Mission impossible! Google Play Store apps on Windows 11; Here is how to do it

Google and Microsoft are fierce rivals. Getting Google Play Store apps on Windows 11 was something that was considered mission impossible. But no longer.

Running Android apps on Windows 11 via the Amazon Appstore was one of the promised features which is currently in being tested, but this developer has figured out how to install the Google Play Store on Windows 11 with a new trick. (@ADeltaXForce via Twitter)

Windows 11 is the biggest update to Microsoft's operating system in the past six years and the arrival of the update earlier this month brought several new visual, performance and security enhancements to the company's widely used operating system for desktop and laptop computers. However, one prominent feature that was missing, was support for Android apps, which is expected to arrive in a future update. However, these apps are from Amazon. But now, a developer has now found a workaround to installing not just Android apps, but the Google Play Store itself on Windows 11.

At the time of publishing this article Microsoft allows users on the Windows Insider preview builds to try out 50 Android apps on the testing versions of Windows 11 to see how they perform on various kinds of hardware. However, the apps as designed, will be available through the Amazon Appstore. Meanwhile, a developer with the screen name ADeltaX has found a way to install the Google Play Store and other Android apps on their Windows 11 desktops and provided the steps online.

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The process, however, is not easy and will pose a challenge for beginners. Users will be able to install the Play Store and sign in with their Google account. It involves installing Windows Subsystem for Android using this link, then Windows Subsystem for Linux and Ubuntu from the Microsoft Store. These are prerequisites for being able to install and run the Google Play Store and logging in on your Windows 11 PC or laptop.

Users will then have to enter a few commands, then create a custom package on the ‘OpenGApps' service that generates Google Apps packages which include the Play Store. The developer has also provided various “.sh” scripts to complete the process, but users must remain aware that they are performing unsupported steps on their PC and that it could have unwanted side effects. Those who are interested in installing Android apps on their computer can check out the developer's video tutorial.

However, there is a caveat. In order to try this feature out, users will first have to download the Windows 11 testing version that has enabled this feature, which means they will be running beta-level software. This should not be done on your primary computer as it could cause serious issues. Users will also have to change their PC settings to the United States, use a US-based Amazon Appstore account and have a compatible Windows 11 supported processor, with 8GB of RAM and an SSD.