How to Install Google Play Store in Windows 11 and Run Android Apps (2023)
You might have used BlueStacks in your Windows PC to run Android apps. However, Microsoft is also testing Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) in insider builds and it will be out soon. So, you would be able to run Android apps in Windows 11 natively. But Microsoft is planning to introduce Amazon App Store for Android apps. No matter how good Amazon App Store is, it won’t be as vast as Google Play Store. While it is unofficial, you can still install Google Play Store in Windows 11 and run Android apps using customized WSA.
This has been made possible by software tinkerer ADeltaX and Yujinchang08 (modified the WAS and automated the process). The best part is that it also works on stable builds of Windows 11, so, you won’t need to switch to insider builds. So, if you are willing to get the taste of your favorite Android apps from Google Play Store on your Windows 11 PC, you are at the right place.
SEE ALSO: Try the New Alt+Tab Switcher in Windows 11 (Insider Build 22526 or Newer).
Install Google Play Store using Custom WSA on Windows 11 and Run Android Apps and Games
First things first. You would need to take care of a few things before you proceed. First off, if you have Windows Subsystem for Android already installed on your Windows 11 PC, you need to uninstall it. Besides that, you would also need a Github account. If you don’t have it, you can easily create one on Github.com
You would also need to enable some Optional Windows Features in Windows 11 which has been explained below. So, follow these steps to install Google Play Store in Windows 11 and get it working.
Step 1: Enable Developer Mode on your Windows 11 PC
We would also need to enable Developer Mode on Windows 11 to use customized WSA. So, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > For Developers and turn on the toggle for Developer Mode
SEE ALSO:
1. How to Access Developer Mode and Factory Reset your MacBook?
2. How to Enable Developer Mode on Chromebook?
Step 2: Enable Required Windows Features for WSA
After enabling Developer Mode, we also need to enable a couple of optional Windows Features. For doing that, launch the RUN utility, type optionalfeatures and press Enter to launch the Windows Features window.
After that, enable the checkboxes for Virtual Machine Platform and Windows Hypervisor Platform and click OK. These features are mandatory for installing Google Play Store on Windows 11. You may also need to restart your PC after feature installation.
NOTE: Please note that if you do not enable these features or disable them after installing WSA, you won’t be able to run Android apps on your Windows 11 PC. They will fail to run with error.
SEE ALSO: How to Enable Hyper-V and Create Virtual Machine in Windows 11?
Step 3: Build Customized WSA with GAPPS on Github
Now that we are ready with the basics, it’s time to create a customized version of Windows Subsystem for Android on Github.
So, go to LSPosed/MagiskOnWSA page on Github and sign in to your Github account. After sign-in, click on Fork to fork the selected MagiskOnWSA repository.
Next, go to the Actions tab. Here, you will have to enable workflows in order to build a custom WSA for your Windows 11 PC. We will use this custom WSA to install Google Play Store on Windows 11 PC. So, click the “I understand my workflows, go ahead and enable them” button to continue.
Now, it’s time to run the workflow to create customized WSA for Google Play Store. So, on the Actions tab, select Build WSA from the left and then click Run workflow drop-down.
After that, type pico in the Variant of Gapps box. Finally, click the Run workflow button at the bottom to start the process. Now, wait for the workflow to complete, it may take a few minutes.
Step 4: Download Custom WSA to Install Google Play Store on Windows 11
After the workflow is completed, click on the Build WSA link under completed workflows.
Now, you will see the links for downloading customized WSA files for arm64 and x64 systems. Since we are using an x64 processor, we are going to download the x64 version of WSA. However, make sure to verify your processor version in Settings > System > About before downloading.
INFO: The download size it is showing is around 2.6 GB. However, when you download it, it will only be a 800 MB zip file.
Step 5: Extract and Install Custom WSA on Windows 11
After downloading, you will get a zip file. Right-click on it and select Extract All to extract its content to a new folder.
NOTE: If you already have Windows Subsystem for Android installed, make sure to uninstall it from Settings > Apps > Apps & Features.
After extracting, open the folder and find Install.ps1 file. It is a PowerShell script that automatically installs customized WSA with Google Play Store on your Windows 11 PC.
So, right-click on Install.ps1 file and select Run with PowerShell. You might be prompted for Admin permissions, click Yes when you see UAC prompt.
After that, you may also see a confirmation message in the PowerShell window. Type y or a and press Enter to continue.
Step 6: Launch Google Play Store from Start in Windows 11
After successful installation, Windows Subsystem for Android window will show up. It will automatically close after some time.
Now, go to Start and search for Play Store. Then launch Google Play Store from search results and sign in with your Google account to install and run Android apps on your Windows 11 PC.
SEE ALSO: How to Enable Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL-2) in Windows 11?
Step 7: Install Android Apps on Windows 11 via Google Play Store
Now, after you have successfully signed in to your Google account in Play Store, you can install your favorite Android apps. So, open the Play Store and search for your favorite app. In this tutorial, we are installing the Candy Crush Saga Android game.
While the app is installing, you will see a notification in the bottom-right corner.
Step 8: Run Android Apps Natively on Windows 11
After the Android app is installed successfully, you can launch it from Play Store by clicking the Play button. However, you can also search for it on Start and launch from there.
Now, you can enjoy your favorite Android apps and games in Windows 11 without any Android Emulators.
Install Google Play Store and Enjoy Android Apps on Windows 11
Now, you can install and run your favorite Android apps from Play Store on Windows 11. So, now you no longer need BlueStacks or any other android emulator for using Android apps on PC. Go ahead, install and run Android apps directly on Windows 11 using Google Play Store.
Hope you liked this guide. Do share your Play Store and Android experience on Windows 11 with us in the comment section down below.
