Google play is the largest app platform in the world. It's used mostly from people with Android devices. But is it possible to download it on other operational systems or even computers? Well, it depends. In this particular article we will discuss the ways to download Android apps on Windows 10.

Android emulators

The most common way for doing that is to download an Android emulator. There are plenty of softwares but the best of them at the moment are:

1. Bluestacks
2. Leapdroid
3. Memu App
4. Nox App Player
5. Andy OS emulator

But there are others too. Feel free to try whatever you want if you feel okay with that. These programs are all free but if you want more options, you could try with paid ones. Now let's jump out to the second way of using Google Play on your Windows 10 PC.

Install a virtual machine

This practice is spread especially among the people in the IT sector like programmers, developers, testers, etc. But it's easy to do and could be the better solution for you. There are several solutions too:

1. Genymotion
2. VMware Station
3. Parallels Desktop
4. Oracle VM Virtual Box
5. QEMU

You can check others too. Most of them are really good but there are not quality free solutions.

However, when buying a virtual boz software you will be able to install other virtual operational systems like Linux, other versions of Windows, etc.
Install the desktop version of Android

This option is for certain group of users. The software is named Android X-86. It can be run on Intel and AMD processors. The installation process is the same as Windows and Linux. But you can do it only if you have a X-86 based computer.

Android Live

This is also a OS but it's completely for desktop computers and Laptops. It's used for testing Android apps but you could use it only as a customer.

Google play music

Obviously, this is the music section of Google Play. There is a desktop app for Windows so there is no need for installing third party softwares or virtual operational systems.

How to run APK files

Usually, the desktop devices are not recognizing APK files, because this extension is designed for smartphones. But as always, there is a solution.

First install Android Software Development Kit (SDK). It's not usual for people to install a small OS on a powerfull device like desktop PC. So you will need the latest version of Java in order to install SDK. You will need to do some technical things but believe me, it's nothing much.

1. When you open the Android Studio, scroll down to the bottom and click on "Command Line Tools". There's not need of downloading the entire studio package, unless you want to create Android apps in the future.

2. Then, download it and extract to your C: drive.

3. Follow this path: Control Panel - System - Advanced System Settings

4. Select Environment Variables and choose a path

5. Finally, click "Edit" and then paste into the variable value the following text:

C:\Android\sdk\tools;C:\Android\sdk\platform-tools

Now you can easily open APK files without any errors (unless you did something wrong). You can run APK files using emulators too. But we are covering all possible ways of achieving this.

APK welder Chrome extension

This method is the easiest and most preferred at the moment. It has a big advantage compared to the other ways.

You only need a browser that runs chrome extension (It's not only Chrome). You are only one click away from installing the extension. It requires less than a minute.

But there is one disadvantage. Some bugs may occur while opening the APK files. Even if you succeed in opening the app, it's not guaranteed that it won't crash or lag.

Sadly, APK welder doesn't have access to the Google Play Store, but it's still very useful tool. Lastly, unlike the Android emulators, you can run only one app at a time.

There are also APK installer apps that make the process a lot easier. You can install the app on a emulator. That's another way of installing APK files on desktop.

Google Play Books

The third section of Google Play is only for books. That doesn't require any complicated steps. Just visit this link: play.Google.com/books. Then click on "shop" and choose the book you want to read.

You also can read books with an E-reader like Adobe Digital Editions. After purchasing a book from Google Play, you have to choose the download option (EPUB or PDF).

After the downloading process ends, you'll recieve a file with an .acsm extension. Unfortunately, the file can't be read directly and you have to download the books from Adobe Digital Editions.

So, that's what you have to do:

1. Authorize your device through Adobe ID.

2. After the authorization is done, enter your ID and password (If you don't have an account, click on "create and Adobe ID").

Now you can open .acsm files using Adobe Digital Editions. Just find the file and open it.

There are many other E-readers out there. You can choose the most comfortable option for you.

These are the ways of running Google Play and Android Apps on Windows 10. At least the most popular ones. I suggest you to choose wisely and to measure your needs.

Some of you may want just to use the apps for fun. Others might test their apps on desktop and compare them with others on the market.

If you are not so sure, give a try to all of them but be careful what you do. Some APK files contain malware and spyware files which you don't want to have in your computer.

If an app looks suspicious, just don't download it. Remember, safety first!

I hope you enjoy your desktop Android experience. Have an amazing day. And don't stay in front of the screen for too long!