Application for opening arch files. What is an APK on Android, what is it for: how to install, how to open, where it is stored, errors. What is it for?

Not even all owners of devices with the Android operating system know what an APK file is. What can we say about those who have never used phones or tablets with this system. However, even owners of Windows computers can get a lot of useful things out of APK files.

First let's understand what files are.

Android Package is a file extension that is used to distribute programs for any device on which Android is installed. In Windows, to install the program you need to find the .exe file. In Android, you need to find an APK for this. Such files are distributed through sites with software for phones or on special forums.

Android Package is an archive that stores the application itself and all the files necessary for its operation. .

Why are they needed and why can they be useful to owners of simple computers?

Many interesting and unusual applications have already been written for devices with Android OS. Most of them do not have a desktop version. In this case, if you want to play your favorite game on your phone, but you don’t have it at hand, you will need to install the APK file on your computer.

Another situation where you might need to open an APK on your computer is to view its contents. This may be necessary to partially change it. For example, translate it into the desired language.

Important! The files we are interested in do not have any additional encryption. An APK file is nothing more than an archive in which application data is stored.

View content

Now we will learn how to view the contents of a file, look at its structure and, if necessary, make changes to it. So we need:

You can also unpack this archive to your computer and access it at any time.

But most are still interested in how to start using applications on their computer. This will be a little more difficult to do, but still quite simple. Everyone can do this.

The telephone is also small computer. The only difference is the fundamentally different software. Therefore, you will need to install special program – emulator

As the name implies, such a program creates a system running Android on your device. You will be able to download, install any applications on the emulator and use them directly through your computer.

Android emulators are becoming more and more popular and in demand due to the growing number of unique applications. Now several developers can offer a high-quality and stable emulator. Let's look at several emulators and choose the one most suitable for your tasks.

The most famous, widespread and used emulator is Bluestacks.

To begin with, we will open our file on it.

Important! Bluestacks is ideal for opening games, and is most often used for this. The disadvantages of the application include an overly cluttered interface in some places and a large amount of unnecessary information, which will not be useful to everyone.

Nox App Player

But this program is poorly suited for games. They often display graphic elements incorrectly. In this emulator, the developers focused on working with programs. You can get root in a couple of clicks. If you want to open the APK with this application, then you need:

Viewing content on Android

To view the contents of the apk file, not it complete installation, we will be helped by a powerful program Apk editor for Android. So we need:

Installing smartphone apps on your device is not that difficult. Any user can do this.

Video - How to open an apk file on a computer

If you have installed on your computer antivirus program Can scan all files on your computer, as well as each file individually. You can scan any file by right-clicking on the file and selecting the appropriate option to scan the file for viruses.

For example, in this figure it is highlighted file my-file.ark, then you need to right-click on this file and select the option in the file menu "scan with AVG". When you select this option, AVG Antivirus will open and perform a scan this file for the presence of viruses.

Sometimes an error may occur as a result incorrect installation software , which may be due to a problem encountered during the installation process. This may interfere with your operating system link your ARK file to the correct application software , influencing the so-called "file extension associations".

Sometimes simple reinstalling FreeArc may solve your problem by linking ARK to FreeArc correctly. In other cases, problems with file associations may result from bad software programming developer and you may need to contact the developer to obtain additional help.

Advice: Try updating FreeArc to latest version to make sure you have the latest patches and updates installed.

This may seem too obvious, but often The ARK file itself may be causing the problem. If you received the file via an attachment email or downloaded it from a website and the download process was interrupted (for example, a power outage or other reason), the file may become damaged. If possible, try getting a new copy of the ARK file and try opening it again.

Carefully: A damaged file may cause collateral damage to a previous or existing malware on your PC, so it is very important to keep an updated antivirus running on your computer at all times.

If your file is ARK related to the hardware on your computer to open the file you may need update device drivers associated with this equipment.

This problem usually associated with media file types, which depend on successfully opening the hardware inside the computer, e.g. sound card or video cards. For example, if you are trying to open an audio file but cannot open it, you may need to update sound card drivers.

Advice: If when you try to open an ARK file you receive .SYS file error message, the problem could probably be associated with damaged or outdated drivers devices that need to be updated. This process can be made easier by using driver update software such as DriverDoc.

If the steps do not solve the problem and you are still having problems opening ARK files, this may be due to lack of available system resources. Some versions of ARK files may require a significant amount of resources (e.g. memory/RAM, processing power) to properly open on your computer. This problem occurs quite often if you are using a fairly old computer. hardware and at the same time a much newer operating system.

This problem can occur when the computer has difficulty completing a task because the operating system (and other services running in background) can consume too many resources to open ARK file. Try closing all applications on your PC before opening PowerDesk Pro Archive. Freeing up all available resources on your computer will provide the best conditions for attempting to open the ARK file.

If you completed all the steps described above and your ARK file still won't open, you may need to run equipment update. In most cases, even when using older versions of hardware, the processing power may still be more than sufficient for most custom applications(unless you're doing a lot of CPU-intensive work like 3D rendering, financial/scientific modeling, or multimedia-intensive work). Thus, it is likely that your computer does not have enough memory(more commonly called "RAM", or RAM) to perform the file open task.

APK. How to open it?

If you don’t know what kind of format this is - APK and how it can be opened on a computer or phone, then read the text of the article. We will talk in detail about its features, methods for working and modifying its individual elements.

What is an APK?

Read also:[Instructions] How to recover deleted files on Android: Programs for phone and PC

Android Package Kit (APK) - format executable files for the operating system. It is an archive containing the application's source data (program code, compiled resource files, settings, assets, libraries).

Peculiarities:

Cannot be converted to another format.
Archived using JAR-based compression feature.
It is a subset of the ZIP format.
Can be changed from using Google Android SDK, Eclipse with ADT plugin.
Files from the APK archive are not encrypted.

Files with the APK extension are stored in Google Play and other application stores for Android devices. They are unpacked and installed automatically, without the use of additional software. The data is stored in the root folder at /data/app. You can only access them through Explorer.

For development Android applications The APK extension uses Google's Android SDK. It is available for free download from the official website and is Java-based.

How to open on your phone

Read also: RAR for Android: How to use the archiver on mobile

How to open an APK file on your phone

If a mobile application for the Android platform is downloaded from a third-party resource or computer, then it will have an apk extension. Then you can install it on your phone manually.

How to open apk file from phone:

After this, the application will begin unpacking. Review the terms, grant access to features if necessary, and continue with the installation.

APK format

If you can’t copy the APK package via USB, then send it via Bluetooth or e-mail. Or separately connect a mini SD card to your computer using an adapter and transfer the file to it.

Error when opening

Read also: TOP 10 File managers for Android: choosing the best one for yourself | Review of English and Russian versions

How to allow installation from unknown sources

If, after copying the APK file to the device, it cannot be launched, then most likely the ability to install via was disabled by the manufacturer.

Follow these steps to enable it:

Go to the Settings menu and find the Personal Information category here.
Select “Security” and check the box next to it "Unknown sources (allow installation from unknown sources)".
Launch the APK file and continue with the installation.

If an error appears, then in the same menu uncheck the box next to "Check applications". Then Android will not prohibit installations that could harm the device. Use this method only if you are sure that the APK file you are installing is safe.

Other ways

Read also: TOP 15 Best free antiviruses for Android gadgets in 2019

If you want to view the contents of the APK file from your phone, you can use mobile version or special software.

Let's consider the most popular programs, which allow you to edit apk packages:

APK Editor

APK Editor program interface

Works both with packages and those already installed on the device, . Allows you to change individual manifests, edit resources, replace files. It features a convenient graphical interface and Cyrillic support.

DroidEdit Free

DroidEdit Free program interface

Free mobile app for creating and editing individual manifests. You won’t be able to open the APK itself with its help, but you can already change individual elements(after unpacking) - no problem.

SmartAPKTool

SmartAPKTool interface

Allows you to sign files in APK, ZIP formats. Unpack and package APK. Suitable for pre-editing applications. SmartAPKTool may require additional software(ApkTool, virtual machine in Java).

After this, you will be able to change existing lines of code and notifications. In some applications, you can add additional actions or remove existing ones (for example, displaying ads). Please note that after this it will be different from the original one, so you will no longer be able to update it via Google Play.

How to extract APK

Read also: How to remove a virus from Android on your phone: Instructions 2019

APK Extractor Interface

If you need to get the APK of an application already installed on your phone, you can do this using special software. There are several on Play Market free programs, but we will use APK Extractor for this purpose.

The procedure will be as follows:

How to extract apk using APK Extractor

How to open on a computer

Read also:[Instructions] How to transfer an application to the memory card of an Android smartphone: 4 easy ways | 2019

APK files

You can unzip the APK file to view or edit the contents using a regular archiver. However, you will not be able to install or launch the application. For this you need special software.

How to open APK on different operating systems Oh:

Windows - 7-Zip, WinRAR.
Linux - 7-Zip, unzip.
MacOS - Archive Utility.

If, when installing the archiver, extensions were not configured (which will be associated by default), then the program may not recognize the apk file. Then it will be of an “unknown” format.

To open, click on it with the mouse and select the desired software from the list of suggested programs. After this, you will have access to all the original application data.

Emulators for running APK files on PC

Read also: Installing Android on PC: TOP 10 Emulators on Windows

If you want to install it on your computer, the file will have an APK extension. To install it, you will need a special emulator. They are available for free download.

BlueStacks interface

It has good performance in games and allows you to run resource-intensive applications. The main feature is the Bluestacks TV feature. Needed for online broadcasts on .

Using an emulator you can run mobile applications You can use apk packages or install them from the Play Market directly. To use Google services You will need to log in using your account.

To launch the apk packages themselves, it is not necessary to connect an account. But if a game or program requires binding to social network or other services, you will need to log in or go through a simple registration.

Surely each of you has already encountered APK files. True, these files are used on mobile devices ah Android. But for users personal computers Windows operating systems, you will have to try hard to figure out how to open an APK file on your computer.

The system does not have programs installed by default to work with this format. But fortunately, there are plenty of such programs and ways to open a file on the Internet. In this article we will talk about all the methods for processing documents with the APK extension.

As already mentioned, APK files are used when working with mobile devices. Essentially, these files are archives with built-in application installers that Android system can unpack and interact with their contents. That is why the easiest way to open an APK file on a PC is to use an Android system simulator application.

At the moment, there are already quite a lot of similar applications on the network. There are so many of them that it would be possible to talk about them all only on the pages of a thick encyclopedia, but not in an article. Therefore, next we will talk about the three most popular applications of this type, and also consider all their main advantages.

It’s worth saying right away that this method may not be suitable for very old PCs, as emulation can put a lot of stress on the PC. If while working with the application you notice that your computer begins to freeze, do not worry, this is normal.

Blue Stacks

Let's start with a program called BlueStacks. The BlueStacks application is a fairly popular Android emulator for PCs with operating Windows system. If you have already encountered mobile device emulation to run applications before, then most likely you already know about it. If not, read carefully.

According to the majority of users, BlueStacks is one of the best apps for emulation (if not the best). It has wide functionality and is able to fully satisfy the needs of even the most sophisticated users. At the same time, the application is quite simple to use, and its interface will be clear even to a beginner. Add to this full Russian localization and free distribution, and you will understand why this application is so valued.

However, it is worth making a small clarification regarding its freeness. The application has two versions: regular (free) and premium (paid). Users who use free version, will receive slightly compressed functionality (which is still enough for most needs) and will be forced to see advertising banners while working.

In addition to the above, this emulator has a lot of different settings that allow the user to customize the application for themselves.

It will also be useful for you to know that the described application supports, including the store Google applications Play. Therefore, you may not need your APK file, since you can download the application directly from the store.

So, if you still need to open the file, then let's get down to business.

After this you can run installed application. You can do this using either of the two shortcuts, in either case the application will be opened through BlueStacks.

If for some reason you were unable to open the application using the method described above, then there is another option for how to open the APK file on your computer using BlueStacks. At the beginning of this instruction, the emulator should already be installed on your PC, and therefore we will skip this step.

After this, the application should launch and the installation should automatically begin on it. If this does not happen, there is a high chance that the file you are opening could be damaged. If you have such an opportunity, try downloading it again, preferably from another resource.

NoxPlayer

The next app you should know about is NoxPlayer. Its main feature is the ability to install an APK file on your computer and run the application without significant power limitations. That is, while this application is running, your computer will freeze much less than with any other. An excellent solution for weak PCs.

In terms of functionality, it is not very different from the previously reviewed BlueStacks, but its interface is simplified to the minimum. See for yourself:

First, you need, of course, to download and install NoxPlayer (you can do this through the official website).
After this, be sure to do personalization BY.
During installation, the application should have become the default program for opening APK files; therefore, to run the file you will only need to double-click on it.
If for some reason the application was not assigned, in order to open the file, repeat the second instruction from the previous section.

After this, the application will launch and the application installation process will begin. The installation process takes place in hidden mode, and upon completion the application will be launched automatically.

To use the application in the future, just launch NoxPlayer and find the application icon on its main screen.

ARC Welder

The last computer program for opening APK files that we will consider will be ARC Welder. This application developed by the well-known company Google. Its main feature is that in fact it is not an application at all, but a browser extension Google Chrome. This means that you don’t have to download it and clutter your PC memory with unnecessary applications. Instead you will need to do the following:

To get started, run Google browser Chrome and go to the Google extension store page.
Then enter the name of the application in the search bar and find it in the list.
Open it and click on the “Install” button.
Confirm adding the extension.
Wait until the download completes.
Click on the three stripes on the right top corner browser window.
In the menu that appears, select “Extensions”.
Find and launch ARC Welder.
In the window that appears, click on the “Choose” button.
Specify the path to save temporary files and click “OK”.
Then click on the line with a plus and the inscription “Add your APP”.
Find required file and click “Open”.
You will then be asked to set application parameters; If you don’t really understand this, you can leave everything as it is.
Then click “Test”.

After this, a new window with the application should appear on your screen. Working with this application may seem difficult at first, but it quickly passes, and very soon you will perform all actions automatically.

How to open an APK file using a standard archiver

As mentioned earlier, all APK files are a kind of archives, and, therefore, they can be opened with a regular archiver.

It is worth clarifying that in this case you will still not be able to install, much less use, the application that will be stored in this archive. Therefore, this method is more suitable for those who want to get to the contents of the archive.

The APK format is supported by most modern archivers, but for example we will take the most famous – Win RAR archiver. If you don’t have it yet, you can download the program from the official website absolutely free.

To open the archive do the following:

After this, you can easily open the document by double-clicking on it with the left mouse button.

How to extract an APK file on your computer

Now you know how to open an APK file on your computer and use its contents. In general, all the available methods are quite simple, and you can get used to them without anyone’s help. The Internet is still full of applications for Android simulation and you can use any of them, the principle of operation will always be approximately the same.

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All the best to you!

If you don’t know what kind of format this is - APK and how it can be opened on a computer or phone, then read the text of the article. We will talk in detail about its features, methods for working and modifying its individual elements.

Android Package Kit (APK) is an executable file format for the Android operating system. It is an archive containing the application's source data (program code, compiled resource files, settings, assets, libraries).

Peculiarities:

Cannot be converted to another format.
Archived using JAR-based compression feature.
It is a subset of the ZIP format.
Can be changed using Google Android SDK, Eclipse with ADT plugin.
Files from the APK archive are not encrypted.

To develop Android applications with an APK extension, Google's Android SDK is used. It is available for free download from the official website and is Java-based.

How to open on your phone

How to open an APK file on your phone

If a mobile application for the Android platform is downloaded from a third-party resource or computer, then it will have an apk extension. Then you can install it on your phone manually.

How to open apk file from phone:

Connect the device to your computer using a USB cable.
Copy the APK file to an SD card or phone memory.
Launch Explorer or "File Manager".
Open the desired directory and run the copied APK.

After this, the application will begin unpacking. Review the terms, grant access to features if necessary, and continue with the installation.

APK format

If you can’t copy the APK package via USB, then send it via Bluetooth or e-mail. Or separately connect a mini SD card to your computer using an adapter and transfer the file to it.

Error when opening

How to allow installation from unknown sources

If, after copying the APK file to the device, it cannot be launched, then most likely the ability to install via USB was disabled by the manufacturer.

Follow these steps to enable it:

Go to the Settings menu and find the Personal Information category here.
Select “Security” and check the box next to “Unknown sources (allow installation from unknown sources).”
Launch the APK file and continue with the installation.

If an error appears, then in the same menu uncheck the box next to “Check applications”. Then Android will not prohibit the installation of potentially dangerous applications that can harm the device. Use this method only if you are sure that the APK file you are installing is safe.

Other ways

If you want to view the contents of an APK file from your phone, you can use the mobile version of the archiver or special software.

Let's look at the most popular programs that allow you to edit apk packages:

APK Editor

APK Editor program interface

Works with both packages and programs and games already installed on the device. Allows you to change individual manifests, edit resources, replace files. It features a convenient graphical interface and Cyrillic support.

DroidEdit Free

DroidEdit Free program interface

Free mobile app for creating and editing individual manifests. You won’t be able to open the APK itself using it, but changing individual elements (after unpacking) is no problem.

SmartAPKTool interface

Allows you to sign files in APK, ZIP formats. Unpack and package APK. Suitable for pre-editing applications. SmartAPKTool may require additional software (ApkTool, Java virtual machine) to operate.

How to extract APK

APK Extractor Interface

If you need to get the APK of an application already installed on your phone, you can do this using special software. There are several free programs on the Play Market, but we will use APK Extractor for this purpose.

How to extract apk using APK Extractor

How to open on a computer

APK files

You can unzip the APK file to view or edit the contents using a regular archiver. However, you will not be able to install or launch the application. For this you need special software.

How to open APK on different operating systems:

Windows - 7-Zip, WinRAR.
Linux - 7-Zip, unzip.
MacOS - Archive Utility.

If, when installing the archiver, extensions were not configured (which will be associated by default), then the program may not recognize the apk file. Then it will be of an “unknown” format.

To open, click on it with the mouse and select the desired software from the list of suggested programs. After this, you will have access to all the original application data.

Emulators for running APK files on PC

If you want to install a mobile application for Android OS on your computer, the file will have an APK extension. To install it, you will need a special emulator. They are available for free download.

The most popular:

Nox App Player

Nox App Player interface

Google Play is pre-installed. The program is not Russified, but Android itself freely switches to Russian through the settings (just like on a phone). Good optimization, there are advanced settings for working with APK files.

Andy

Interface Andy

The program does not support the Russian language. It features a minimal number of settings and good optimization. The shell and programs installed on it launch quickly and work without freezes or lags.

Bluestacks

BlueStacks interface

It has good performance in games and allows you to run resource-intensive applications. The main feature is the Bluestacks TV feature. Needed for online broadcasts on Twitch.

Using an emulator, you can launch mobile applications through apk packages or install them directly from the Play Market. To use Google services, you will need to log in with an account.

To launch the apk packages themselves, it is not necessary to connect an account. But if a game or program requires linking to a social network or other services, then you will need to log in or go through a simple registration.

How to install APK on your computer

If you have downloaded the APK package to your computer and want to run it, then you need to install an emulator to do this. The principle of operation is the same everywhere, so we will look at an example of installing an application via APK via Bluestacks.

The procedure will be as follows:

Go to the official website Bluestacks emulator and start downloading the program. The full version is available for free download.

Launch the distribution and continue with the installation. When it's finished, restart your computer and open Bluestacks.

Launch Bluestacks

The virtualization engine will start and initial setup emulator. Wait for it to complete, it will open home screen programs. From here you can access pre-installed games, programs and the Play Market.
To install the APK, go to the “My Applications” tab. In the lower right corner, find the plus icon. Click on it.
A new window will appear where you need to select the path to the APK file. Specify it and click “Open”.
The installation of the application will begin. Continue it the same way as on mobile phone.

The application installed via the APK package will appear on the same tab. Click on its shortcut with the mouse to launch it. It will open in a new tab.

How to open apk via Bluestacks

If you want to delete the newly installed APK, then click on the trash can icon here. After this, tell the emulator the application you want to erase from the device.

How to open and modify APK on PC

Working with the smali tool

Even after unpacking the APK, the file is not ready for use and modification. To change anything in XML or any other document, you need to decompile it.

Tools that will be needed to unpack, edit and reverse archive the APK package:

Archiver (7-zip, Winrar or any other). It is needed in order to extract all the necessary resources and manifests from the package.
Translator of the source text of the program, which can convert the bytecode virtual machine(smali).
Edited Asset Packaging and Transformation Tool (aapt).
Tool for digital signature modified APK file (signer). It is necessary that the finished application is perceived by the operating system as safe.

They can be used separately. In order not to look for them and not complicate the task, use special software that is built on their basis. If you want to download an application to your PC, an emulator will suffice.

Programs for modifying APK packages

Working in Virtuous Ten Studio

Depending on the installed operating system, there are several programs for working with packages in APK format.

Let's look at the most popular:

For Linux, MacOS based devices - ApkTool

Has a CLI interface (work through the console, using commands). With its help, you can unpack all the resources from the apk package, modify individual components and rebuild the archive with already edited files. The program does not include an additional tool for creating a digital signature, so you will have to launch signer manually.

For devices based on operating systems Windows family - Virtuous Ten Studio

Includes ApkTool and features a graphical interface. Allows you to perform all unpacking and decompilation operations in a few clicks. The program is available for free download from the official website.

The software allows you to unpack and modify APK packages. The modified file can be installed on your Android device. After this, you cannot update the installed (modified) application through the Play Market.

Today we sorted out how to open apk file on computer or phone. To extract all the files included in it, a regular archiver will be enough. To not just open, but install the application on a PC for further use, you will need an emulator (they are available for free download from the official website).

On mobile phones or tablets, apk packages open by default. This can be done through Explorer or a file manager. But if you want to edit or extract individual resources from it, then use SmartAPKTool or other similar software for the Android OS.

Also, about the APK format, see the video:

VIDEO: Installing .apk files on your computer

Installing .apk files on your computer

APK file format: What is it and how to open it? | [Detailed Review]