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How to run Google Play Store and Android Apps on Windows 11

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Microsoft just rolled out its famous Windows 11 operating system in October 2021, the most current version of its operating system, and it fulfilled many of its promised features over its predecessor Windows 10.

Users can now install and run Android apps on the new Windows 11 with the help of the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA). However, you can only install apps available from the custom version of the Amazon Appstore, which only has about 50 apps for now.

If you are the type who is interested in using the Android apps on your Windows 11 device, you can sideload Android apps on your Windows 11 devices, but it’s not possible to use apps that require Google Play Services, like Gmail and Google Maps. However, an Italian UX design student has found a way to make it possible to install the Google Play Store app to bring virtually every Android app to Windows 11.

Furthermore, running Android apps on Windows 11 is a complicated process, and it may not work on the first try, but once you get it working, you can install all your favorite Android apps. 

Learn how to install the Google Play Store and run Android apps on Windows 11 post, by following the instructions in this Windows 11 guide. 

Disclaimer: Trying to install Google Play Services may violate the Play Services Agreement. Also, these instructions involve downloading third-party tools and using unsupported methods. Use this guide at your own risk.

How to install Google Play Store and run Android apps

The Google Play Store’s installation process on Windows 11 requires the setup of various tools running several Linux, Command Prompt, and PowerShell commands. The instructions below have everything you need to complete this task. If something isn’t working correctly, you probably did something wrong. If this is the case, start over with the instructions until it works.

Setting Up Environment

To start the installation and running of Google Play and Android apps on your Windows 11 devices, you need to prepare your device and the preparation process includes removing any previous installation of the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) from your device and installing the Windows Subsystem for Android and Ubuntu. It is also a requirement to enable Developer mode on Windows 11 and install a tool like 7-zip to extract files. Furthermore, you have to download a copy of the original Windows Subsystem for Android, OpenGApps, the WSAGAScript scripts, and the ADBKit tools.

How to Uninstall WSA

As we all know we cannot run both the original and custom versions of WSA, you will need to remove the original if it is installed on your computer. Otherwise, continue the WSL2 installation.

Here are the steps to uninstall the original WSA:

Hope you now know how to run Google Play Store and Android Apps on Windows 11

  • Open Settings.
  • Click on Apps.
  • Click the Apps & features page from the right side.
  • Select the Amazon App Store.
  • Click the menu (three-dotted button) on the right side.
  • Click the Uninstall button.
  • Click the Uninstall button again.

Once the above steps are completed, you can continue with the Linux subsystem installation.

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How to Install WSL2

You will need a Linux distribution to complete this setup. If you don’t have the Windows Subsystem for Linux already installed on your computer, then continue with the steps below. Otherwise, continue with the steps to enable the Developer mode on Windows 11.

Here is how to install WSL alongside the Ubuntu distro:

  • Open Start.
  • Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
  • Type the following command to install the Windows Subsystem for Linux and Ubuntu and press Enter:
    wsl –install
  • Restart the computer to apply the changes.
  • Continue with the on-screen directions to set up the Ubuntu distro.

Hope you now know how to run Google Play Store and Android Apps on Windows 11

Once the above steps are completed successfully, the Linux subsystem will install with the Ubuntu distro.

How to Enable Developer Mode

The next step is to make sure that Developer mode is enabled on Windows 11:

  • Open Settings.
  • Click on Privacy & security.
  • Click the For developers page on the right side.
  • Turn on the Developer mode toggle switch.

Hope you now know how to run Google Play Store and Android Apps on Windows 11

After you complete the steps, you can sideload applications on Windows 11.

How to Install 7-zip

Since you will need to retrieve files from different containers, you will need an application like 7-zip. If you already have it, you can skip these steps.

To install 7-zip from the Microsoft Store, use these steps:

  1. Open the 7-zip Microsoft Store page.
  2. Click the Get button.

Hope you now know how to run Google Play Store and Android Apps on Windows 11

Once the above steps are completed the steps, the file manager application will install on Windows 11.

How to Download WSA

To run Android apps from the Google Play Store requires creating a custom version of the Windows Subsystem for Android, which means that you will need to download the package to modify it.

Here is how to download the Windows Subsystem for Android package:

  1. Open the rg.adguard website.
  2. Select the Productid option.
  3. Copy and paste this ID 9P3395VX91NR.
  4. Select the Slow option.
  5. Click the Check button.
  6. Scroll down and click the
  7. Hope you now know how to run Google Play Store and Android Apps on Windows 11MicrosoftCorporationII.WindowsSubsystemForAndroid_1.7.32815.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle link to download the Windows Subsystem for Android package.

Hope you now know how to run Google Play Store and Android Apps on Windows 11Quick note: If the browser refuses to download the file, select the Keep option from the download menu.

After completing the above steps, there are other components you will need to download to continue with the process, including the OpenGApps tools and the custom WSAScript scripts.

You may also like How To Install Windows 11 on Mac and MacBook Devices

How To Download OpenGApps

To download the OpenGAapps tools, use  the steps below:

  1. Open the OpenGApps website.
  2. Select the x86_64 option for the platform.
  3. Select the 11 option for the Android version.
  4. Select the pico option for the variant.
  5. Click the Download button to save the file on your device.

Hope you now know how to run Google Play Store and Android Apps on Windows 11Once you complete the steps above, you will have to download the WSAGAScript package.

How To Download WSAGAScript

To download the WSAGAScript scripts, use these steps:

  1. Open the WSAGAScript GitHub page.
  2. Click the Code menu and select the Download ZIP option.
  3. Save the file to your computer.

Hope you now know how to run Google Play Store and Android Apps on Windows 11After completing the steps, the scripts package will download on the computer.

How To Download ADB Toolkit

At the end of the process, you will need to use the Android Debugging Bridge (ADB) tools to make the Google Play Store usable.

Use the steps below to download the ADB toolkit:

  1. Open the MediaFire download page.
  2. Click the Download button.
  3. Save the file on the computer.

Once you complete the steps, the zip will download onto your device.

How To Create Setup Folders

You will need to create three folders in the “C” drive to extract all the packages you downloaded earlier.

Here is how to set up the folder structure to create a custom version of WSA:

  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. Click on This PC from the left navigation pane.
  3. Open the Local Disk (C drive).
  4. Click the New menu and select the Folder option.
  5. Name the folder WindowsSubsystemAndroid and press Enter.
  6. Click the New menu and select the Folder option.
  7. Name the folder GAppsWSA and press Enter.
  8. Click the New menu and select the Folder option.
  9. Name the folder ADBKit and press Enter.

Hope you now know how to run Google Play Store and Android Apps on Windows 11After completing the steps, the setup folders will be created.

You may also like New Windows 11 Bug Stopping System Applications from Running

Create a custom version of the Windows Subsystem for Android

As we all know, the original version of WSA does not allow the Google Play Store, you will need to create a custom version. The process involves extracting and modifying files from the original version of the Windows Subsystem for Android.  how to run Google Play Store and Android Apps on Windows 11.

Set up WindowsSubsystemAndroid contents

To extract the files of the original WSA package to the WindowsSubsystemAndroid folder, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for 7-zip File Manager and click the top result to open the app.
  3. Browse to the folder where you downloaded the Msixbundle file.
  4. Double-click the MicrosoftCorporationII.WindowsSubsystemForAndroid_1.7.32815.0_neutral_~_8wekyb3d8bbwe.msixbundle file.
  5. Double-click the WsaPackage_1.7.32815.0_x64_Release-Nightly.msix file.
  6. Select all the files (Ctrl + A keyboard shortcut).
  7. Click the Extract button.
  8. In the “Copy to” field, specify the following path, and click the OK button:
    C:\WindowsSubsystemAndroid\Hope you now know how to run Google Play Store and Android Apps on Windows 11
  9. Type the following path in the address bar and press Enter:
    C:\WindowsSubsystemAndroid\
  10. Select the following files while holding the Ctrl key:
    1. AppxMetadata.
    2. AppxBlockMap.xml.
    3. AppxSignature.p7x.
    4. Content_Type.xml.
  1. Click the Delete button.

Once you complete the steps, the files necessary to continue with the process will be available in the WindowsSubsystemAndroid folder.

How To Set up the GAppsWSA Contents

To extract the WSAGAscripts to modify the original Windows Subsystem for the Android package, use the steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for 7-zip File Manager and click the top result to open the app.
  3. Browse to the folder where you downloaded the WSAGAScript-main.zip file.
  4. Open the WSAGAScript-main folder.
  5. Select all the files (Ctrl + A keyboard shortcut).
  6. Click the Extract button.
  7. In the “Copy to” field, specify the following path and click the OK button:
    C:\GAppsWSA\
  8. Browse to the folder where you downloaded the open_gapps-x86_64-11.0-pico-xxxxxxxx.zip file.
  9. Select the open_gapps-x86_64-11.0-pico-xxxxxxxx.zip file.
  10. Click the Copy button.
  11. Type the following path in the address bar and press Enter:
    C:\GAppsWSA\#GAPPS\
  12. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, the GAppsWSA folder will include all the files to continue with the process.

Set up the ADBKit folder

To extract the contents of the ADBKit zip folder, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for 7-zip File Manager and click the top result to open the app.
  3. Browse to the folder where you downloaded the ADBKit.zip file.
  4. Select all the files (Ctrl + A keyboard shortcut).
  5. Click the Extract button.
  6. In the “Copy to” field, specify the following path, and click the OK button:
    C:\ADBKit\

You will find these tools at the end of this guide to fix access to the Google Play Store. 

How To Copy images files

Before proceeding, you will need to copy four essential files from the WindowsSubsystemAndroid folder to the #IMAGES folder using these steps:

  1. Open File Explorer.
  2. Browse to the following path:
    C:\WindowsSubsystemAndroid\
  3. Select these four files while holding the Ctrl key:
    • vendor.img.
    • system_ext.img.
    • system.img.
    • product.img.

  1. Click the Copy button from the command bar.
  2. Browse to the following path:
    C:\GAppsWSA\#IMAGES
  3. Click the Paste button from the command bar.

Once the above steps are completed, you will need to use a Linux distro to create a custom version of the Windows Subsystem for Android.

Modify Windows Subsystem for Android to install Google Play Store

To modify WSA to allow the Google Play Store, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for Ubuntu, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
  3. Type the following command and press Enter:
    sudo su
  4. Type the following command to change location to the GAppsWSA directory and press Enter:
    cd /mnt/c/GAppsWSA
  5. Type the following command to update the system and press Enter:
    sudo apt-get update
  6. Type the following command to install the lzip unzip tool and press Enter:
    sudo apt-get install unzip lzip
  7. Type the following command to install the dos2unix tool and press Enter:
    sudo apt-get install dos2unix
  8. Type the following command to convert the script to Unix format and press Enter:
    dos2unix ./apply.sh
  9. Type the following command to convert the script to Unix format and press Enter:
    dos2unix ./extend_and_mount_images.sh
  10. Type the following command to convert the script to Unix format and press Enter:
    dos2unix ./extract_gapps_pico.sh
  11. Type the following command to convert the script to Unix format and press Enter:
    dos2unix ./unmount_images.sh
  12. Type the following command to convert the script to Unix format and press Enter:
    dos2unix ./VARIABLES.sh
  13. Type the following command to execute the first step and press Enter:
    ./extract_gapps_pico.sh
  14. Type the following command to execute the second step and press Enter:
    ./extend_and_mount_images.sh
  15. Type the following command to execute the third step and press Enter:
    ./apply.sh
  16. Type the following command to execute the fourth step and press Enter:
    ./unmount_images.sh
  17. Open File Explorer.
  18. Browse to the following path:
    C:\GAppsWSA\#IMAGES
  19. Select these four files while holding the Ctrl key:
    1. vendor.img.
    2. system_ext.img.
    3. system.img.
    4. product.img.

  1. Click the Copy button from the command bar.
  2. Browse to the following path:
    C:\WindowsSubsystemAndroid
  3. Click the Paste button from the command bar.
  4. Click the Replace the files in the destination option.
  5. Browse to the following path:
    C:\GAppsWSA\misc
  6. Select the kernel file.
  7. Click the Copy button from the command bar.
  8. Browse to the following path:
    C:\WindowsSubsystemAndroid\Tools
  9. Select the kernel file.
  10. Click the Rename button from the command bar.
  11. Change the name to kernel_bak and press Enter:
  12. Click the Paste button from the command bar to paste the new kernel file.

After you complete the steps above, the custom version of WSA is ready to be installed on Windows 11.

Install the custom version of WSA on Windows 11

You need to follow the steps below to install the Windows Subsystem for Android with PowerShell:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
  3. Type the following command to install the custom WSA package and press Enter:
    Add-AppxPackage -Register C:\WindowsSubsystemAndroid\AppxManifest.xml

Once you complete the steps, the Windows Subsystem for Android and Google Play Store will install on Windows 11. However, the Google Play Store won’t work until you do some modifications with the steps below.

Set up Google Play Store on WSA

To set up the Play Store correctly to download Android apps on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for Windows Subsystem for Android and click the top result to open the app.
  3. Turn on the Developer mode toggle switch.
  4. Click the Manage developer settings option to spin the WSA virtual machine.
  5. Clear the Share my diagnostic data option.
  6. Click the Continue button.
  7. Click the Close button.
  8. Open Start.
  9. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
  10. Type the following command to change location to the ADBKit folder and press Enter:
    cd C:\adbkit
  11. Type the following command to connect to the Windows Subsystem for Android and press Enter:
    adb.exe connect 127.0.0.1:58526
  12. Type the following command to open the shell and press Enter:
    adb.exe shell
  13. Type the following to gain root access and press Enter:
    su
  14. Type the following command to make the Google Play Store work and press Enter:
    setenforce 0
  15. Open Start.
  16. Search for Play Store and click the top result to open the app.
  17. Click the Sign in button.
  18. Sign in with your Google credentials.
  19. Click the Agree button to agree to the terms.

After you complete the steps above, you can now start downloading and installing Android apps from the Google Play Store.

Install Android apps from the Google Play Store

Here is how to install and run Play Store Android apps on Windows 11:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for Play Store and click the top result to open the app.
  3. Search for an app – for example, Gmail.
  4. Click the Install button.
  5. Click the Continue button.
  6. Click the Skip button.
  7. Click the Open button.
  8. Continue with the on-screen directions to set up and use the app.

Once the above steps are completed, you can repeat the above instructions to install virtually any app from the Google Play Store on Windows 11.  Hope you now know how to run Google Play Store and Android Apps on Windows 11. More news about Windows 11 is going to keep on coming so stay tuned! 

Would you like to read more Windows 11-related articles? If so, we invite you to take a look at our other tech topics before you leave!

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