APK (Android Application) is the only extension for installing applications on the Android operating system. The format was developed by Google to adapt custom software to smartphones. The APK file contains fully compiled and ready-to-install program code.
Where is the apk file found?
Since APK is not a cross-platform extension, it is only supported by Android, regardless of the version and modification of the system. Files with this extension are stored in the official online store Google Play. Also, users can download APK files from third-party resources, and then move them to the phone memory and install them. Installation of the Android APK file is carried out manually by the user.
The APK launches the game or application installation wizard. The file itself has a clear structure and contains the following elements:
- Metadata (META.INF) - manifest files and checksum definitions;
- .LIB - libraries for working with different processors;
- Assets and.RES - program resources;
- .XML - program code (can be encrypted for security purposes);
- .DEX is a set of compiled classes.
The user does not see the file structure, but only the final object that is ready for installation. To view the contents of the APK, open it using any archiver. For example, 7Zip or WinRAR.
Programs for opening apk files
To run APK files you will need any device running Android OS. Users of the system can independently download installation files to the phone and then open them in any Explorer.
Despite the limitations of using the extension, the APK can be opened on Windows, MacOS and other operating systems using an emulator - a program that creates a virtual machine of the Android system on the user's computer. The best examples of emulators are BlueStacks, Droid4X and Genymotion.
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An example of what the application consists of is carried out on the application - Google Now
The applications that you install on Android can be opened with an ordinary archiver, for small and simple editions of applications, as well as decompilation for complex and complete changes to apk applications (hereinafter referred to as apk).
Opening apk using Archiver
What does an Android application consist of?
Assets folder- assets in this folder are files that define the “capabilities” of the application
META-INF folder- this folder contains signature files. Each company that publishes applications has its own signature, which indicates that it is its property since it has its own encryption key.
RES folder- this folder contains the visible, audible part of the application. This folder contains files that allow you to build an interface, pictures and melodies
AndroidManifest.xml file- passport apk application. This file contains general information about the application.
resources.arsc file- compiled “visible part” of the application ( RES folder)
If you try to open any file, you will get this:
not decompiled AndroidManifest.xml file
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 can 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 app 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.
- Right-click (RMB) on the APK file.
- Select the "Properties" option from the menu.
- In the window that opens, go to the “General” tab.
- Opposite the “Application” line, click the “Change” button.
- 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.
- 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\”.
- Going to the folder with the archiver, select the executable file and click the “Open” button.
- 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:
- Launch BlueStacks.
- On the left panel with a list of tools, click on the “APK” button.
- A file manager window will open, in which you need to go to the folder with the previously downloaded APK file.
- Select the Android application and click the “Open” button.
- The installation process of the application in BlueStacks will start, wait for it to complete.
- 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:
- Install the Droid4X program on your computer.
- Open the File Explorer file manager.
- Go to the folder with the downloaded APK file.
- Right-click on it.
- In the context menu, select “Play with Droid4X”.
- The installation process of the mobile application will begin. Wait for it to complete.
- 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.
- Launch Genymotion.
- Click the “Add” button on the top panel.
- In the window that appears, click “Next”.
- Subsequently, also click “Next”.
- Wait for the download to complete and in the VirtualBox window that opens, click the “Launch” button.
- Return to the Genymotion window and click the "Start" button.
- 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.
- Restart the emulator and virtual machine.
- 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.
If you have an Android smartphone, tablet or other device based on this operating system, then you have probably come across the word “APK”. But not all users of the Android operating system know what an APK is.
APK or Android Package are files in which Android applications are distributed. An APK file is an archive that contains the executable code of an application, as well as other files and resources required for the application to function. APK files are not encrypted and are part of the well-known ZIP format.
APK files have a clearly defined structure.
- MANIFEST.MF – file with data about other files located in this archive (file checksums);
- CERT.RSA – the certificate with which the application is signed;
- CERT.SF – file with data about the certificate and resources;
-
- 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 not contained in resources.arsc (see below).
- Assets – resources that are used by AssetManager.
- AndroidManifest.xml – a file describing the application. This file stores the name, package name, version, and other data related to this application.
- classes.dex – executable code in DEX format;
- resources.arsc – compiled resources;
Viewing the contents of an APK file is very simple and anyone can do it. All you need to do is open the APK file with any archiver. For example, you can use the free archiver 7Zip.
Where can I get the APK file?
You can download and install the APK file from the Google Play app store. You can also download the APK from other sites that distribute software. Often the APK file can be downloaded from the application developer's website.
How to install APK files?
APK files downloaded from Google Play are installed automatically. If you need one that you downloaded from another site, then you need to enable the installation of programs from unknown sources and run the APK file on your Android device. After this, you will see a warning about installing the application. Click "OK" to start the installation process.
