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How to Run Android Apps on Windows 10

May 18, 2021 • Shannon Flynn

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It can be frustrating when you run into difficulty because your devices use different operating systems. Since Apple makes both phones and computers, this isn’t an issue for iOS users, but what about Android? Is there a way you can run Android apps on Windows?

Android is the world’s most popular mobile OS, and more computers run Windows than anything else. It makes sense that you’d want to use them together. Thankfully, there are a few ways you can do just that.

No matter what your goals or desires are, there’s a way you can run Android on your PC. Here’s a look at three of the best methods.

Run Android Apps on Windows 10 with an App

In August 2021, Windows updated its Your Phone app, giving it screen mirroring features for many Samsung phones. If you have a supported Samsung running at least Android 9.0, this is the most seamless option. First, make sure both devices are up-to-date, then connect them to the same Wi-Fi.

Install the Your Phone Companion app on your phone, sign in with the same Windows account as your PC and the two devices will connect. From there, when you open Your Phone on your computer, you’ll see an “Apps” tab. When you click that, you can select any of your phone’s apps from the menu to run on your computer.

This screen mirroring feature will enable you to use most of your apps with a mouse and keyboard. It’s an excellent option for anything you’d want to see on a bigger screen. Microsoft plans to add additional features in the future, too.

Run Android Apps on Windows 10 with Emulation

If you don’t have a Samsung or don’t want to mirror your screen, there’s still hope. Another option to consider is using an emulator, and when it comes to these, BlueStacks is your best bet. To start, go to the BlueStacks website and download the app onto your PC.

When you launch BlueStacks, you’ll notice it doesn’t look like a normal Android launcher. Still, it’ll act like any other Android system, allowing you to sign in to your Android account and download any apps you want. BlueStacks has default button mapping, but you can customize your controls too.

BlueStacks is free, but it will come with ads. You can get rid of these with a subscription that will also give you custom wallpapers and premium support.

Run Android Apps on Windows 10 with Dual Booting

Another way to run Android apps on Windows is by dual booting. This process is a bit more complicated but lets you run Android directly on your computer instead of an emulator or screen mirror. To do this, first download Android-x86, which is an open-source Android port. You’ll also need a netboot installer like UNetbootin.

In your booting tool, find the downloaded Android-x86 ISO file and copy it to a blank flash drive. After that, reboot your computer and install Android-x86 from your flash drive. When a prompt asks you if you want to let Andoird-x86 read and write data to your hard drive, click “yes.”

After going through all the dialogue boxes your computer gives you, reboot it again. From there, you should be able to use your PC like an Android device. You can use the Google Play Store to download any apps you want.

You Have Plenty of Options No Matter Your Preferences

There’s no shortage of ways to run Android apps on your Windows computer. Whether you want to mirror your screen, emulate Android or run it on your PC, you can. Follow these steps, and you’ll have Android apps up and running on your computer in no time.

Why should Apple users be the only ones to enjoy cross-device support? Use all of your devices to their fullest by running Android on Windows.

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