A program for opening apk files. How to open an APK file on a computer

In most cases, applications on Android are installed through the Google Play app store. But, sometimes it becomes necessary to install an application downloaded from third-party sites. If you are faced with a similar problem and don’t know how, then this article should help you.

Step no. Allow installation of applications from unknown sources.

First, we need to enable the installation of applications from unknown sources. This is done directly on your Android device. Open Settings and find the Security section. In this section you need to find and enable the “Unknown Sources” function.

After enabling this feature, you will be able to install applications not only from Google Play, but also from any other sources.

Step #2: Copy the APK file you want to install to your Android device's memory.

The next step is copying to the device memory. If the APK file is on your computer, then you need to connect your Android device to the computer using a USB cable and copy the APK file to the device memory. When copying, both in the built-in memory and on a microSD memory card.

You can also download the APK file directly to your Android device. In this case, you won't have to copy anything and can skip this step.

Step No. 3. Start installing the APK file on Android.

Once you have enabled the installation of applications from unknown sources and copied the APK file to the device memory, you can proceed directly to the installation itself. In order to install an APK file on your Android device, you just need to open it.

To do this, launch any file manager, . After this, a pop-up window will appear on the screen asking you to install this application.

Apk is an executable file of the Android operating system; applications for this operating system are stored and distributed in it. One of the representatives of the zip family, therefore it can be opened by any archiver. Contains code files (.dex), .ARSC resources and the most important file – AndroidManifest.xml. Since this is an Android executable file, it runs on this system, so just copy it to your device and run it. After installation, it will be available in the applications menu. But if you do not have an Android device, then you can use emulators, and the best of them are presented below.

What free programs can open the .apk file

1. – perhaps the best Android emulator for Windows. It is easy to install, in the latest versions its interface has been redesigned, and now it has become much more convenient and practical. The application supports camera and microphone, mouse control, typing from the keyboard, Internet access, transferring files from Android to Windows and vice versa.
2. – a free archiver with a lot of features and a simple, intuitive interface. It supports not only the zip family, but also rar and many other compression formats. It allows you to create, edit and unpack archives, set passwords on them, and all this is just a small part of what this archiver can do.
3. – a free alternative to BlueStakcs and its closest competitor. It provides access to a full-fledged Android shell (unlike BlueStakcs), but at the same time it has Android 4.2.2 on board. Control from a smartphone is supported, and you can also view the Android file system (for example, using ESexplorer). It is worth noting the possibility of obtaining root rights, which makes it possible to “practice” before receiving them on a real smartphone or simply “play around” with system files.

Having discovered a file with an unknown extension among Windows files, we often become despondent. The devil knows what this is so unrecognized by the “axis”. Such thoughts come to the minds of many people who see the “apk” extension for the first time. Having an apk file, how can I open this thing on Windows?

Before answering this question, it is necessary to understand what kind of animal is in front of us. The “.apk” file format was developed by Google to save executable Android OS applications in this format. The very concept of storing programs and data in one archive is not new. Even at the dawn of the spread of personal computers, packaging programs in an archive was very popular. To launch such applications, you didn’t even need to unpack this archive - the system tools did it on their own. This technology is in circulation among developers and users of various types of emulators. Therefore, the idea of ​​Google is not something unusual or unexpected.

“Apk” simply stands for “Android Package”. This is an ordinary archive that can be opened by almost any archiver available for Windows.

The archive contains the following application components:

• Source code of the program.
• Application resources, such as images, sounds, etc.
• A special file called manifest.

Those wishing to open such a file with an archiver will need to follow our further instructions.

We perform an autopsy

Since apk is an archive, we will try to open it with an archiver program. Many multifunctional archiver programs have been developed for Windows that can create and open an archive of almost any format. APK files are no exception. Let us point out two such archivers for Windows that successfully cope with this task: WinRar and 7-zip. If the first of these programs is commercial, then the second is completely free, and you can download it directly from the website of its developer - Igor Pavlov - at: http://www.7-zip.org/ or http://7-zip .org.ua/ru/ .

Install the 7-zip archiver on Windows (unless, of course, this famous program has already found a home on your computer).

Right-click on the required apk file. The context menu should appear as usual.

Select the menu item “7-zip” - a submenu will appear with a choice of action options.

We ask the archiver to open the archive or extract data from the archive. This can be done in different ways by selecting one or another submenu item, for example, the “Open archive” item (only for viewing the contents) or the “Unpack” item. The user will be prompted to specify a folder for unpacking and other optional parameters.

That's all you need to know to open a file with the "apk" extension.

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.

Basically, open the apk format on your computer impossible. It is not designed to run on PC. This is the extension of the installation file of games or applications for the system Android. However, you can use some emulator applications, which allow you to work with apk on a personal computer.

The Android operating system is largely is different from Windows, so when running emulators they consume a huge amount resources. So you won’t be able to run the apk on weak computers.

How and how to open an apk extension on a computer

One of the well-known programs for opening this format is Nox app Player. Complete player free, you can download it from the official website. There shouldn't be any problems with the installation - everything is very simple. Let's launch installer and follow further instructions.

When the installation is complete you will have to wait some time until the Android OS starts. This may take from a few seconds to several minutes, depending on power PC. After this, the desktop will appear.

The player allows you to set many parameters, including ROOTrights, why you need to go to settings(gear icon in the upper right corner)

We move the corresponding switch to positionON.

To launch the apk file, you need to on the right side of the screen click to the loading icon.

The program will kindly inform you that you can use the usual one to launch the apk drag and drop. Unfortunately, this function is unstable, so we agree with the notification and continue.

Now it remains choose required file in standard Windows Explorer.

Then the standard will begin installation apk for Android. When the process is completed, the application shortcut will appear on the desktop. Costs notice that applications do not always launch the first time. Sometimes you have to launch them again.

To take advantage specialized functions of Android, just pay attention to the panel on the right.

How to open an apk file on Android

As mentioned above, the apk format is specifically developed only for Android, so there should be no problems with launching applications. Exists There are two ways to install files of this format:

1. Installation from PlayMarket
2. Installation manually.

First The option is quite simple - open the market and are looking for required application. Then we launch it installation.

In the second case, the file is necessary throw off to the phone. It doesn’t matter exactly how to do it - you can take advantage Bluetooth, connect the device to a PC as a flash drive, or use any other way. After this it remains find file through the manager and run it.