XDA.

Moreover, not all applications from the Play Store can be downloaded to specific models of smartphones or tablets.

Sometimes the play market shows that it cannot be installed on our device or is out of stock for your region.

In this case, all that remains is to download the APK file from the Internet or offline sources installed on your phone.

What is an apk file on Android

An APK file is nothing more than an installer (a package containing game or program files). This can be compared to installing EXE files on Windows computers.

You can run the APK file on your phone to trigger the app installation process without Play Store restrictions.

Installed in this way, they do not differ from installation from the store. The benefit of this setup is that you can get your hands on apps that are not available in your country. An example is even the game Pokemon GO, which is in the store, but not available to everyone.

Therefore, you can draw the APK file installation format from the net without any obstacle to install on your phone.

How to download APK files

This is a very important point. When downloading APK files, you should consider the source you are getting them from.

When received from the play market, the risk of installing an infected application is very low. When downloading from the network, you may receive files infected with a virus.

In practice, this is not as bad as it might seem. There are many sites that are trusted by users and provide only verified APK files.

Moreover, there are ways to download them directly from the Play Store - then you will be sure that you will receive the same package that is the official repository.

Downloading APK files from websites

The first way is to get the APK file from a site that provides such installers, such as APKMirror.

It verifies the authenticity of applications by verifying the digital signature of the manufacturer.

After logging into the site, you can simply use the search engine in the top right corner - enter the name of the application you want to download.

Once you have found the title, you can select the specific version and then download using “Download APK”.

The use of alternative sources is XDA Developers - they often contain applications that do not exist in the Play store.

XDA users create their own and make them available online for free.

In this case, it is worth looking through the comments and uploading only those that have already gained popularity. Then you will have confidence that they are safe.

Extracting APK files from the play store

Another way to get the APK file is to do it directly from the Play Store database. You can do this on your computer using APK Downloader.

Simply enter the Play Store app to copy the address from your browser's address bar and then paste it into the APK Downloader.

This way, the APK file will be downloaded directly from Google servers. This file can be installed on our device even if it was shown as incompatible in the store.

Installing APK files on Android

To install applications outside of Google Play using APK, you need to make changes in the Android settings.

To do this, go to the settings, and then to the “Security” tab and check the box next to the line “allow installation of applications from unknown sources.” As a result, you will be able to install downloaded APK packages from the Internet.

Now, just click on the package and install it in our Android device. Installation is very simple and boils down to clicking the “Install” button.

After installing the APK, the file can be deleted if you don't want it to take up space on your smartphone or tablet.

The application will be installed on the device and will appear in the list of applications in the launcher, the same as in the case of applications downloaded from the Play Store.

If you want to uninstall an app, simply go to Settings > Application Manager, find the item in the list, and then select Uninstall.

Why can't a file with the apk extension open on Android?

Are you having trouble opening the apk file on android? Don't know how to run the apk file on Android or it just won't install?

This is not your fault and everything can be solved easily - you will need to give the system permission and a program for installing apk files on Android, which is called a file manager or application manager.

Yes, not everyone knows that mobile device manufacturers install protection at the factory against the installation of unknown software.

The first thing you need to do is to allow installation of applications from unknown sources. By default, all Android phones have this locking feature to protect you from infected and potentially dangerous applications.

For your mobile application, every source other than Google Play is an unknown and dangerous source. To disable this option, go to your phone's security settings.

There, this function may vary slightly depending on the phone model and Android version, but usually, as in my Samsung, it is: Settings> Security.

The next step is to install the application manager. Some phones have it installed by default, while others require installation.

After that, launch your file manager and look for the folder in which the APK files were written.

This will most likely be a folder named "Downloads" (unless you chose something else). When you find the APK file you want, all you need to do is click on it and then select “Install”.

The app will still ask for permission and will be installed on your phone after a while. This is all.

However, I must warn you before installing an unverified and unidentified application.

APK files often contain viruses or spyware. Install only if you are sure that the file is reliable. Good luck.

An apk (Android Package) file is an archived executable application for Android devices. This format was developed by the Open Handset Alliance together with Google.

Any Android application is compiled and packaged into a file that includes the complete program code, assets and resources, as well as a file with the .manifest extension. The application name can be anything, but the extension is only .APK.

Such files are stored on Google Play and can be downloaded from it to a smartphone or tablet for later use. The user can also install a file with the extension .APK manually. They are not encrypted, they belong to the ZIP archiver format group. Essentially, Android Package applications are archives designed to be executed in a so-called virtual machine.

How to open ".apk" on a computer

In order to open a file with the .APK extension on a personal computer or laptop running the Windows or Linux operating system, you will need a 7-ZIP, unzip or Winrar archiver. If you have a MacBook and MacOS, you will need a program called “Archive Utility”. How to open an apk file on a computer?

You just need to launch one of the available programs that process archives and use it to unpack the Android application. Before unpacking, experts recommend checking the archive for the presence of malware - viruses.

Thus, there is no need to download any rare programs; any user usually has applications for unpacking.