How to get the Google Play Store on Windows 11
No need to limit yourself to the Amazon Appstore
By Anyron Copeman, Senior Staff Writer| 28 Oct 2021
Native Android app support is one of Windows 11s most exciting features, but there are some notable limitations.
The most significant is that you can only officially download apps from the Amazon Appstore, which has a tiny fraction of those youll find on the Google Play Store. It also remains in testing at the time of writing, limited to the Beta Channel of the Windows Insider Program if you have a US account.
But what if there was a way to access the full Play Store library on any Windows 11 device right now? It sounds too good to be true, but weve tested and can confirm that the method described in this article works.
It was first discovered by ADeltaX and uploaded to YouTube, although a simplified version has since been provided by A-hAAn. The latter is what were following here.
How to install the Google Play Store on Windows 11
Before proceeding, it's worth noting that this process only works with x86, 64-bit devices. Theres a separate link below for ARM-based devices, but it wont work on 32-bit hardware.
Youll also need to make sure virtualization is enabled first. Head to Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows features on or off. Make sure the boxes next to Virtual Machine Platform and Windows Subsystem for Linux are both ticked, then click OK to confirm.
If youve already installed the Windows Subsystem for Android [WSA], youll also need to uninstall it. Open Settings > Apps > Apps & features and search for it. If nothing appears, its not installed.
- Head to Settings > Privacy & security > For developers
- Under Developer Mode, click the toggle to turn it on, then click Yes to confirm
- Download a new version of the Windows Subsystem for Android via the following link. If youre using an ARM-based device such as the Surface Pro X, use this link instead
- Once complete, head to the downloads folder in File Explorer and double-click the file known as WSA-Patched to unzip it
- In the search bar at the top of the Start menu, type powershell
- From the options on the right, click Run as Administrator. Click Yes to confirm you allow the app to make changes
- In the PowerShell window that appears, paste Add-AppxPackage -Register C:\WSA-Patched\AppxManifest.xml, but replace the C:\WSA-Patched\ section with the location of the unzipped file in File Explorer [click the address bar, then copy and paste it]. In the example below, its Add-AppxPackage -Register C:\Users\anyro\Downloads\WSA-Patched\WSA-Patched\AppxManifest.xml
- It might not look like anything has happened, but you should now see Windows Subsystem for Android in the Recommended section of the Start menu. Click to launch it
- From the window that appears, click Files to start the WSA
- After a few seconds, you should see a pop-up saying Windows Defender Firewall has blocked some features of this app. Click Allow access to continue
- You should now see the Play Store and Amazon Appstore in the Recommended section of the Start menu. However, in its current form youre unable to sign in
- To fix this, download ADBKit from the following link. Its a very small file, so will only take a couple of seconds
- Head into the downloads folder of File Explorer again and double-click the ADBKit file
- Double-click the file named adb and choose Extract all, then Extract to confirm
- Back in the Windows Subsystem Settings, click the toggle to turn on Developer mode. You should now see a message next to it saying ADB can be connected on 127.0.0.1:58526
- Launch the Play Store app and keep it open
- In File Explorer, find and open the ADBKit folder you already unzipped. Right-click anywhere and choose Open in Windows Terminal
- Run the command .\adb.exe connect 127.0.0.1:58526
- Even if you get an error message, this should still have been completed successfully. Run the command .\adb.exe devices to confirm If you see 127.0.0.1:58526 under List of devices attached, its worked
- Run the command .\adb.exe shell
- Run the command su. You should see a message saying You are now root
- Run the command setenforce 0. The PowerShell window should now look similar to below
- Head to the Play Store window and click Sign in. You should now be directed to log in with your Google email and password
- Once signed in, you can install apps just like you would on any Android phone
Thats it! You can now install any Android app from the Google Play Store on your Windows 11 device. These can be pinned to the taskbar and work with Windows 11s multitasking features. They also adjust their appearance to the device theme.
Related articles for further reading
- Windows 11's native Android app support is now available to try
- Windows 11 release date, price and new features
- How to get Windows 11 now
Top Christmas Deals
Only the best deals on the best products handpicked by our expert editors
Amazon Echo Dot [3rd-gen]
From: Amazon
Was: £39.99
Now: £17 [Get 2 for £29.99 with 2ECHODOT]
View Deal
Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
From: Samsung
Was: £409
Now: £329 [£80 off with cashback]
View Deal
Xiaomi Mi 11 [8GB/128GB] + Mi True Wireless Earphones 2S
From: Xiaomi
Was: £828.99
Now: £599 [£150 off + free Mi True Wireless Earphones 2S]
View Deal
Lenovo Tab P11 Pro [128GB] w/ keyboard + stylus
From: Currys
Was: £599
Now: £549 [£50 off]
View Deal
iD Mobile: Unlimited data with £50 Currys gift card
From: iD Mobile
Now: £16 per month
View Deal
Samsung Galaxy A12 + Nintendo Switch + Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
From: Virgin Media
Now: From £22 per month
View Deal
Oppo A54 5G with free Nintendo Switch OLED
From: Virgin Media
Now: From £24 per month
View Deal
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G with Galaxy Buds 2
From: Virgin
Now: From £29 per month [2GB]
View Deal
Nintendo Switch
From: ShopTo via eBay
Was: £259.99
Now: £239.99 [£20 off]
View Deal
Xiaomi Poco X3 Pro [6GB RAM, 128GB] + Mi Band 5
From: Xiaomi
Was: £268.99
Now: £199 [£30 off + Free Mi Band 5]
View Deal
Top Christmas Deals
Only the best deals on the best products handpicked by our expert editors
Asus Vivobook 15
From: Staples
Was: $449.99
Now: $279.99 [$170 off]
View Deal
Fitbit Charge 5
From: Amazon US
Was: $179.95
Now: $129.95 [$50 off]
View Deal
Disney+ Up to 6 months
From: Amazon Music
Was: $47.94
Now: Free with Amazon Music Unlimited [$9.99 per month/$7.99 for Prime Members]
View Deal
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
From: Best Buy
Was: $1799.99
Now: $1399.99 [$400 off]
View Deal
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 [Core i5, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage]
From: Best Buy
Was: $899.99
Now: $699.99 [$200 off]
View Deal
Fitbit Luxe
From: Amazon US
Was: $149.95
Now: $99.95 [$50 off]
View Deal
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
From: Amazon US
Was: $49.99
Now: $29.99 [$20 off]
View Deal
Theragun: Cyber Monday Sale US
From: Theragun
Now: From $174 [Up to $300 off]
View Deal
Samsung Galaxy Buds+
From: Walmart
Was: $149.99
Now: $79.99 [$70 off]
View Deal
Apple MacBook Air, M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 512GB [2020]
From: Amazon US
Was: $1,249
Now: $1,099 [$149 off]
View Deal