What program reads the apk format. How to open APK? What does an APK (Android application) consist of?

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Let's imagine that they sent you a file with an APK extension to your mailbox. What could it mean? How to use it? The answer to this question seems simpler than you might think.

In fact, the .apk extension usually means a format for archived executable application files for the Android operating system. The application is compiled and packaged into a single file, which includes application code, resources, assets, etc. Please note that the file name can be absolutely anything, but the extension does not change, for example, File.apk.

This is what the file itself looks like:

Where can I find such files? That's right, in the Google Play online store, where you can download and install applications on your Android device: smartphone, tablet, TV, etc. Moreover, when you download an application from the store, it is installed automatically. You can download a file with the .apk extension from other resources, which, however, is not advisable.

For an application, there may be a so-called one, which our site has already talked about. A cache is an archive that contains data for running an application, including levels, textures, application data, audio clips, etc.

As a rule, the cache is used for games: the user downloads an APK file and installs it. It also contains the necessary files to run the game. If the application is downloaded from an online store, the cache may be downloaded automatically from the network when the application is launched.

In some cases, the cache is built into the installation file and does not require the installation of additional files.

Installing an APK file, if it is not downloaded from the Google Play store, is extremely simple: using any file manager, you need to launch the file by tapping on it once. A window will appear with an “Install” button and permissions for the application.

Installation occurs automatically.

Please note that in some cases the APK file may be associated with other software, such as Active Tutor Project. And yet, in most cases, we are talking specifically about the Android operating system, that is, executable application files.

Users are faced with the fact that not a single program on their computer opens such files. And this is absolutely normal, because a file with the APK extension is an installation file for the Android operating system and it is not possible to run such a file in Windows.

If you find yourself in a similar situation and don’t know how to open an APK file, then you have two options:

• Transfer the APK file to your Android device and run the file there. In this case, you will be able to familiarize yourself with the application contained in this file.
• You can also extract the APK file on your Windows computer. In this case, you will be able to familiarize yourself with the structure of this file, as well as its contents.,

If you want to run the APK file and get acquainted with the application that is in it, then the first thing you need to do is transfer this file to your Android device. This can be done in any way convenient for you. For example, you can connect your Android device to your computer using a USB cable or Bluetooth wireless interface.

Afterwards, on a mobile device with the Android operating system, you need to launch it. To do this, open any file manager, find the APK file in the device memory and open it. After this, the sentence contained in this file will appear. After installation, a shortcut to the installed program will appear on the Android desktop. With it, you can open the program from your APK file.

The second method is to open the APK file on a Windows computer using an archiver. The fact is that the APK file is in fact a simple . Therefore, you can open it using any archiver. For example, you can use the popular WinRAR archiver for these purposes.

By opening the APK file as an archive, you can see what it consists of. In most cases, this file includes the following folders and files:

• • MANIFEST.MF – a file with information about other files that are in this APK file (file checksums);
  • CERT.RSA – the certificate with which this application is signed;
  • CERT.SF – file with information about the certificate and resources;

• lib – Linux libraries for each supported processor type are stored here:

  • armeabi – for ARMv6 and older processors;
  • armeabi-v7a – for ARMv7 and newer processors;
  • x86 – for processors with x86 architecture;
  • mips – for MIPS processors;
• res – resources that are not in the file in resources.arsc (see below).
• Assets – resources for AssetManager.
• AndroidManifest.xml – a file describing this application. This stores the application name, package name, application version, and other information that is relevant to that application.
• classes.dex – executable application code in DEX format;
• resources.arsc – compiled resources necessary for the application to operate;

When downloading smartphone applications via a computer, a user may find that their installation file has an APK extension. Few people know, but this format can be launched not only on Android, but also on Windows, and how to do this will be described further in the text.

What is APK

Before we start looking at ways to launch APK files on a desktop device, it’s worth telling what this format actually is.

So, its full name is Android Package. Accordingly, from this we can already conclude that it is intended to work within the framework of a mobile operating system. Here we can draw an analogy with the EXE format, which is used in Windows and is an installer for an application. Likewise, an APK is an archive with all the program files, as well as instructions for extracting them. In simple words, it is an application installer for Android.

How to open an APK file on a computer

At the beginning of the article it was said that APK files can be run not only on smartphones running Android, but also on Windows. Of course, this will require additional tools. They can be divided into two categories:

• to view the list of installed files;
• to install the application.

In the first case, any well-known archiver will do; it can be used to open the APK and see what files are in it. But to install Android programs on the Windows operating system, you need to use more serious applications called emulators.

Using archivers

We'll start with how to open an APK file using an archiver. The question may immediately arise as to why this is necessary at all. But, as mentioned earlier, in this way you can view all the files of the installed application, and, most importantly, make some changes to them, for example, translate the text into Russian.

To perform all operations, the WinRAR archiver will be used, which every user can install, because the application is distributed free of charge.

1. Right-click (RMB) on the APK file.
2. Select the "Properties" option from the menu.
3. In the window that opens, go to the “General” tab.
4. Opposite the “Application” line, click the “Change” button.
5. A dialog box will appear in which you must select a program to open the file. If WinRAR is not in the list, then specify the direct path to it by clicking on the “Find another application on this computer” link.
6. A file manager window will open. In it you need to go to the directory with the WinRAR executable file. By default, it is located in the following path: “C:\Program Files\WinRAR\”.
7. Going to the folder with the archiver, select the executable file and click the “Open” button.
8. In the Properties window, click Apply and then OK.

After following this instruction, all files that have the APK extension will be launched through the archiver; you just need to double-click on them with the left mouse button (LMB).

Launching the emulator

If the purpose of downloading the APK file to your computer was to install it further and not to open it, then you will need to use a Windows operating system emulator. There are quite a lot of them on the software market, so all of them will not be considered in the article, but only the most popular ones.

BlueStacks

BlueStacks is the most popular Android emulator, so it's a smart place to start. So, to install an Android application on the Windows desktop, you must follow these steps:

1. Launch BlueStacks.
2. On the left panel with a list of tools, click on the “APK” button.
3. A file manager window will open, in which you need to go to the folder with the previously downloaded APK file.
4. Select the Android application and click the “Open” button.
5. The installation process of the application in BlueStacks will start, wait for it to complete.
6. The emulator menu will display the icon of the newly installed program; click on it to launch.

Droid4X

Droid4X is one of its popular mobile operating system emulators, and it can be used to run Android applications on Windows computers. This can be done much easier:

1. Install the Droid4X program on your computer.
2. Open the File Explorer file manager.
3. Go to the folder with the downloaded APK file.
4. Right-click on it.
5. In the context menu, select “Play with Droid4X”.
6. The installation process of the mobile application will begin. Wait for it to complete.
7. Click LMB on the icon of the installed program in the emulator menu.

Genymotion

Using the Genymotion emulator, installing an APK file on a computer is much more difficult, but it is still a good alternative to the previous methods. However, please note that you must first create an account on the Genymotion website and install the VirtualBox virtual machine.

1. Launch Genymotion.
2. Click the “Add” button on the top panel.
3. In the window that appears, click “Next”.
4. Subsequently, also click “Next”.
5. Wait for the download to complete and in the VirtualBox window that opens, click the “Launch” button.
6. Return to the Genymotion window and click the "Start" button.
7. An emulated Android window will appear. To install the APK, you must first install Genymotion ARM Translation. To do this, open the folder with this file and drag it with the mouse into the emulator window.
8. Restart the emulator and virtual machine.
9. Open the folder with the APK file and drag it into the emulator window.

Immediately after this, the application will be launched and you will be able to interact with it through the emulator window.

Android devices are used by millions of people. There are a huge number of applications and games for this system. You don’t have to spend a lot of time to find the program you need, because almost all of them are collected in the Play Market. The app store is installed by default on most modern smartphones. It contains paid and free content, divided by topic. But you can use the application not only on mobile devices, since the Play Market is available for your computer.

In order to enter the Store, you must go to the official website of the application. Here you will be asked to log in to an existing account or create a new one. In the line that opens, you must enter your login and password. After this, the user is taken to the Application Store, where he can find the desired utility or simply view what is offered by the developers.

Google Play for your computer allows you to download files in .apk format. This extension is intended for devices running Android OS, so you won’t be able to open documents and install applications from the archive on a Windows PC. What should the user do to install the file on the computer?

To do this you will need to install an emulator. These programs are designed to enable users to work with Android applications on a PC. Among the most popular of them are Droid4x, as well as BlueStacks, but the developers have also presented other utilities that can be used for this purpose. For Mac OS it is better to use IntelliJ IDEA or Apple Archive Utility.

When the installation of the emulator is completed, the program will open. It looks like a familiar Android screen. In it you can change settings, resolution and other parameters. Many emulators are equipped with additional functionality. In them you can change the location in various applications and take screenshots.

After installing the emulator, you can unpack .apk files downloaded from the Internet or directly from the Google Play store. To do this, just go to the emulator and find the required file. You should click on its name, after which the installation of the program will automatically start. You should not download .apk files from unverified resources; in order to find the application, it is better to turn to the Play Market, where a huge collection of various utilities is collected.