How to use Android apps on Windows 11 without the Play Store

If you’ve upgraded to Windows 11, you may have heard about native Android emulation, which will let you run Android apps on Windows 11 without needing to install a third-party app. Unfortunately, this feature is no longer available, but there are workarounds. Here’s a quick guide on how to use Android apps on Windows 11 even without the Google Play Store.

Early Android app support on Windows 11

When Windows 11 arrived, Microsoft was quick to talk up its Windows Subsystem for Android. Also known as WSA, this framework allowed users to run and install Android apps on their Windows machines natively. Although these apps weren’t available through the Google Play Store directly, users could grab apps from the Amazon App Store instead.

However, as of March 5, 2025, this feature is no longer available on Windows, leaving users who relied on this framework high and dry.

Now, if you want to run your favorite Android apps on your Windows device, you’ll need to use one of the two workarounds detailed below.

Solution #1: Microsoft Phone Link and Link to Windows

Phone Link is a Microsoft service that allows users to wirelessly mirror their Android smartphones, including their screens, apps, and other functionality, to their Windows PC. This then allows users to interact with their Android devices using a mouse and keyboard.

I use Phone Link every day as a productivity pivot to access apps on my phone, and it’s arguably the best way for most users to access Android apps on Windows. Users can open individual apps in dedicated app windows, jump between them on the taskbar as one would with native Windows programs, and access other content stored on the phone. Phone Link allows access to photos, messages, and calls through the connected Windows PC.

Phone Link is already preinstalled on Windows 11, but you may need to download and install the companion Link to Windows Android app on your phone.

Once it’s downloaded, follow the prompts to connect your phone to your desktop. Importantly, as this is a Microsoft-facilitated feature, you will need a Microsoft account to use it.

Solution #2: An Android emulator

If you’d rather have access to Android apps that are directly installed on your PC, consider using an Android emulator.

Despite its marketing slanted towards mobile gaming, Bluestacks is perhaps the best option in this category. It has a broad user base, packs plenty of features, and is freely available.

Seting up Bluestacks on PC is an easy process, too:

• Visit to the Bluestacks download webpage and download the version of your choice. We recommend Bluestacks 5, but Bluestacks X might be a better option if you’re using a low-powered device.
• Once it’s downloaded, install the program and open it once installation is complete.
• When Bluestacks loads, your first step should be opening the Google Play Store. Here, sign in with your Google account.
• After completing the step above, you can install the apps you need.

Notably, Bluestacks isn’t a completely seamless solution and demands a little more active research and experimentation than Phone Link. While Phone Link is merely mirroring your phone to your PC, Bluestacks is effectively a virtual Android device of its own running on your PC.

Additionally, the current latest version of Android available on Bluestacks in 13. This might be a hindrance for apps that require the latest Android kit. Nevertheless, Bluestacks does offer several advantages, including the option to install multiple Android virtual machines running numerous versions of the OS.

While WSA is no longer functional on Windows 11, these two solutions should cover any basic Android app on Windows 11 requirements.