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. Player in full 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 run 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 Android functions, 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 launching applications. Exists There are two ways to install files of this format:
- Installation from PlayMarket
- 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 how exactly you 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.
Opening ARK files is a fairly popular question. This type of document is used on smartphones and tablets. They allow you to install programs on devices. The installation package includes files and the application itself.
If the question arises about how to open APK files on a computer and how to launch them, you will need to know that there are special Android simulators for this. These include YouWave and BlueStacks. They make it possible to perform such actions. In this case, it is worth paying attention to a tool called 7-Zip. It is a free archiver. Interface The program has a simple interface. The window consists of:
Main menu;
file manager;
toolbars.
Functional buttons with prompts in Russian add convenience to use. The tool is able to integrate into the OS menu automatically after installation. It is possible to use the command line.
Developer Platform
If you need to open APK files on your computer and make edits to them, you should pay attention to the Eclipse application. It is based on open source code. The main purpose of the application is to increase productivity in the software development process. The platform is stable in operation with various operating systems.
WinRAR
It is an archiver that can open APK files on a computer for the purpose of reviewing it. The utility has a high speed of information processing. WinRAR allows you to split a data array into a specific number of volumes of certain sizes. The application also makes it possible to ensure information security. A password is used for this.
If you have a question about how to open an APK document on your computer, you should pay attention to the WinZip program. This is an application designed to compress files. It is also capable of opening the required data packets. The program has a lot of different tools built into an intuitive interface. An undeniable advantage of the utility is a special wizard that makes extracting material as simple as possible. It is enough to follow the sequence of actions, including the need to pay attention to certain leading questions.
The program allows you to recover damaged data. Moreover, checking for errors in files and correcting them is carried out automatically. It is possible to forward a package to a friend directly from the application when using email. This task is assigned to the built-in tools.
Hotkeys allow you to process multiple files simultaneously. The program can be integrated into the system menu, so using the tool is very simple. There is a support center where they are always ready to provide assistance if necessary. The development team is easy to contact via email.
Other utilities
It is also worth considering other applications for opening the APK file on your computer. One of them is Hamster Free. This archiver is easy to use and fully supports multi-core processors. The program is free to use, has a nice interface, and supports the Russian language. Thanks to integration into the menu, you can instantly access the main functions, including the option to unpack data packages.
There is another program called Universal Extractor. It also supports working with the presented data type. The application allows you to extract data from a package. It’s also worth mentioning ExtractNow, a utility that will do the job perfectly. The program is fluent in opening files and unpacking them.
It is possible to extract data from multiple packages simultaneously. The software has a simple interface. To process data, just move it with the mouse to the main window. In addition, the application uses a data search system. Help tools are provided if necessary. If the program is minimized, a special icon will appear in the system notification area. There is also a function called “On top of all windows”. All operations performed are displayed in reports.
Finally, I would like to say a few words about the YouWave program. It allows you to run a virtual machine on your computer, with which you can play applications and games for Android.
From the presented methods for opening ARK files, you can choose the one that will create maximum convenience.
I welcome everyone who is currently reading my blog, and in today’s article I would like to tell you about one such service that will serve as a wonderful assistant for many users.
I think you all have encountered a situation where a file on your computer cannot be opened. To be more precise, the file itself can be opened, but there is no suitable program installed on your computer that could open this file. Therefore, I think you can guess that it all comes down to the fact that we need to find out which program can be used to open this or that file.
In general, let's imagine this situation: you downloaded a file from the Internet and cannot open it on your computer. Moreover, this window appears in which we are asked to indicate a program with which it is possible to open this file.
To make it much clearer to you what service I want to tell you about today, I will demonstrate it in practice.
How to open an apk file on a computer?
So, I downloaded a file with an apk extension from the Internet and asked myself: “ How to open apk file on computer?».
A service that allows you to get information about a file, thanks to a pre-specified extension, is actually called that - what to open. You can go to this service using the following link - http://chem-otkrit.ru
As you can see, the service is quite simple. You will need to enter the file extension in the search bar and click “Find”. Follow the link as shown in the picture below.
As a result, the search will give us a detailed description of the extension of the file itself and, of course, show us a list of programs that will allow us to open the downloaded file.
As we see, this file type is used in the Android OS. You can open it on your computer using the Eclipse plugin.
Now knowing the program, you and I will know. Below is a screenshot in which you can see that you just need to follow the link to download the program we need from the official website.
Separately, I would like to add that the file itself with the apk extension can be opened with the same archiver. But first, it is important for you to remember that first you must replace the apk extension with zip.
Concluding today’s article, I hope that the service I presented will be added to your bookmarks and will be an additional assistant for working with different types of files.
Now, regarding the “Best Commentator of the Month” competition, I can tell you that the best commentator for January was Alexander Ershov alexsandr-ershov (dog) yandex.ru Congratulations Alexander, I’m waiting for your WMR wallet number to transfer the cash prize.
And I, in turn, remind you that those who wish to visit my blog should always be aware of new articles. After all, with the release of a new article, you can participate in some competition. In the near future I will definitely organize a “Random Crossword” and “Puzzles” competition.
So, dear blog guests, if you have not yet subscribed to receive new articles, then so that I can inform you by E-mail about new competitions. That's all for today.
Wait for information about that in the next issue =>
The Android application technology platform has proven to be versatile and developer-friendly. You can develop an Android app and publish it on the Google Play Store with minimal restrictions. This concept has led to the rapid development of popular Android applications, some of which are not available on iOS and other platforms. To run an Android application, you usually need to use a smartphone or tablet with this OS - this is obvious. What to do if you want to try using Android without buying a device?
Fortunately, you have this opportunity; Android can be run even on an old desktop computer. There are several ways to accomplish this task, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Perhaps the easiest way to run Andoid apps on a Windows computer is to use the ARC Welder app for the Google Chrome browser. The application was developed by Google and can be used not only on Windows computers - this method also works on Chromebooks and Macs. The launch process is practically independent of the platform used. Simply go to the Chrome Web Store and install the ARC Welder app from the catalog.
The ARC Welder application is in beta and is intended primarily for developers. However, the process of downloading the app is quite simple. You need to upload the APK file to ARC Welder. The APK file can be obtained by backing up the app on a physical Android device or by downloading from various third-party sites on the Internet. We do not recommend downloading paid applications and games from dubious sites. There are resources that archive free apps, such as APK Mirror.
Once the required APK file is downloaded and ready for download, you can open ARC Welder from the list of extensions in Google Chrome and point to the file. Then you need to choose how to display applications - landscape/portrait mode, smartphone/tablet mode and clipboard access method. Not every Android application will launch this way, and some applications may lose some of their functionality. ARC Welder, unfortunately, does not currently have built-in support for Google Play services (unless you are an application developer and do not have access to the source code), so Google applications and some third-party applications will refuse to work.
Applications or games that run in ARC generally run smoothly. You can get full functionality from Evernote, Instagram and even Flappy Bird. You can only have one application installed in ARC Welder at a time; to launch another application you need to return to the installation dialog.
The application deployment process and the limitation of running only one application at a time create barriers to everyday use of the tool. However, the extension is suitable for the needs of developers and testers, or simply to get acquainted with the capabilities of the mobile platform.
The next easiest way to run Android apps on a PC is to use an Android emulator developed by Google as part of its software development kit (SDK). The emulator can be used to create virtual devices running any version of Android with different screen resolutions and hardware configurations. The first disadvantage of this method is the rather complicated installation and configuration process.
Neither product is perfect - you need devices supported by the tools, such as the Dell XPS 12 in the case of the Intel version or the Lenovo ThinkPad x61 for Android-x86. You can install these environments on top of Windows, but this is not a good idea. The smartest way is to create a separate hard drive partition and install Android on it.
If your PC configuration is not supported by these products, you can try installing them in VirtualBox or VMware virtualization environments, which are faster than the Android emulator. These products may still not be suitable for testing games, but most applications will install and work correctly. You will need to install applications yourself, because... There is no Google Play integration in these products. For help, you can use the instructions on our website - Installing Android in VMware Workstation.
If you're looking for a way to run multiple Android apps and games at once, and it's easy to install and configure, then BlueStacks is your choice. represents one of the easiest ways to launch applications. However, the product uses a highly modified version of Android to run applications. BlueStacks has a built-in Google Play store, and you have access to all purchased paid applications. The program is added to the list of Google Play devices under the name Galaxy Note II.
A separate BlueStacks window contains a list of applications divided into categories: games, social networks, etc. When searching for an application or clicking on the icon of a specific application, the unexpected happens - the Google Play client in tablet mode is displayed. The user can navigate the interface as they would on a regular Android device, making BlueStacks more than just an “app player.” In fact, the user can install third-party launchers such as Nova or Apex from the app store and select them as the default launcher. The home screen in BlueStacks with app categories is a variant of the home screen. Thus, by replacing it, you can feel like the owner of a real Android device.
Full access to the Google Play store eliminates problems with application deployment, and BlueStacks itself works stably and quickly. You can play most games, but you may have problems using the mouse. If your computer has a touch screen, you can use applications that support multi-touch. BlueStacks can turn a Windows 8 tablet into an Android tablet. The technology used in BlueStacks is called “LayerCake” because Android applications run in a separate layer on top of Windows.
The only drawback of BlueStacks is the use of a modified build of Android. All changes made by the product developer to run Android applications on PC may cause crashes and failures in the application. This modified environment is of little value to developers - there is no guarantee that applications that display and run correctly on BlueStacks will behave the same on a physical device. The service uses a freemium monetization model - you can either pay $2 for a subscription or install several sponsored applications.
Which way is better?
If you want to test an app before installing it on physical devices, Android emulator offers the best way to test the app on your computer first. The product is quite slow, but it is standardized, so the developer can see how the application will behave on a real smartphone or tablet. Porting Android to PC can provide decent performance, but there may be issues and glitches and it requires compatible hardware.
If you need to get several Android applications on your computer at once, the best solution is BlueStacks App Player. The product provides full access to Google Play, works quickly and supports Windows devices with multi-touch. Don't forget about ARC Welder as a way to run one application at a time. The extension is free and easy to install.
You can encounter an APK extension file, for example, if you decide to install an application on your computer that you used on your tablet. After downloading a file from the Internet, the time will come to think about how to open the apk file on your computer?
What is a fileAPKand its purpose
APK (abbreviation for Android Package) is a format of archived application files for Android. Any application written for Android, after compilation, is packaged into one file of this extension. The file name can be anything, but the extension must be .APK.
Encryption is not used when storing data in the archive of this type.
Thus, each .apk file is an archive that can be executed by DalvikVM (virtual machine) and can be installed not only on Android OS.
APK files are stored in the system in the /data/app directory, which is accessible only through Explorer.
To develop your own applications, you can use Google's Android SDK, a development environment.
You can download files of this extension either from where they are stored, or on third-party resources on the Internet (which is undesirable). Once downloaded, you can manually install the application contained in the apk file on your tablet or smartphone. It is not recommended to install applications from unknown sources - they may contain malicious code, while all applications available through Google Play are tested and signed. The procedure for installing the Android APK application on a tablet or smartphone via USB is described below:
- You need to copy the .APK file to the device in any convenient way (via USB, transfer via Wi-Fi, etc.);
- Using the file manager, go to the directory where the application was saved;
- Open the selected apk file.
A number of manufacturers disable the ability to install applications from unknown sources. If you need to enable this feature, go to Settings. Select the “Security” section, check the “Allow installation of applications not obtained from the Market” option.
Video tutorial on APK file format
View file contentsAPK
Wondering which program to open an apk file to see what's inside?
Since .APK files use compression algorithms similar to ZIP, the contents of such archives can be obtained using almost any archiver - .
To view the contents of a file using one of the specified archivers, you need to change the APK extension to ZIP.
File installationAPKon computer
Are you wondering how to open an apk file on your computer? Below is a list that will help you with the installation - it will show you how to open the arc file under any required operating system.
So, how to open APK files under different platforms:
Where else can you encounter files?APK?
Files of this extension can be used by other applications and services discussed below.
- As a file for the GameSpy arcade game service. This extension is used in a shareware MMO game. The utility, which allows players to find available multiplayer games, connect to them, and communicate between players, uses APK extension files that store service data.
- Storage of Active Tutor projects - an environment that provides tools for multimedia development (Creator - 4C Soft Inc.).
- Activity data storage. APK files are also used in the train simulation game (Microsoft Train Simulator), released back in 2001.
So, we looked at the APK file format - what is it used for, what program to open the arc file, where else can you use files of this extension. We hope the information will be useful to readers.
