Use apps from your Android device on your PC

With Your Phone apps, you can instantly access the Android apps installed on your mobile device right on your PC. Using a Wi-Fi connection, Apps allows you to browse, play, order, chat, and more – all while using your PC’s larger screen and keyboard. You can add your Android apps as favorites on your PC, pin them to your Start menu and taskbar, and open them in separate windows to use side-by-side with apps on your PC – helping you stay productive.

Note: For the best experience, we recommend making sure your Android device and PC are on the same Wi-Fi network and band. Some Wi-Fi networks offer different connection bands, like a 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz band. Make sure both your devices are connected to the same one. Learn more about how to do that in our Wi-Fi troubleshooting help.

How do I interact with apps?

You can use your PC’s mouse, trackpad, keyboard, pen or touch-enabled screen to open, type, scroll, and interact with apps. A few tips for using your mouse and keyboard:

Single click will behave the same as any single touch/tap interaction

Right click anywhere on your phone screen to navigate to the previous page

Click and hold will behave the same as a tap/hold interaction

Click and hold and drag to select content

Mouse scroll to move between pages vertically or horizontally

Some games and apps might not work with a mouse or keyboard. You’ll need to use a touch-enabled PC to interact with them.

If you’re encountering issues using Apps, our troubleshooting tips may help.

How do I know I’m using the multiple apps experience?

The requirements for using multiple apps are:

A PC running the Windows 10 May 2020 Update or later. For best performance, we recommend having at least 8GB of RAM.

An Android device running Android 11.0.

On your Android device, you need Link to Windows version 2.1.05.6 or higher, or Your Phone Companion version 1.20104.15.0 or higher.

Your Phone versions 1.20104.20.0 or higher.

How do I pin Android apps into Windows?

You can pin your Android apps to the Windows Start menu, taskbar, or add it to Your Phone app favorites.

To pin an app on your PC:

Open the Your Phone app

Right click on the app icon you want to pin or add to your favorites

How do I remove pinned Android apps from my Windows taskbar or Start menu?

If you’ve pinned an app to your taskbar, just right-click the app icon and select Unpin from taskbar.

If you’ve added an app to your Windows start menu, you’ll need to uninstall the app from your apps list. Go to Windows Settings > Apps & features, search for your app in the list. Select it, then select Uninstall.

Are the apps from my Android device now installed on my PC?

No, apps you open will be running from your Android device. The Your Phone app is mirroring apps from your Android device to your PC, meaning you’ll see the same thing on your PC that’s being displayed on your Android device.

Can I access Android apps without linking my device?

No, you need to connect your Android device to your PC via the Your Phone app in order to use this experience. Learn more about how to set up Apps here.

Can I open multiple apps at the same time?

If you have Android 11 on your Android device and one of these select Samsung devices, yes. For most other Android devices, you can only open one Android app at a time.

7 Best Android Emulators for Windows 10

Run Android apps on your computer with these Android emulators

You can run Android on Windows with an Android emulator. What this does is emulates the mobile operating system, or at least a portion of it, through a software program that’s capable of running Android.

Everything is contained within the emulation software. This means you can do things not normally possible on your computer, like install Android apps on Windows and test drive various versions of the OS without needing a phone or tablet.

An Android emulator can be helpful if your favorite app only runs on your phone but you’d like to use it from your computer, too, or on a bigger screen. If you’re new to Android and want to test out the newest version before buying an Android phone, some emulators can do that for you.

BlueStacks

Includes a built-in app store

Installing and opening apps is really easy

Emulates Android 7.1.2 Nougat

Lets you install other APK files that aren’t in the store

Advanced settings like RAM and CPU allocation can be adjusted in the settings

You can earn BlueStacks Points to trade in for things like gift cards or a premium subscription

Android version isn’t current

Unlike a whole-OS emulator, BlueStacks emulates just Android apps on Windows. It’s really easy to use, so you don’t need to know anything about emulators or even Android to get your apps up and running.

Google Play is built in, so to emulate Android apps on your computer, just install them and open the shortcuts like you would on a mobile device.

If you’re looking for an emulator that lets you quickly install an Android app on your PC, you can’t go wrong with this one. Check out the apps you can download here.

It’s free but you can upgrade to BlueStacks Premium for no ads, daily wallpapers, app recommendations, premium support, and more.

Windows 7 and newer and macOS Sierra and newer are supported.

Supports both landscape and portrait mode

Lets you spoof your GPS location

Can remap keyboard keys

Supports full screen mode

Emulates Android 7.1 (most use older versions)

Huge setup file, over 850 MB

Can’t install apps by their APK file

The Andy emulator for Windows puts Android Nougat on your computer. You can run games and other apps by installing them through the Google Play Store.

Since this is a full Android emulator, you can also reposition the apps on the home screen and install widgets just like you can on a real Android device.

Andy works on not only Windows 10 but also Windows 8 and Windows 7, plus Ubuntu 14.04+ and Mac OS X 10.8+.

Remix OS Player

Installing and using apps is really simple

You can run multiple apps at once

Lots of settings can be manually set, like the GPS location and the phone coverage and battery levels

The orientation of the emulator can be rotated

Setup file is over 700 MB

Unable to install APK files

Last update was in 2016

Remix OS is an operating system based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, so it looks like your normal operating system with a desktop area, start menu, taskbar, and trash bin.

However, instead of installing the whole Remix OS, you can use the Remix OS Player emulator to run Android apps on your computer.

This software is described as a game emulator for your computer because it lets you customize some of the shortcuts normally used for navigating games, but you can use Remix OS Player for other apps, too, like Snapchat, Facebook, etc.; everything is available through the Play Store.

NoxPlayer

A great emulator for gamers

Emulates the entire OS

Nearly everything is accessible with a keyboard shortcut

Lots of customizable options, like one to root Android in one click

Google Play is built-in but you can open APK files, too

Android 5 is outdated

Tries to install another program during setup

Based on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, NoxPlayer is a free Android emulator that’s made with gaming in mind. Google Play is built in for easy access to games and other apps, and you get the whole Android experience, including the home screen, folders, the notification center, etc.

Nearly every option in this emulator makes playing games easier. For example, you can record macros, define keys for things like multiple strikes and weapon fires, adjust FPS settings, record the screen, and take screenshots, among other things.

Install it on Windows 10 down through XP. There’s also a Mac version of NoxPlayer.

Android Studio

Emulates the entire Android OS, not just one app

Always supports the newest Android operating system

You can emulate old Android OSs, too

Lets you build Android apps

No built-in app store

Setup can get confusing

Android Studio might be what you’d call the “official” Android emulator since it’s from Google. However, the core of the program is meant for app development and testing, there just happens to be an emulator built-in as well.

This program doesn’t have an easy-to-use interface like the other emulators in this list, so it isn’t the greatest if you just want to run some Android apps on your computer. However, if you plan to create your own apps and you want an easy way to test them throughout the creation process, then this might be all you need.

The Android Studio emulator works on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.

Genymotion

Supports lots of Android versions

Easier to use than Android Studio

Emulates the whole Android device

Lets you adjust processor and memory settings

The Play Store isn’t included

Another free Android emulator for Windows is Genymotion. It’s a lot like Android Studio’s emulator in that it emulates the entire OS, except that this one doesn’t install all the other developer tools.

This free Android emulator can run modern versions of Android, not just old ones like some of these emulators. The way it works is you install virtual devices by selecting the Android version you want and the device model that should run that version of Android.

For example, you might select Android 10 and Google Pixel 3 to emulate that phone and OS on your computer. Or, maybe you want Motorola Xoom to run Android 4.3. You can also make a custom phone or tablet by specifying the screen resolution.

You can use Genymotion for free only if it’s for personal use. To get started, make a user account, activate it through the link they send to your email, and then download the personal edition.

Otherwise, this Android emulator is available in three paid editions.

Genymotion runs on Windows 10 and 8, macOS 10.13 or above, and Ubuntu.

4 Free Ways to Run Android Apps on Your PC

Want to use Android apps on a PC? There are plenty of good, free ways to emulate Android right on your computer, including the Your Phone app, BlueStacks, Genymotion, and Android-x86. Let’s take a look.

Ever wish you could run an Android app or game on your PC so you weren’t relegated to a tiny phone screen? Or maybe you need to test a feature on Android, but don’t have an Android device handy. Here are four free ways to run Android (and its apps) on your computer.

Mirror Your Phone With Windows

For apps installed on your phone, you don’t need anything fancy to get Android on your PC. The Windows Your Phone app provides the ability to mirror the screen of many Samsung phones to your PC, with access to most of your apps through a simple desktop window. Just follow our instructions on connecting your phone to Windows, then choose the Phone Screen option in the sidebar to mirror your device.

Microsoft is working on expanding this feature even further, with the ability to pin Android apps on your taskbar and launch them individually, as long as your phone and computer are connected. At the time of writing, this feature is available in Windows 10’s Insider Previews and is slowly rolling out to the general public.

This isn’t always the ideal solution. If you’re looking to play games, this may come with some delay and graphical blurriness, and you won’t be able to easily share files from your PC directly to an app in Android. But for quick access to Android apps you already have installed, it definitely works in a pinch.

Run Your Favorite Apps With BlueStacks

If you’re just looking to run a couple apps and don’t need the emulator to look like Android, you should try BlueStacks. Over the years, it’s become the best Android app emulator around, and it’s packed with features that ensure your apps and games run smoothly. Since it uses virtualization to emulate Android, you’ll want to jump into your computer’s BIOS and enable Intel VT-x or AMD-V, if your computer supports it, for best performance.

Download and install BlueStacks as you would any other Windows or Mac application. It’ll take up about 2GB of space on your computer (plus any apps you download), and when it launches, you’ll be greeted with its customized home screen. It doesn’t mimic a traditional Android launcher, but you do get access to the Play Store to download any apps you want—they’ll appear on BlueStacks’ home screen and on your Windows desktop as their own shortcuts. Just double-click an icon to run the app in question.

BlueStacks is great for apps that don’t have corresponding desktop apps, but the emulator really shines when it comes to games. BlueStacks comes with built-in mappings for your mouse and keyboard, which you can customize to the touch controls you find on different Android games.

You can also adjust the resolution, DPI, FPS, and amount of CPU or RAM allocated to the emulator, ensuring you get the best balance between speed and graphical fidelity. (This is particularly useful given that BlueStacks is fairly resource-intensive, as many virtual machines are.)

BlueStacks does, unfortunately, come with some ads and clutter, but it’s not as intrusive as it once was, and it’s a small price to pay for the functionality you get—especially considering it uses Android 7.1 as its base, which is higher than most alternatives on the market.

Emulate Full Android Experience With Genymotion

If you’re looking to explore the Android operating system itself—rather than individual apps—Genymotion is a decent emulator. Its main product is designed for developers and costs money to use, but there is a free version of the software you can download for personal use; you just need to create an account on the website first.

Genymotion uses VirtualBox to emulate Android, so you’ll either need to have VirtualBox installed on your PC or download the version with VirtualBox bundled. Install it like you would any other Windows program, ensuring you select the version for «Personal Use» during the wizard. (And like BlueStacks, you’ll want to enable Intel VT-x or AMD-V from your computer’s BIOS if you have it.)

When you start Genymotion, it’ll present you with a list of device templates you can install—this determines the screen resolution, Android version, and resources allotted to the emulator. Install the template you want and double-click it to enter Android. You’ll be able to navigate around the home screen, launch apps, and emulate certain events like GPS location.

Note that you’ll start with a very barebones version of Android that doesn’t even come with many of Google’s apps or modern features, though you can add the Play Store by clicking the «Open Gapps» icon in the sidebar to install it. Also, no matter which template you choose, you won’t get any custom versions of Android—picking the Samsung Galaxy S10 template, for example, won’t get you Samsung’s One UI. It just determines the resolution and specs of the virtual machine. (Genymotion does support Android versions from 4.4 all the way up to 10.0, though.)

Genymotion works well for exploring Android’s settings and other built-in features, though I wouldn’t necessarily use it to run individual apps, as it just doesn’t integrate as well with your PC as something like BlueStacks. If Genymotion doesn’t suit your needs, Google’s official Android software development kit also comes with an Android emulator, though setup is a bit more complex, so I wouldn’t recommend it for most users.

Run Android Directly on Your PC With Android-x86

If you’re looking for something a bit more full-featured, the Android-x86 project gets you as close as you can get to true Android on your PC. Android-x86 is an open-source project that ports Android to the x86 platform, allowing you to run it on your computer instead of an ARM-based phone or tablet.

To run Android-x86, you have a couple of options. If you want to run Android on its own, as a desktop operating system for your PC, you can download it as an ISO disc image and burn it to a USB drive with a program like Rufus. Then, insert that USB drive into the PC in question, reboot, and enter the boot menu (usually by pressing a key like F12 during the boot process).

By booting from your Android-x86 USB drive, you’ll either be able to run Android in a live environment—without having any effect on your PC—or install it to your PC’s hard drive for permanent usage (and better performance).

Alternatively, if you want to run Android-x86 on top of your existing operating system, you can download the disc image and run it inside VirtualBox. This is, again, a bit more advanced if you aren’t familiar with VirtualBox, but our guide to running Windows on a Mac can get you acquainted with the process.

The official site has some tips for getting Android-x86 up and running in a virtual machine as well. It’s more work than using something like BlueStacks, but it’s also closer to pure Android, which is a nice perk.