How to download a file from google play. How to download an apk file from Google Play to your computer

In this article we will talk about how to install applications or games from *.apk files on Android. Sooner or later, owners of devices running Android are faced with a situation where the standard functionality of the system becomes boring, and an irresistible desire to expand it appears.

Unlike iOS, where installing applications is based on working with the iTunes Store, Google developers have provided the ability to install programs using standard tools. But to do this, you need to allow the installation of applications from unknown sources, go to Settings -> Applications and check the box next to Unknown Sources.

All applications for the Android operating system come with the *.apk file extension. As for the structure of such files, essentially an apk file is an ordinary archive, the contents of which you can view with any archiver. The Android operating system independently recognizes such files and understands what needs to be done with them. Thus, you can install applications on Android in several ways.

1. Install *.apk file on Android

The first, and in our opinion, the most common way is to install a *.apk file on Android using a file manager. All you need to do to do this is transfer the *.apk file to the SD card of your device. Then use any available file manager with the ability to install applications. We recommend using ASTRO File Manager or ES File Explorer.

Then launch the file manager, find the *.apk file and install the application using the standard Android installer.

In addition, you can install the application without using file managers, using a standard browser. Just enter content://com.android.htmlfileprovider/sdcard/FileName.apk into the address bar and the installation will start automatically. In this example, the *.apk file is located in the root folder of the SD card.

2. Installation using application manager

The second, easiest way to install *.apk files on Android is to use application managers. These programs were created to simplify the installation of applications via *.apk files as much as possible. And indeed it is! We tested a program called SlideME Mobentoo App Installer, which we recommend to you.

SlideME Mobentoo App Installer will scan your device's SD card as quickly as possible and display a list of all *.apk files found. After which you can easily install the necessary applications in almost one click.

3. Installation via computer and USB

In addition to the above, we know one more, and perhaps the most convenient way - installing *.apk applications by connecting the Android device to the computer via a USB cable. We recommend that you use the InstallAPK program and USB drivers.

Just install InstallAPK on your computer, then connect your smartphone via USB cable and double-click the *.apk file. The program will independently identify the *.apk file and start installing the application on your Android device.

An Android application can be installed in several ways. The easiest option is the usual way through the play market.

Additionally, you can use other alternative android stores. There is a third option, which is self-installation of applications in the form of APK files.

Not everything is on the Play Store. You can find many games and programs online that are available for download from places like XDA.

Moreover, not all applications from the Play Store can be downloaded to specific models of smartphones or tablets.

Sometimes the play market shows that it cannot be installed on our device or is out of stock for your region.

In this case, all that remains is to download the APK file from the Internet or offline sources installed on your phone.

What is an apk file on Android

An APK file is nothing more than an installer (a package containing game or program files). This can be compared to installing EXE files on Windows computers.

You can run the APK file on your phone to trigger the app installation process without Play Store restrictions.

Installed in this way, they do not differ from installation from the store. The benefit of this setup is that you can get your hands on apps that are not available in your country. An example is even the game Pokemon GO, which is in the store, but not available to everyone.

Therefore, you can draw the APK file installation format from the net without any obstacle to install on your phone.

How to download APK files

This is a very important point. When downloading APK files, you should consider the source you are getting them from.

When received from the play market, the risk of installing an infected application is very low. When downloading from the network, you may receive files infected with a virus.

So, when you install apps manually, you lose the protection that the Play Store gives you.

In practice, this is not as bad as it might seem. There are many sites that are trusted by users and provide only verified APK files.

Moreover, there are ways to download them directly from the Play Store - then you will be sure that you will receive the same package that is the official repository.

Downloading APK files from websites

The first way is to get the APK file from a site that provides such installers, such as APKMirror.

It verifies the authenticity of applications by verifying the digital signature of the manufacturer.

After logging into the site, you can simply use the search engine in the top right corner - enter the name of the application you want to download.

Once you have found the title, you can select the specific version and then download using “Download APK”.

The use of alternative sources is XDA Developers - they often contain applications that do not exist in the Play store.

XDA users create their own and make them available online for free.

In this case, it is worth looking through the comments and uploading only those that have already gained popularity. Then you will have confidence that they are safe.

Extracting APK files from the play store

Another way to get the APK file is to do it directly from the Play Store database. You can do this on your computer using APK Downloader.

Simply enter the Play Store app to copy the address from your browser's address bar and then paste it into the APK Downloader.

This way, the APK file will be downloaded directly from Google servers. This file can be installed on our device even if it was shown as incompatible in the store.

Installing APK files on Android

To install applications outside of Google Play using APK, you need to make changes in the Android settings.

To do this, go to the settings, and then to the “Security” tab and check the box next to the line “allow installation of applications from unknown sources.” As a result, you will be able to install downloaded APK packages from the Internet.

Now, just click on the package and install it in our Android device. Installation is very simple and boils down to clicking the “Install” button.

After installing the APK, the file can be deleted if you don't want it to take up space on your smartphone or tablet.

The application will be installed on the device and will appear in the list of applications in the launcher, the same as in the case of applications downloaded from the Play Store.

If you want to uninstall an app, simply go to Settings > Application Manager, find the item in the list, and then select Uninstall.

Why can't a file with the apk extension open on Android?

Are you having trouble opening the apk file on your android? Don't know how to run the apk file on Android or it just won't install?

This is not your fault and everything can be solved easily - you will need to give the system permission and a program for installing apk files on Android, which is called a file manager or application manager.

Yes, not everyone knows that mobile device manufacturers install protection from the factory against the installation of unknown software.

The first thing you need to do is to allow installation of applications from unknown sources. By default, all Android phones have this locking feature to protect you from infected and potentially dangerous applications.

For your mobile application, every source other than Google Play is an unknown and dangerous source. To disable this option, go to your phone's security settings.

There, this function may vary slightly depending on the phone model and Android version, but usually, as in my Samsung, it is: Settings> Security.

The next step is to install the application manager. Some phones have it installed by default, while others require installation.

Personally, I recommend ASTRO File Manager or ES File Explorer, but if you're already using another, don't worry—you don't need to change anything.

After that, launch your file manager and look for the folder in which the APK files were written.

This will most likely be a folder named "Downloads" (unless you chose something else). When you find the APK file you want, all you need to do is click on it and then select “Install”.

The app will still ask for permission and will be installed on your phone after a while. This is all.

However, I must warn you before installing an unverified and unidentified application.

APK files often contain viruses or spyware. Install only if you are sure that the file is reliable. Good luck.

The vast majority of Android device owners know about the official Google store - Play Store. As a rule, downloading any application from the huge list of content on this resource to your Android phone or tablet is not a problem if your gadget is connected to a network from a mobile operator that provides normal data transfer speeds.

But it is possible that the Internet or Wi-Fi on a mobile device is not available. This is one of the reasons when it is not possible to install an application directly from the Play Store, but you can download the desired program to your computer as an .apk, and from it transfer the downloaded apk files to your smartphone via a USB cable.

In fact, this procedure can be performed in several ways, which we will now describe in detail.

Using special software

There is one caveat to consider when using this method. The program does not provide information about the compatibility of the Android device with the downloaded application. For this reason, you need to read the information yourself and analyze it taking into account the capabilities of the gadget.

In conclusion, we suggest watching a video with the described procedure:

Users of smartphones based on the Android operating system are accustomed to downloading and installing all applications through the Play Market service specially created for this purpose. However, in some cases it becomes necessary to download the installation file to the computer, and then problems arise. This article will tell you not only how to download the APK installation file, but also why you need it at all.

How to download an apk file from Google Play to your computer

Let's move straight to one of the ways to download the application directly from the Google Market. It involves the use of a special service called apps.evozi.com, which is quite easy to work with even for the average computer user.

1. Open any browser on your computer.
2. Go to the official website of the Play Store service.
3. Use search or category to find the application you want to download to your computer and open it.
4. Copy the link to the application page. This can be done through the context menu by right-clicking on the selection and selecting the “Copy” option.
5. Go to the online service apps.evozi.com.
6. On the main page, paste the previously copied link into the input field.
7. Click the "Generate Download Link" button.

Why is this necessary?

We figured out how to download an APK file from Google Play, but many users simply do not understand why to do this, because it is easier to go to the application store from a smartphone and perform all the actions there. Of course, this is much simpler, but there are cases when this technique cannot be executed:

• if you want to install the game on your smartphone, but you don’t have a Google account or you’ve forgotten your password;
• you want to install an application with regional restrictions;
• use applications to run on a computer;
• install the application on a smartphone that is not connected to the Internet;
• install the desired software if the Play Store does not start or gives an error.

As you can see, there are not as few reasons to download the installation file to your computer as it might seem at first glance.

If you are determined to download the APK file to your computer, then the following text will discuss three more ways to do this.

Download the .apk file to your computer from Google Play

The second method, how to download an APK file to your computer directly from the Play Store itself, is not much different from the previous one, but for some it may seem much simpler.

1. In your browser, open the Play Store website and find the app you want to download. If you don't know how to do this, refer to the first three steps of the previous guide.
2. Left-click on the address bar.
3. Remove the following part from the link: “https://play.google.com”.
4. Replace it with the following content: “https://apk-dl.com”.
5. Press Enter to go to the download site.
6. Click the "Download apk File" button.

Immediately after this, the application installation file will begin downloading to your computer. After this process is completed, you can transfer it to your smartphone and install it.

Raccoon APK Downloader

Unlike the previous method, this one involves using a special program called Raccoon APK Downloader. Therefore, install it on your computer before starting to follow the instructions:

1. Launch the program and enter your Google login and password into the appropriate form.
2. Register a new virtual device. To do this, select the first item in the menu and click “Next”.
3. The main menu of the program will open, where you can search for the application you want to download through the search field.
4. Once you find the application you want, click the “Download” button to download it.

After this, the download will begin. To open the folder into which it was downloaded, click on the button with a magnifying glass icon, and in the next window, click on the “Show Files” button.

APKPure and APKMirror

Finally, let’s look at two fairly similar sites: APKPure and APKMirror. They are very similar to each other. These are two services that are clones of the Play Store. In their database you can find any application from the store and download it to your computer. The difference is that in APKPure you download the latest version of the software, and in APKMirror you can choose the one you want.

Usually the Play Market is added to Android by default, but on some devices it is not, so you have to think about how to install the Google application store. To do this, use the application's APK file, which can be downloaded for free.

Android settings prohibit installation of programs from unknown sources. If you downloaded an APK file to your computer and then decided to load it into your phone’s memory, then for Android it will be potentially dangerous data from an unknown source. To remove the installation ban and still install the Play Market:

1. Open your phone settings, go to the “Security” section.
2. Allow installation of applications from unknown sources by moving the slider to the active position or checking the box, depending on the shell.

A warning will appear indicating that your personal data will become vulnerable to attacks from programs from unknown sources. Take responsibility by clicking OK.

Done, the smartphone is ready to download the Play Market from an unknown source. This cannot be done directly; you need to add a computer to the installation chain.

Unfortunately, there is no way to download the Play Market from Google Play or other official sources. Therefore, you have to look for the APK file on a variety of sites. You need to be careful: sometimes viruses are spread under the guise of installation files. Therefore, whenever possible, use trusted sites that have positive reviews. Users who have downloaded the Play Market APK file to their computer then perform the following steps:

If your phone does not have a file manager, then you can use other methods to install the Play Market APK file - for example, the ADB Run and InstallAPK utilities.

The latter is convenient because it automatically detects the presence of installation files for Android applications on your computer.

You know how to download the Play Store application on Android, but after installation you still need to pre-set up the store by adding a Google account to it.

In principle, the store is ready to go, but before downloading games and programs, check the automatic update settings. The fact is that applications are constantly updated. If you do not set a limit on the use of mobile traffic, you may be left without access to the Internet.

There are other useful settings in the Play Market settings - see for yourself what parameters you can apply to make working with the application store more convenient.

If users are looking for how to install an application store on Android, then someone should be interested in how to remove the Play Store. You won’t be able to do this without root access: you can only disable the built-in application. When disabling Play Market:

• All user data in the app store is erased.
• The icon is removed from the list of all applications.

The only difference between deleting the Play Store and disabling it is that when it is disabled, the installation file remains in the smartphone’s memory. Otherwise, the result will be the same: the built-in application store will stop working. So it is not necessary to obtain root rights to remove the Play Market - you just need to know how to disable the store. To perform this operation, you must have the latest version of Google Play Services installed.

The Play Market is disabled, another question arises - is it possible to install applications on the phone without it and where can I get them? No problem: download any application to your computer as APK files directly from Google Play.