In this guide, I will be showing you How to Run Apps on Windows with BlueStacks. When Microsoft introduced the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) many people were happy because the system allowed them to run native Android apps on Windows System. Please see How to link your Android or iPhone to your Windows 10 PC, how to make a router function as a switch in GNS3, steps in installing Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA)(Opens in a new browser tab), and how to Install Windows 10 on VMware Workstation.
You can check this to know how to Install Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA). But it is no longer news that Microsoft will be ending WSA support on March 5th, 2025. Despite this news, we still have another way or options to run Android apps on Windows 10 and 11.
What you need to do is to use a third-party app called BlueStacks which is quick and easy to install and supports installation of Android apps from the Google Play Store. Download this application and install it on your Windows 10 or 11 computer and you can start running any Android applications on it.
You can further read about How to Set Up Flutter with Android Studio on Linux, Microsoft Phone Link: Connect Android to Windows 11, how to Configure GPS location “Google Map” on your Android Studio Emulator, and How to link your Android or iPhone to your Windows 10 PC.
Hardware Requirements for installing Bluestacks
Windows 7 or Higher Operating System, Intel or AMD Processor, 4GB of RAM and 8GB of RAM is Recommended, and 5GB of Storage Space with an SSD Recommended.
Follow these steps to Download, Install and Run Android apps on BlueStacks.
Open the BlueStacks web page and download version 5 or 10. Any of these versions can work for your mobile testing task.
2. Double-click on the installer file downloaded.
3.. Click the Install now button and Click the I agree button to accept the Terms of Use.
4.. It will take some minutes for the components download to complete. It depends on how fast your internet and system can be.
5. Downloaded files will be extracted
The last leg is the post-installation steps
6. Immediately after BlueStacks is installed it will automatically launch.
How to Run Android Local APK on Windows 11
7.. Click on My Games button. On the Installed in App Player section click the Install Local APK (+) icon.
8.. Drag and drop your APK file or browse to the APK file location. Then you can start installing the APK.
How to Run Android Play Store Apps on Windows 11
9. Click on All Games. Click on App Player
10. In your far right on the App Player page you will see all the controls you can make use on the App Player
11. Click on System apps. In the opened box click on Play Store.
12. Search for the app on the Play Store.
13. Install the app and launch it. You are good to go in using your app on Windows System.
That is all the steps needed to run Android Apps on your Windows system using a third-party application like BlueStacks. Software testers use BlueStacks to create app emulators they can use to test mobile apps.
FAQs
Installing Google Play on a Windows 11 or 10 system is not straightforward because Google Play is designed for Android devices. However, it is very possible to use Android emulators to run Android apps including apps on the Play Store. One of these Android emulators is BlueStacks.
Bluestacks is a popular Android emulator that Software testers and developers and use to run Android apps on their desktop computers. It provides a virtual testing environment for the mobile app under testing and reduces the cost of getting a physical Android device.
I hope you found this blog post on How to Run Android Apps on Windows with BlueStacks Interesting and helpful. If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask in the comment section.