When Microsoft announced Windows 11 last year, one of the salient features of this update was that it would allow users to install Android apps on their computers. The feature was not yet available, but earlier this month, Microsoft announced an update to Windows 11 that enabled the feature.
If you are wondering how to officially use Android apps on your computer, read on to find out what you need and how to go about it, but first here through Microsoft Configured system requirements. Your computer will need to run Windows 11 in addition to (obviously).
System requirements
- Processor
- Intel Core i3 8th Gen (minimum) or above
- AMD Ryzen 3000 (minimum) or above
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c (minimum) or above
- RAM
- 8GB (minimum)
- 16GB (recommended)
- Storage type
- Solid State Drive (SSD)
- Processor architecture
- x64 or ARM64
- Virtual Machine Platform
- This setting needs to be enabled. For more info, go to Enable virtualization on Windows 11 PCs.
Assuming your computer already has those specs, then we can move onto the next step.
Installing the Amazon Appstore
Android apps on Windows 11, interestingly enough, aren’t supplied by Google or the Google Play Store. Instead, Microsoft teamed up with Amazon for the feature so you’ll need to first download and install the Amazon Appstore.
- Click the Start Menu and launch the Microsoft Store
- Search for the Amazon Appstore
- Click Install
- Once installed, follow the instructions on the screen to setup the Amazon Appstore on your PC
- Restart your PC when it’s done
Download and install Android apps on Windows 11
- Once your PC has been restarted, launch the Amazon Appstore
- Sign in with your Amazon account or make one if you don’t have one already
- Once you’re signed in, you can now search and install apps like you would on any other regular app store
- Simply search for the app you want and click Install and it will download and run on your PC
Keep in mind that these apps are designed with smartphones and tablets in mind, less for PCs. That way, the UI doesn’t have to be optimized for your computer screen, so this is something you’ll want to note, but it can still be useful if there are apps that you use regularly. And you want access to your computer. Without reaching your phone.
