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With the Phone Link , 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.
Note: The Phone Link doesn't currently support multiple Android profiles or work/school accounts.
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.
Note: For the best experience, we recommend making sure your Android device and your PC are on the same Wi-Fi network and band. Some Wi-Fi networks offer different connection bands, like a 5GHz or 2.4GHz band. Make sure both your devices are connected to the same frequency. Learn more
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.
To access Recent Apps from your PC, do the following:
In the bottom right corner of the Windows taskbar, click the ^ button.
Click the Phone Link icon.
In the flyout menu that appears, do either of the following:
Click the app you want to open.
Right-click the app you want to use, and then select Open.
To access Recent Apps from the Phone Link, do the following:
On your device, open the Phone Link .
Go to Apps.
At the top of Apps page, look for the Recently used section that's showing up to three of your most recently used apps.
Click an app to open it, or right-click an app and then select Open.
Do the following:
In the Phone Link , go to Settings > Features.
Under the Apps section, turn off Show recently used apps in Windows notification area.
There is currently a known issue with Recent Apps that prevents the opening of mobile Microsoft Office apps. We will update this article as soon as this issue has been resolved.
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'll need Link to Windows (pre-installed) version 2.1.05.6 or later, or Link to Windows (pre-installed) version 1.20104.15.0 or later.
Phone Link version 1.20104.20.0 or later.
You can pin your Android apps to the Windows Start menu, taskbar, or add it to your Phone Link favorites.
To pin an app on your PC:
Open the Phone Link .
Go to Apps.
Right click on the app icon you want to pin or add to your favorites.
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 Settings > Apps & features, search for your app in the list. Select it, then select Uninstall.
No, apps you open will be running from your Android device. The Phone Link 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.
No, you'll need to connect your Android device to your PC via the Phone Link in order to use this experience. Learn more
Yes, if you have Android 11 and one of these select Samsung or HONOR devices. For most other Android devices, you can only open one Android app at a time.
Now you can stream your audio from your Android device while you are engaging with Apps or Phone screen features. To use audio streaming on your PC:
Make sure you have a Samsung device and update OS to OneUI 5.0 or higher.
App versions requirements:
Phone Link is updated to 1.22092.214.0 or higher.
Link to Windows is updated to 1.22102.149.0 or higher.
Note: Honor and Surface Duo are currently not supported for this feature.
You don’t need to set up this feature. When you open apps or phone screen, you will be requested audio permissions in order to hear the audio on PC. Go to your mobile phone to grant the permissions from both Link to Windowsapp and Link to Windows Service app. Then you are all set and able to hear audio from PC.
You can change whether the audio comes from PC or phone in Phone Link settings.
Open Phone Link on your PC:
Go to Settings > Features.
Scroll down to Apps and select Computer or Phone under the drop-down menu of Listen to audio from.
Yes, you can. If you connect an external audio device to PC, you will hear the audio from your external device.
Follow instruction here: Fix sound or audio problems in Windows (Add the link to this new content after publishing to https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/setting-up-and-using-phone-screen-in-the-phone-link-app-ea853ebc-0856-2f6e-af34-703fe449416b
You can find details on Setting up and using phone screen in the Phone Link.
Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world, but you can also install it on your PC or macOS computer. There are many ways to get the Android OS running on a PC, including emulators, bootable USB versions, and even full standalone applications like BlueStacks. Each has its advantages and disadvantages depending on your needs.
If you’re looking to install Android on your laptop or desktop, we have your back! Here’s a full breakdown of the best options available.
Microsoft
If you’re running Windows 11, you can simply install the official Windows Subsystem for Android. It’s not quite the same as having full-fledged Android running on your PC, but it comes very close! You get access to the Files app, and more importantly, you can install and run Android apps.
This feature is now available in all stable versions of Windows 11. The subsystem allows you to install apps through the Amazon App Store, but for now, has a limited selection. However, you can also install the Play Store on Windows 11 if you’re willing to do it manually.
If you’re looking to install a full Android experience, complete with a home screen and launcher, on your PC, you’ll need an emulator. BlueStacks is one of the longest-enduring methods to install Android on PC, founded in 2011 and still going strong.
BlueStacks has impressive performance, though it’s got more to it than just an Android Virtual Device. Additional features include a simplified UI, optimizations dedicated to gaming, key-mapping, multi-instance support to run multiple apps, and even support for multiple Google Accounts at once.
BlueStacks is one of the most popular Android emulators for PC.
The user interface on Windows offers quick app switching in a tab format on the top of the window. However, those hoping to install their own launchers will be disappointed. The option was removed with the release of BlueStacks 4. On the plus side, BlueStacks also integrates with Windows to transfer files like APKs and there is even universal copy and paste.
BlueStacks remains a virtual machine at its core. So you don’t quite get native system performance, but this keeps the application simple to install and run. The latest version, Bluestacks 5 has many performance enhancements to run on both high-end and low-end PCs. The only downside is that you’ll have to tolerate sponsored app suggestions.
Even so, BlueStacks remains one of the best methods of running Android on PC and macOS computers out there.
If you’re after a simple way to run Android games on a Windows PC, MEmu might be the way to go. The Chinese software is ad-supported, which might be a put-off compared to alternatives. Still, MEmu’s gaming-focused features might be worth it for some.
MEmu supports multiple instances, allowing you to run several apps at once to level up multiple accounts. There’s also support for keyboard and mouse input as well as gamepads so you can play your way. Other functionalities include the ability to sideload apps and window resizing with a minimum sizing that prevents apps from becoming unusable.
In terms of performance, MEmu initially gained popularity as a faster emulator compared to BlueStacks 3. However, the race is much closer these days given BlueStack 5’s performance improvements. The latest MEmu version supports up to Android 12, with compatibility for older versions included too.
There are a number of other game-focused clients that let you install Android on PC, including Gameloop (formerly Tencent Gaming Buddy), NoX, and others. Check out our list of the best Android emulators for more niche options.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
Genymotion is a legacy Android on PC project, offering pure Android emulation with thousands of configuration options available to tailor your experience. The software runs an Android Virtual Device from within VirtualBox, which you’ll also need to install.
One of Genymotion’s biggest draws is the simulation of GPS, camera, SMS & calls, multi-touch, and basically all the other familiar Android hardware features. Other features include ADB access, support for a variety of app testing frameworks, and even cloud access through services like Amazon and Alibaba.
Remember though, Genymotion is primarily targeted at developers looking for an environment in which to test their applications. As such, it’s a professional piece of software with a selection of price plans to match. However, you can download and use the Personal Edition for free.
Next on our list is a free and open-source option: the Android-x86 project.
Based on the Android Open Source Project, Android-x86.org set out to make Android available to anyone with a PC. This makes Android x86 one of the best options if you’re looking to install the latest version of Android on PC and use it as your primary operating system or run it in a VM. The software offers near complete stock Android with no additions whatsoever, which is a mixed bag. The good news is that Google Mobile Services (GMS) is installed by default. The bad news is that using something made for touch on a desktop is not that intuitive.
Unfortunately, installation is also a little more involved than some of the applications listed below. The standard method is to burn an Android-x86 version to a bootable CD or USB stick and install the Android OS directly to your hard drive. Alternatively, you can install Android-x86 to a Virtual Machine, such as VirtualBox. This gives you access from within your regular operating system.
From inside your Virtual Machine, you can install the ISO file and then boot into the operating system. Find an official guide to the installation options for Android-x86 here.
For the most part, Android development requires a tool called Android Studio. This is the software developers use to enter their code, test their apps, and manage their projects. It also happens to include a powerful “Android virtual device manager” (AVD Manager) for setting up and installing emulators that can run full-fat Android extremely well.
Using this Android virtual device has many advantages. If you select x86_64 as the architecture, there is the option to run the Android virtual device using hardware acceleration to speed up the performance. In many cases, this will offer a seamless experience; especially on more powerful hardware.
Another big advantage of the AVD is that it comes with the latest version of Android. In fact, this is how most developers will first try out new updates to Android, to see how they affect their apps. That means you can even try beta versions of Android before they’re released! Another way that the virtual device has evolved since the early days is by including the Google Play Store on some devices. This means you can access all the apps you’ve already purchased!
The AVD does require a little more set-up than some options on this list. You’ll need to download Android Studio first (alongside the SDK) and then you’ll need to create your new virtual device. This process does give you the option to choose the display size, memory, and even Android version. Unfortunately, the combination of Android Studio, the Android SDK (which houses the Android Virtual Device), and the Android platform all take up a lot of hard drive space.
This method will work on OS X, Windows, and Linux without issue. Android Studio, including the AVD Manager, can be found here.
Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, but it really depends on what you want out of having Android on your desktop.
If you’re just looking to run Android apps on your PC, the Windows Subsystem for Android is your best bet. It requires minimal setup and Microsoft officially supports it as part of every Windows 11 installation.
Besides, Bluestacks and other emulators don’t always work as expected. Genymotion uses VirtualBox’s virtualization. And while Android-x86 works great as a proof of concept, it just isn’t that practical to use when comparing it to the other options discussed in this article. However, emulators do offer a litany of gaming-related features that you won’t get via the Windows Subsystem for Android.
We also find installing the AVD Manager to be another decent solution. While it only comes packaged with Android Studio, the performance and flexibility are unmatched. Plus it is genuinely free, officially supported by Google, and constantly up-to-date.
Yes, you can if your PC runs Windows 11. Simply install the Windows Subsystem on Android as outlined in this article. It’s an officially supported feature so you don’t have to worry about malware.
There are a few ways to install Android on a PC ranging from the official Windows Subsystem to dual-booting an Android-based OS. We’ve outlined each method in the above article.
Yes, an older PC can run Android using an emulator or virtual machine.
In most cases, you cannot change from Windows to Android. However, you can emulate Android on top of an existing Windows OS.
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