Last updated: August 17, 2021
APK files are app installation packages used by Google’s Android operating system to store the app related files. APK packages store the compiled Android application. It may also have the resources which are necessary for the Android application to operate for example compiled code, images, text, videos, manifest files, certificates and more. APK files (application/vnd.android.package-archive) are built to be run on Android OS devices by a software called Android Studio but could also be run inside emulators on other platforms by using a software called Bluestacks or Leapdroid.
Open APK file on Android OS
- Open a web browser of your choice (e.g. Chrome/ Firefox) on your Android device
- Navigate to a page with APK file you plan to install (e.g. Apkpure, Apkmonk or OkBros Appstore).
- Tap on the APK file link to download the APK file on your phone
- When APK file download is done, tap to OPEN it and start the installation process
- If APK files installation is disabled on your phone, you may see a prompt asking you to go to “SETTINGS” and enable the APK installation from the unknown sources.
- Click “Install” to start the installation process.
- The app is installed and can be launched from your home screen.
If you want to learn how to open APK files and view what is inside of it, follow this guide.
View APK contents
To see what’s inside an APK file, you can just change the extension of the APK file to ZIP and open it with a archive software like WinZip, WinRar or 7-Zip. Please note that this lets you view internal structure of the APK file but not run it. This process should work on all OS including Android, Windows and Mac OS.
Open APK file on Windows OS
- Double click on the APK file in Windows File Explorer.
- If an APK emulator software is installed on your PC correctly, the file will open.
- If the file did not open you have to either copy APK file to an Android phone through USB cable or if you really want to launch it on Windows computer, you can use one of the following emulators: BlueStacks, Leapdroid, QEMU or NoxPlayer
- Once you have installed the emulator software, open APK file in the Android emulator by launch it and then selecting File>Open in the main menu
- In the File Open Dialog choose the APK file that you wish to run and click “Open”
- The app will launch on your windows machine
APK Opener Download
These tools can launch an APK as an app on your computer which means you can take the advantage of a bigger screen and a physical mouse and keyboard to run APK files on your pc.
