A program for reading apk files for Android. How to open an apk file? How to open an apk file on Android

An apk (Android Package) file is an archived executable application for Android devices. This format was developed by the Open Handset Alliance together with Google.

Any Android application is compiled and packaged into a file that includes the complete program code, assets and resources, as well as a file with the .manifest extension. The application name can be anything, but the extension is only .APK.

Such files are stored in Google Play and can be downloaded from it to a smartphone or tablet for later use. The user can also install a file with the extension .APK in manual mode. They are not encrypted, they belong to the ZIP archiver format group. In fact Android applications Packages are archives intended for execution in a so-called virtual machine.

How to open ".apk" on a computer

To open a file with the .APK extension on personal computer or a laptop running an operating system Windows systems, Linux will need a 7-ZIP, unzip or Winrar archiver. If you have a MacBook and MacOS, you will need a program called “Archive Utility”. How to open an apk file on a computer?

You just need to launch one of the available programs that process archives and use it to unpack the Android application. Before unpacking, experts recommend checking the archive for malware- viruses.

Thus, there is no need to download any rare programs; any user usually has applications for unpacking.

From the above we can conclude that the topic of today’s publication will be as follows: How install apk file on Android. Many people don’t know how to do this, although in fact everything is very simple.

That is, we still don’t really know what happened there: we just connected our mobile device to the Internet, went to the store, selected what we needed and clicked the “Install” button. Everything is ready.

But now we will do it completely differently, because we already have a pre-downloaded installation file in the “apk” format and the Play Market in this case, we don't need at all:

So, so that you understand better, a file with this extension is the program installer for the Android system. For example, if you installed programs on Windows yourself, you know that such files have the extension “exe”.

From all of the above, the question follows: how to install the “apk” file, if not through the store? But how, from now on, read 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 the clarity in the article will be shown on the version of the Android operating system 4.1.2.

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 extension "apk". In our case, we find it on the program’s official website in the “Download” section:

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

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

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

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

Then go to the settings menu again by clicking on the icon in the top right corner:

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

At this stage, you will see a list of folders, among which there is ours named “Download”:

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

Click on it with your finger and the process begins:

Now we wait for the files to be copied and we 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, return to the “Download” folder and perform 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 there is really nothing complicated here.

And now a few words about the program itself, using the example of which we looked at 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 wear a full-fledged navigation system in your trouser pocket. All you have to do is download from the official website (link at the beginning of the article) necessary cards and put them in the appropriate folders:

By the way, it’s worth saying that the Navitel folder structure on Android is completely identical. So study and use it to your health, so as not to get lost. 😉

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

If for some reason you want to install a program not from the Play Store, you will probably be faced with the issue of opening the application distribution package, which is located in the APK file. Or perhaps you need to open such a distribution to view the files (for example, for subsequent modification). We'll tell you how to do both.

The APK (short for Android Package) format is the main format for distributing application installers, so by default, when you run such files, the installation of the program begins. Opening such a file for viewing is somewhat more difficult, but still doable. Below we will describe methods that will allow you to both open APKs and install them.

Method 1: MiXplorer

MiXplorer has a built-in tool to open and view the contents of an APK file.

The trick to this method lies in the very nature of the APK: despite the format, it is a modified version of the GZ/TAR.GZ archive, which, in turn, is a modified version of compressed ZIP folders.

If you want to install the application from the installer rather than view it, do the following.

Many other file managers have similar tools (for example, Root Explorer). The algorithm of actions for another explorer application is almost identical.

Method 2: Total Commander

The second option for viewing an APK file as an archive is Total Commander, one of the most sophisticated explorer applications for Android.

To install an APK file using Total Commander, do the following.

Activate "Unknown sources", as described in Method 1.
Repeat steps 1-2, but instead "Open as ZIP" choose an option "Install".

Method 3: My APK

You can speed up the process of installing applications from an APK distribution by using an application such as My APK. This is an advanced manager for working with both installed programs, and with their installers.

APK files are a type of archive containing data about applications for the Android operating system. They are mainly used to install other applications on a phone running this OS. Sometimes there is a need to open data files from a smartphone running Android OS on a personal computer. In this article, we will consider four ways in which the average user can easily solve the identified problem.

Features of opening APK files on a computer

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

Most Android applications are initially 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 that was used for compilation is not able to correctly perform the reverse process. True, 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 It is not archivers that are used, but special emulators of the Android environment. True, when installing and interacting with them, many features must be taken into account. The functionality provided by emulators is for the most part similar to each other; differences may vary depending on the characteristics and performance of your computer.

Option 1: Archivers

Any archiver will do an excellent job of opening a file and viewing data with an APK extension: WINRAR, Winzip, 7-Zip and others. It all depends on the user’s preferences; their functionality is almost the same. Before using an archiver to open an APK file on Windows, you should take into account some risk of damaging certain elements of the archive, which will make it impossible to launch it correctly on Android in the future.

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

This method is more suitable for cases when you only need to view the contents of the APK file. If you need 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 Windows operating system, 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, such as advertising banners, although they do not interfere with work very much.

The main feature of BlueStack is its complete 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 an 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, let’s consider it in general terms:

Option 3: Nox Player

Nox Player is another emulator program. Distinctive Features The program can be called its low demands on computer resources.
Let's consider launching an APK file using Nox Player:

Option 4: ARC Welder

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

Installing the application is simple: install through the Google interface this extension, open the applications page in Google using this link.
Click on the “Install” button.

Another window will appear where you will need to use the “Install application” button.

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

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

This application saves temporary files on the computer's hard drive. To select the folder where they will be saved, use the “Choose” button.

Choose the desired folder, where temporary files will be saved.

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

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

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

The application will launch.

From the above it is clear that launching an APK file in the Windows OS environment is not difficult even for an ordinary user. When choosing options for running an APK file on your computer, you need to first consider your end goals.

if you have Android device, then you have heard about APK files and wondered what they are. If you plan to understand in detail how your smartphone works and install applications not only from the Google Play Store, then you need to know about APK files. Today we will figure out what an APK file is, how to download and install it on an Android device.

What is an APK file?

Most likely, you know that Windows computers use EXE format programs. Similarly, Android uses APK files. APK is the file format used for installation software on operating system Android.

Why do I need to install an APK file?

Android apps are not limited to the Google Play Store. Third-party developers release their own apps in APK files that offer exciting features. Additionally, some apps on the Google Play Store cannot be installed in your country. However, you can download the APK file and install the desired application bypassing the Google Play Store.

If your Android device does not have access to the Google Play Store, APK files are the only option for installing applications.

However, you should be careful because third-party APK files can be malicious. Some APK files allow you to download pirated applications. Of course, such APK files should be avoided.

How to install an APK file from a computer

There are a lot of different APK files on the Internet, but, as we said earlier, some of them can be viral. Thus, it is worth choosing reliable sites that you will trust. One such site is APK Mirror. This is an English-language site that provides secure APK files of popular applications, as well as user reviews and comments. Among Russian sites, it is worth noting w3bsit3-dns.com.

Once you have found a reliable site, you can download the APK file of the application you need. Before installing an APK file on an Android device, you need to make sure that installation is allowed third party applications. Go to Menu > Settings > Security > and check the Unknown sources box. This way, you can install any APK file, not just apps from the Google Play Store.

After you have downloaded the APK file to your computer, connect your smartphone to your PC via a USB cable. When you first connect, the default option is USB charging, but you need to select File transfer. After this, you will see your smartphone folder in the root directory of your computer. Go to My Computer - Folder with the name of your smartphone and copy the APK file to any folder on your Android smartphone. The main thing is to remember where you copy the APK file.

Now you can use any file manager on your Android device, for example ES File Explorer, find the folder where you copied the APK file and then click on Install. Congratulations! You have successfully installed the APK file on your Android device.

How to install an APK file from an Android device

You don't need to have a computer to install an APK file on your Android device. You can go to any browser from your smartphone or tablet, find the APK file and download it. As soon as the APK file is downloaded, a corresponding message will appear in the notification panel. Open your Downloads folder and click on the APK file. The application will be installed on your Android device.