How to sideload unsupported Android apps in Windows 11

How to run Android apps on whatsoever Windows eleven PC without Windows Insider

It’s been simply a day since Microsoft unveiled the long-anticipated Windows Subsystem for Android for Windows 11. The company has likewise published a plethora of documentation related to the integration with Amazon Appstore and Android app development on Windows using the native Android subsystem. Yet, unlike typical bleeding edge features, the Dev aqueduct of Windows eleven isn’t officially permitted to access the initial preview for Android apps. For now, not only you’ll demand to be enrolled in the Beta channel, but also your PC’due south region should be set to the Usa. Autonomously from these “soft” restrictions, you can just run a small set of Android apps published to the Amazon Appstore that are approved by Microsoft and Amazon at this moment.

If you’re on the Stable or Dev channel of Windows eleven and you don’t want to alter the update channel just for the sake of running Android apps, and so you would exist glad to know that the electric current release of the Windows Subsystem for Android can exist easily installed and run on the unsupported builds equally well as on legacy platforms
without any kind of modifications. It is too
possible to sideload Android apps
using ADB, which means you tin enjoy all the bells and whistles without limiting yourself to the Amazon Appstore offerings.

Note:
Before we go into the manual installation process of the Windows Subsystem for Android, keep in heed that the current release is nowhere nearly a stable milestone. Microsoft has put the restrictions by keeping the performance parameters in mind, which is why yous may face occasional glitches (or even crashes) on the unsupported platforms. Information technology is always a good idea to create a full deejay image of your electric current Windows 11 installation earlier tinkering with it so that you can quickly revert back to a working state.

How to run Android apps on whatever Windows 11 PC

Step 1 – Grab the installer package of the Windows Subsystem for Android

But similar the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), the Windows Subsystem for Android is besides distributed through the Microsoft Shop for devices running Windows 11. Since Microsoft doesn’t offer an official way to fetch the direct download link of an app packet from its Shop, we will opt for a tertiary-party site to pass the hurdle.

1. Click hither to open the website of Online link generator for Microsoft Store past
   @rgadguard.
2. The product ID of the Windows Subsystem for Android app is
   9P3395VX91NR, so you lot have to put the same in the search box after selecting “ProductId” from the outset drib-down bill of fare. Alternatively, yous can direct put
   https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/windows-subsystem-for-android/9p3395vx91nr
   as the “URL (link).” Next, select the aqueduct as “Slow” from the 2nd driblet-down card.
   
3. Locate the largest file from the list. It should exist a MSIX Bundle (with the extension .msixbundle) sized a piffling over 1 GB. This is the chief installer package for the Windows Subsystem for Android. Click on the filename to download the file.
   • At the time of writing this article, the version number of the Windows Subsystem for Android package is
     one.7.32815.0. Nosotros’ve as well mirrored this particular build for like shooting fish in a barrel-downloading. The SHA-1 hash of the MSIX Packet for this version is
     0c4b3430bcd37be562f54322c79fb14f11ce1348.

Step 2 – Install the Windows Subsystem for Android package

A MSIX Bundle is a packaging format that comprises multiple MSIX packages – each of which tin support a specific system compages. This is why y’all tin install the package on both traditional x64 PCs, as well equally on compatible ARM64 devices.

1. Open Windows Terminal as administrator and outset a PowerShell example. To exercise so, right click on the Offset button and select
   Windows Terminal (Admin). By default it should open with PowerShell, but if it doesn’t, and then invoke a new tab with PowerShell.
2. Execute the following command to install the MSIX Bundle you downloaded:

               Add-AppxPackage -Path <path_to_msixbundle_file>
             

   

3. If everything goes right, so the package will exist deployed and you lot’ll see a new icon in your Start Bill of fare.
   

Step 3 – Sideloading apps on the Windows Subsystem for Android

At present that we’ve installed the Windows Subsystem for Android, it’s time to configure it for app sideloading. To make things easier, we take a separate comprehensive tutorial for sideloading Android apps on Windows 11. Accept a await at the guide beneath:

How to sideload Android apps on Windows 11

The cease result should be something like this:

Every bit y’all can run across, the screenshots take been taken on a Windows 11 example that is running build 22000.258, i.east. the showtime post-Full general Availability update. Matter of fact, the model of the CPU is the Intel Core i5-6500T, which is neither officially supported by the Windows Subsystem for Android, nor Windows 11. We haven’t encountered any groundbreaking glitches so far, but your mileage may vary.

Stay tuned to XDA equally nosotros cover all the updates and new features related to the Windows Subsystem for Android as they come out!