Application for arch files. What is the APK file extension? How to open ".apk" on a computer

Most applications can always be downloaded from official store Google play however, not all existing programs are presented there, and some of the applications simply have a high price. They can also be downloaded for free on the Internet. When you find what you want, you will notice that this is a so-called apk file. A logical question appears, how to open and install it. This can be done using standard settings and third-party software.

A bit of theory and the essence of the problem

Before talking about the methods, let's find out what this very apk file is. This is the format of the installation package for operating system on Android. Extension is an abbreviation for the English Android Package. Actually this file- most regular archive which contains a variety of pictures, program code and other components that are essential for the correct operation of the program. If you want to see what is inside, just use the most common file manager, for example, Total Comander.

However, many baud users use the word “open” to mean “install” an application. Here everything is already a little more complicated, since you should use the installer so that all the contents are correctly unpacked. When downloading from the Play Store, this is done automatically. But if you manually downloaded the apk file, then you need to open it in a different way.

Use of regular funds

Android OS (as opposed to iOS) is an open OS. This means that every user can supply a third-party software without any restrictions. The system provides for this standard means allowing the installation of apk files.

Let's find out how to install apk file on Android. There are a few simple steps to follow:

1. Go to the "Settings" section of your gadget.
2. Find the item "Security".
3. In the menu, find the item " unknown sources”And then check the box next to it. This will allow third party applications to be installed.
4. Drop the apk file onto your phone (you can stick out the memory card, write to it and insert it back).
5. Go to the standard explorer, while finding the installation package.
6. Click on it and confirm the installation.

After these steps, the smartphone will install the program for several tens of seconds. In the list of applications, you can find the one you are looking for, and then launch it.

If the procedure seems extremely difficult to you, but you have any difficulties, try using file manager... V Play store Market has a huge selection of such managers. We recommend using ASTRO File Manager or one of the most popular - ES File Explorer.

They have a nice interface, and also allow you to quickly and easily open the necessary apk-file. The instruction practically does not differ from the one described above:

1. Download setup file to SD card.
2. Start the file manager, and then find the file on the map.
3. Click on it to start the installation.

Application managers are an alternative. They are more "sharpened" for working with programs, so they are ideal for opening apk. You can use the SlideME Mobentoo App Installer. It is worth choosing it for one simple reason - it automatically scans your memory card and then finds available installers. You don't have to search for them for a long time. It is enough to select the desired apk and click on it.

In fact, open the apk format on the computer impossible... It is not designed to run on a PC. This is the extension of the installation file of games or applications for the system. Android... However, you can use some emulator applications that allow working with apk not personal computer.

The Android operating system is largely is different from Windows, so when emulators run, they consume a huge amount resources... So on weak computers it will not work to start the apk.

How and how to open the apk extension on a computer

One of the well-known programs for opening this format is Nox app Player... Player completely free, you can download it from the official website. There shouldn't be any problems with the installation - everything is very simple. Launch installer and follow further instructions.

When the installation is complete, you will have to wait for a while until the Android OS starts up. It can take from a few seconds to several minutes, depending on power PC. After that, the desktop will appear.

The player allows you to set many parameters, including ROOTrights, for which you need to go to settings(gear icon in the upper right corner)

We translate the corresponding switch to positionON.

To run the apk file, you need on the right side of the screen click on the download icon.

The program will kindly inform you that you can use the usual one to run apk. dragging... Unfortunately, this function is unstable, so we agree with the notification and continue.

Now left select required file in standard Windows Explorer.

Then the standard installation apk for Androyd. When the process is complete, an application shortcut will appear on the desktop. Costs notice that applications are not always launched the first time. Sometimes you have to launch them again.

To take advantage of specialized android functions, just pay attention to the panel on the right.

How to open apk file for android

As mentioned above, the apk format is specially developed only for Androyd, so there should be no problems with launching applications. Exists there are two ways to install files of this format:

1. Installation with PlayMarket
2. Installation manually.

First the option is quite simple - we open the market and are looking for required application. Then we launch it installation.

In the second case, the file must be throw off on the phone. It doesn't matter how you do it - you can take advantage of Bluetooth, connect the device to a PC as a USB flash drive, or use any other way. After that, it remains find file through the dispatcher and run it.

From the above, we can conclude that the topic of today's publication will sound like this: how install apk file on Android. Many people do not know how to do this, although in reality everything is very simple.

That is, we still don't really know how what happened there: we just connected our mobile device to the Internet, went to the store, chose what we needed and pressed the "Install" button. This is all done.

But now we will act in a completely different way, because we already have a pre-downloaded installation file in the "apk" format and itself Play Market in this case, we don't need it at all:

So, so that you better understand, a file with such an extension is the installer of programs for Android systems... For example, if you installed programs on Windows yourself, you know that such files have the "exe" extension there.

From the above, the question follows: how to install the "apk" file, if not through the store? But how, read from this moment very carefully. Further we will consider everything using the example of the same Navitel Navigator.

Although there is no difference here. For absolutely all applications, this procedure is exactly the same. All clarity in the article will be shown on the version of the Android 4.1.2 operating system.

And first, we definitely need to make one very tricky setting. Right now, select the "Settings" section:

And in the "Security" tab, check the box next to "Unknown sources". The screenshot below will help you:

Now we need to download the installation file itself with the "apk" extension. In our case, we find it on the official website of the program in the "Download" section:

Pay attention to the picture above. Quite often, when installing in this way, you will be prompted to select the screen resolution of your device. But if you don't know anything about this, choose the version that is suitable for any display resolution.

After the apk file is downloaded to the computer, it will need to be copied to the memory card of your smartphone or tablet. To do this, we connect to the PC using a cable:

As a result of this, on your mobile device a message appears stating that the connection has been established. Now click the "Enable USB storage" button at the bottom of the screen:

After that, the Android device will be detected on the computer as a regular flash drive, to which you need to copy the installation file:

Then go back to the settings menu by clicking on the icon in the upper right corner:

And in the "Applications" window that opens, select "File Manager":

At this stage, a list of folders will open in front of you, among which there is ours named "Download":

And now, finally, we see our apk file that needs to be installed on the Android system:

We click on it with a finger and the process went:

Now we are waiting for the end of copying files and you can run:

In principle, this is where all our science ends. We return to the "Applications" section and see the icon of the newly installed Navitel:

By the way, now in order to save space on the device's flash drive, you can delete the installation apk-file of the application itself. To do this, go back to the "Download" folder and do the simple combinations shown in the figure below:

That's all the wisdom, my dear friends, now we can say with confidence that you know exactly how to install it correctly. Agree that really there is nothing complicated here.

And now a few words about the program itself, by the example of which we examined the principle of installing applications in this way. If you are a motorist, you should appreciate the capabilities of Navitel Navigator.

Moreover, now you can easily install it on your mobile device and carry a full-fledged navigation system in your pants pocket. You just have to download the necessary maps from the official website (link at the beginning of the article) and drop them into the appropriate folders:

By the way, it should be said that the folder structure of Navitel on Android is completely identical. So study and use on health, so as not to get lost. 😉

And on this note, allow me to take my leave, if you have any questions, you are welcome in the comments to the article. And now the time has come for complete relaxation and the author slowly but surely plunges into a trance.

APK files are something like archives that contain data about applications for the Android operating system. They are mainly used to install other applications on a phone running this OS. Sometimes it becomes necessary to open data files from a smartphone running Android OS on a personal computer. Within the framework of this article, we will consider four ways by which an ordinary user can easily solve the indicated problem.

Features of opening APK files on a computer

Files with the APK extension are archives that store basic information about the program / application for the Android operating system. However, if you open them as a regular archive, there is a risk of damaging the contents of the APK file, which in the future will make it impossible to open it.

Most Android apps are originally developed and compiled on computers running Windows control or other operating systems. But here it is worth considering the nuance that in most cases such software, which was used for compilation, is not able to correctly perform the reverse process. However, there are exceptions in the form of APK files, which have a clear structure.

Therefore, most often to open and edit APK files on Windows computer not archivers are used, but special emulators of the Android environment. True, when installing and interacting with such, many features must be taken into account. The functionality provided by the emulators is for the most part similar to each other, the differences may depend on the characteristics and performance of your computer.

Option 1: Archivers

Any archiver will perfectly cope with opening a file and viewing data with the APK extension: WINRAR, Winzip, 7-Zip and others. It all depends on the preferences of the user, their functionality is almost the same. Before using the archiver to open an APK file on Windows, you should take into account some risk of damaging certain elements of the archive, which will lead to the impossibility of its correct launch on Android in the future.

Instructions for using archivers to open APK files are as follows:

This method is more suitable for those cases when you only need to view the contents of the APK file. If you want to run it or edit anything in it, you will need to use special Android emulators.

Option 2: BlueStack

There is BlueStack, a program for running Android applications on Windows operating systems. This emulator is considered one of the best for the operating room. Windows systems as well as the most popular. The program is provided to users free of charge, however, in this case you have to put up with some restrictions in the form of advertising banners, although they do not really interfere with work.

The main feature of BlueStack is its full emulation of Android functionality, including the ability to download applications from the Play Market. In such cases, there is no need to install applications on the emulator via the APK file, but here they can be opened and even installed.

Let's move on to opening the APK file using this emulator:

The method described above is not the only one, there is an alternative one, we will consider it in general terms:

Option 3: Nox Player

Nox Player is another emulator program. Distinctive features program can be called its undemandingness to computer resources.
Consider launching an APK file with Nox Player:

Option 4: ARC Welder

Not quite an emulator in the usual sense of the word, this is an add-on for Google browser with which you can also open Android files... To use it, you have to install it. Let's consider the whole process in more detail:

1. Installing the app is simple: via google interface install this extension, open the application page in Google using this link.
2. Click on the "Install" button.




3. Another window will appear where you will need to use the "Install Application" button.




4. Now you need to go to the list of applications installed in Google chrome... Take advantage of address bar... Write the value there: chrome: // apps /




5. In the list of applications, find and launch the one you recently installed.




6. This application saves temporary files on the hard disk of the computer. To select the folder where they will be saved, use the "Choose" button.



7. We choose desired folder where temporary files will be saved.



8. Then you need to use the "Add your APK" button to initiate the download of the file from your computer to the browser.



9. In Windows Explorer, select this file and click on the Open button.




10. A window will appear where you need to set certain settings. You can expose them in the same way as in the screenshot. If you deem necessary, you can mark the settings to suit your needs. Click "Test" to continue.



11. The application will launch.

From the above, it can be seen that running the APK file in the Windows environment will not be difficult, even for an ordinary user. When choosing options for launching an APK file on a computer, you need to build on your ultimate goals first.

The most common problem that causes users to be unable to open this file is an incorrectly assigned program. To fix this on Windows you need to click right click on file, in context menu hover the mouse over the "Open with" item, and select the "Select program ..." item from the drop-down menu. As a result, you will see a list installed programs on your computer and you can choose the right one. We also recommend checking the box next to "Use this app for all APK files".

Another problem that our users also encounter quite often is that the APK file is corrupted. This situation can arise in many cases. For example: the file was downloaded incompletely as a result server errors, the file was damaged initially, etc. To fix this problem, use one of the recommendations:

• Try to find desired file in another source on the Internet. You may be lucky enough to find a more suitable version. An example of a Google search: "File filetype: APK". Just replace the word "file" with the name you want;
• Ask to send you the original file again, it may have been damaged in transit;