Download the folder to open apk files. How to Install APK Files on Android

You will probably be faced with the issue of opening the application distribution package, which is located in the APK file. Or perhaps you need to open such a distribution to view the files (for example, for subsequent modification). We'll tell you how to do both.

How to open an APK file on Android

How to open APK files

APK format (short for Android Package) is the main one for distributing application installers, so by default, when such files are launched, the installation of the program begins. Opening such a file for viewing is somewhat more difficult, but still doable. Below we will describe methods that will allow you to both open APKs and install them.

Method 1: MiXplorer

MiXplorer has a built-in tool to open and view the contents of an APK file.

1. Launch the application. Navigate to the folder where the target file is located.

2. Single click on APK will bring up the following context menu.

We need the item " Explore", which should be pressed. The second point, by the way, will start the process of installing the application from the distribution, but more on that below.

3. The contents of the APK will be open for viewing and further manipulation.

Cunning this method lies in the very nature of the APK: despite the format, it is a modified version of the GZ/TAR.GZ archive, which, in turn, is a modified version compressed folders ZIP.

If you want to install the application from the installer rather than view it, do the following.

1. Go to " Settings" and find the item " Safety"(otherwise it may be called " Security Settings»).

Go to this point.

2. Find the option " Unknown sources» and check the box next to it (or activate the switch).

3. Go to MiXplorer and navigate to the directory where the installer package is located in APK format. Tapping on it will open the familiar context menu, in which you need to select the item “ Package installer».

4. The installation process of the selected application will begin.

Many other file managers have similar tools (for example, Root Explorer). The algorithm of actions for another explorer application is almost identical.

Method 2: Total Commander

The second option for viewing the APK file as an archive is one of the most sophisticated explorer applications for Android.

1. Launch Total Commander and navigate to the folder with the file you want to open.

2. As with MiXplorer, single clicking on a file will launch a context menu with opening options. To view the contents of the APK, select " Open as ZIP».

3. Files packaged in the distribution will become available for viewing and manipulation.

To install an APK file using Total Commander, do the following.

1. Activate " Unknown sources", as described in Method 1.
2. Repeat steps 1-2, but instead of " Open as ZIP» select option « Install».

Method 3: My APK

You can speed up the process of installing applications from an APK distribution by using an application such as My APK. This is an advanced manager for working with both installed programs, and with their installers.

1. Enable installation of applications from unknown sources using the method described in Method 1.
2. Launch May APK. At the top center, click on the " apks».

3. After a short scan, the application will display all APK files available on the device.

4. Find the one you need among them using the search button at the top right or using filters by update date, name and size.

5. Once you find the APK you want to open, tap on it. The advanced properties window will appear. Review it if necessary, then click on the three dots button at the bottom right.

6. A context menu will open. In it we are interested in the item “ Installation" Click on it.

7. The familiar application installation process will begin.

My APK is useful when the exact location of the APK file is unknown or you really have a lot of them.

Method 4: System Tools

To install the downloaded APK system means you can do without file manager. It's done like this.

1. Make sure you have enabled the option to install applications from unknown sources (described in Method 1).

2. Use your browser to download the APK file from a third-party site. When the download is complete, click on the notification in the status bar.

Try not to delete this notification.

3. Clicking on download will launch the standard Android application installation process.

As you can see, everyone can handle this. You can install any other APK file in the same way; you just need to find it on your drive and run it.

We have reviewed existing options, with which you can both view and install APK files on Android.

APK. How to open it?

If you don't know What is this for the format - APK And how it's possible open on your computer or phone, then read the text of the article. We will talk in detail about its features, methods for working and modifying its individual elements.

What is an APK?

Android Package Kit (APK) - format executable files for the Android operating system. Represents an archive containing the original application data ( program code, compiled resource files, settings, assets, libraries).

Peculiarities:

Cannot be converted to another format.
Archived using JAR-based compression feature.
It is a subset of the ZIP format.
Can be changed from using Google Android SDK, Eclipse with ADT plugin.
Files from APK archive are not encrypted.

Files with the APK extension are stored in Play Market and other application stores for Android devices. They are unpacked and installed automatically, without the use of additional software. The data is stored in the root folder at /data/app. You can only access them through Explorer.

For Android development Applications with an APK extension use Google's Android SDK. It is available for free download from the official website and runs on Java.

How to open on your phone

How to open an APK file on your phone

If mobile application For Android platforms is downloaded from a third-party resource or computer, it will have an apk extension. Then you can install it on your phone manually.

How to open apk file from phone:

After this, the application will begin unpacking. Review the terms, grant access to features if necessary, and continue with the installation.

APK format

If you can’t copy the APK package via USB, then send it via Bluetooth or e-mail. Or separately connect a mini SD card to your computer using an adapter and transfer the file to it.

Error when opening

How to allow installation from unknown sources

If, after copying the APK file to the device, it cannot be launched, then most likely the ability to install via USB was disabled by the manufacturer.

Follow these steps to enable it:

Go to the Settings menu and find the Personal Information category here.
Select “Security” and check the box next to it "Unknown sources (allow installation from unknown sources)".
Launch the APK file and continue with the installation.

If an error appears, then in the same menu uncheck the box next to "Check applications". Then Android will not prohibit the installation of potentially dangerous applications that can harm the device. Use this method only if you are sure that the APK file you are installing is safe.

Other ways

If you want to view the contents of the APK file from your phone, you can use mobile version archiver or special software.

Let's consider the most popular programs, which allow you to edit apk packages:

APK Editor

APK Editor program interface

Works both with packages and programs and games already installed on the device. Allows you to change individual manifests, edit resources, replace files. Features a convenient graphical interface, Cyrillic support.

How to open on a computer

APK files

You can unpack the APK file to view or edit the contents using a regular archiver. However, you will not be able to install or launch the application. For this you need special software.

How to open APK on different operating systems:

Windows - 7-Zip, WinRAR.
Linux - 7-Zip, unzip.
MacOS - Archive Utility.

If, when installing the archiver, extensions were not configured (which will be associated by default), then the program may not recognize the apk file. Then it will be of an “unknown” format.

To open, click on it with the mouse and select from the list of suggested programs necessary software. After this, you will have access to all the original application data.

Emulators for running APK files on PC

If you want to install a mobile application for Android OS on your computer, the file will have an APK extension. To install it, you will need a special emulator. They are available for free download.

The most popular:

Nox App Player

Nox App Player interface

There is a pre-installed Play Market. The program is not Russified, but Android itself freely switches to Russian through the settings (just like on a phone). Good optimization, there are advanced settings for working with APK files.

Andy

Interface Andy

The program does not support the Russian language. It features a minimal number of settings and good optimization. The shell and programs installed on it launch quickly and work without freezes or lags.

Bluestacks

BlueStacks interface

It has good performance in games and allows you to run resource-intensive applications. Main feature- Bluestacks TV feature. Needed for online broadcasts on Twitch.

Using an emulator, you can launch mobile applications through apk packages or install them directly from the Play Market. To use Google services You will need to log in using your account.

To launch the apk packages themselves, it is not necessary to connect an account. But if a game or program requires binding to social network or other services, you will need to log in or go through a simple registration.

You can encounter an APK extension file, for example, if you decide to install an application on your computer that you used on your tablet. After downloading a file from the Internet, the time will come to think about how to open the apk file on your computer?

What is a fileAPKand its purpose

APK (abbreviation for Android Package) is a format of archived application files for Android. Any application written for Android, after compilation, is packaged into one file of this extension. The file name can be anything, but the extension is mandatory should be .APK.

Encryption is not used when storing data in the archive of this type.

Thus, each .apk file is an archive that can be executed using DalvikVM ( virtual machine), can be installed not only on Android OS.

APK files are stored in the system in the /data/app directory, which is accessible only through Explorer.

For development own applications You can use Google's Android SDK - development environment, .

You can download files of this extension either from where they are stored, or on third-party resources on the Internet (which is undesirable). Once downloaded, you can manually install the application contained in the apk file on your tablet or smartphone. It is not recommended to install applications from unknown sources - they may contain malicious code, while all applications available through Google Play, tested and signed. The procedure for installing the application is described below Android APK to a tablet or smartphone via USB:

You need to copy the .APK file to your device using any in a convenient way(via USB, transfer via Wi-Fi, etc.);
Using the file manager, go to the directory where the application was saved;
Open the selected apk file.

A number of manufacturers disable the ability to install applications from unknown sources. If you need to enable this feature, go to Settings. Select the “Security” section, check the “Allow installation of applications not obtained from the Market” option.

Video tutorial on APK file format

View file contentsAPK

Wondering which program to open an apk file to see what's inside?

Since .APK files use compression algorithms similar to ZIP, the contents of such archives can be obtained using almost any archiver - .

To view the contents of a file using one of the specified archivers, you need to change the APK extension to ZIP.

File installationAPKto computer

Are you wondering how to open an apk file on your computer? Below is a list that will help you with the installation - it will show you how to open the ark file under any required operating system.

So, how to open APK files under different platforms:

Where else can you encounter files?APK?

Files of this extension can be used by other applications and services discussed below.

As a file for the GameSpy arcade game service. This extension is used in a shareware MMO game. The utility, which allows players to find available multiplayer games, connect to them, and communicate between players, uses APK extension files that store service data.
Storage of Active Tutor projects - an environment that provides tools for multimedia development (Creator - 4C Soft Inc.).
Activity data storage. APK files are also used in the train simulation game (Microsoft Train Simulator), released back in 2001.

So we looked at the format APK file– what is it used for, what program to open the ark file, where else can you use files of this extension. We hope the information will be useful to readers.

To run Android applications on a PC, you need to install an emulator. There are quite a few similar programs, and the most famous include Bluestacks and Droid4x. You can download them from the official websites of the developers. After installing the emulator, Android applications can be added to it in two ways - directly installing files in APK extension downloaded from the Internet, or downloading software from Google Play.

Most emulators allow you to access the official repository, you just need to log in with your Google Account.

Programs like Bluestacks and Droid4x are necessary primarily for launching so-called “exclusives” - applications that are not presented anywhere except Android. Also, these emulators can help owners of outdated smartphones with launching new games. From the point of view of telephone functionality, such software is practically useless - there is no sending SMS or calls. Below we will look at a couple of the most popular emulators and give brief instructions on their use.

This application in some sense cannot be considered full-fledged emulator– there are a number of advanced settings missing here, and the full name also includes the word Player, which implies a player rather than an emulator. However, Bluestacks, which recently updated to the second version, is one of the leaders in its segment. Bluestacks 2 has a more flexible and at the same time easier interface for PC owners; you can download it from the official website.

All opened applications are displayed on top panel, like tabs in a browser, and the vertical set of icons on the left is used to change the volume, take screenshots, etc. Standard launcher moderately convenient, and the status bar is practically no different from that in Android. Connecting your Google Account to Bluestacks is easy and allows you to download apps directly instead of installing APKs from Windows. Although the second method also has a right to life, especially in the case of paid programs.

Bluestacks supports most Android apps, is updated regularly, and is very easy to set up. It can be safely recommended to those who want to launch some kind of mobile application on a PC without any fuss.

Video instructions for starting Android applications on PC

Droid4x is distinguished by the presence additional settings and an interface more similar to the one you are used to Android users. The main control elements here are located at the bottom - home, back buttons, etc. This scheme is very similar to the one in previous version Bluestacks and any user can understand it without difficulty.

To download Android applications, Droid4x has both a mechanism for working with APK and the ability to connect Google Account. After installing the program, the corresponding icon is added to the list of applications available for launch on the emulator. The mechanism is as simple as in the case of Bluestacks and any user can master it.

In addition to the emulators for Android presented above, there are many others, so the user can easily find a worthy alternative in any search engine for the queries “Android emulator”, “ android emulator"etc.

Instructions for launching Android applications through emulators:

Installing the emulator.
Download the Android app (from third party sources in APK format or directly from the emulator via Google Play or other markets).
Launch the installed application.

Not even all owners of devices with operating Android system know what an APK file is. What can we say about those who have never used phones or tablets with this system. However, even owners of Windows computers can get a lot of useful things out of APK files.

First, let's understand what files are.

Android Package is a file extension that is used to distribute programs for any device on which Android is installed. In Windows, to install the program you need to find the .exe file. In Android, you need to find an APK for this. Such files are distributed through sites with software for phones or on special forums.

Android Package is an archive that stores the application itself and all the files necessary for its operation. .

Why are they needed and why can they be useful to owners of simple computers?

Many interesting and unusual applications have already been written for devices with Android OS. Most of them do not have a desktop version. In this case, if you want to play your favorite game on your phone, but you don’t have it at hand, you will need to install the APK file on your computer.

Another situation where you might need to open an APK on your computer is to view its contents. This may be necessary to partially change it. For example, translate it into the desired language.

Important! The files we are interested in do not have any additional encryption. An APK file is nothing more than an archive in which application data is stored.

View content

Now we will learn how to view the contents of a file, look at its structure and, if necessary, make changes to it. So we need:

You can also unpack this archive to your computer and access it at any time.

But most are still interested in how to start using applications on their computer. This will be a little more difficult to do, but still quite simple. Everyone can do this.

The telephone is also small computer. The only difference is that it is fundamentally different software. Therefore, you will need to install special program – emulator

As the name implies, such a program creates a system running Android on your device. You will be able to download, install any applications on the emulator and use them directly through your computer.

Android emulators are becoming more and more popular and in demand due to the growing number of unique applications. Now several developers can offer a high-quality and stable emulator. Let's look at several emulators and choose the one most suitable for your tasks.

The most famous, widespread and used emulator is Bluestacks.

To begin with, we will open our file on it.

Important! Bluestacks is ideal for opening games, and is most often used for this. The disadvantages of the application include the interface being too cluttered in places and large number unnecessary information that will not be useful to everyone.

Nox App Player

But this program is poorly suited for games. They often display graphic elements incorrectly. In this emulator, the developers focused on working with programs. You can get root in a couple of clicks. If you want to open the APK with this application, then you need: