How To Download An App On My Computer

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This wikiHow teaches you how to download an Android app package from the Google Play Store to your Windows computer. You can use a free Android emulator called "Bluestacks" to install and run apps directly from the Play Store, or you can use a Google Chrome extension to download the APK files for free Google Play apps.

1
Download and install Bluestacks. Bluestacks is a free Android emulator for Windows and Mac computers. To download and install it, do the following:
- Go to https://www.bluestacks.com/ in your computer's web browser.
- Click DOWNLOAD BLUESTACKS 3N.
- Click DOWNLOAD.
- Double-click the downloaded EXE file.
- Click Yes when prompted.
- Click Install now.
- Click Complete when prompted.
2
Set up Bluestacks. Open Bluestacks if it doesn't open automatically, then follow the on-screen prompts to select a language, sign in with a Google Account, and so on.
- Depending on the version of Bluestacks you download, the setup options may vary.
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3

Click the My Apps tab. It's in the top-left corner of the window. This will open the "My Apps" page, which is where any apps you install will appear.
4

Click the System app folder. You'll find this in the upper-left side of the "My Apps" page.
5

Click Google Play. It's a multicolored triangle icon on the "System app" page. This will open the Google Play Store.
6

Click the search bar. You'll find this text box at the top of the Google Play Store page.
7
Search for an app. Type in the name of an app (or a search term if you don't have a specific app in mind), then press ↵ Enter .
- When typing in your app's name, you may see the app's icon and name appear in a drop-down menu below the search bar. If so, click the app's name next to its icon, then skip the next step.
8

Select an app. Scroll down until you find the app you want to install, then click the app's icon to open its page.
9
Click INSTALL . It's a green button in the upper-right side of the page. Your app will begin downloading onto Bluestacks' "My Apps" tab.
- If asked to allow the app to access specific permissions, click ACCEPT when prompted before proceeding.
10
Open your app. Do one of the following once the app finishes installing:
- Click OPEN in the Google Play Store.
- Click the app's icon on the "My Apps" tab.
11
Install an APK file. If you use 1Mobile Downloader to download an app's APK file, you can install the APK file directly to Bluestacks by doing the following:
- Open Bluestacks if it isn't already open.
- Click the My Apps tab in the upper-left corner of Bluestacks.
- Click Install apk in the bottom-right side of the window.
- Go to and select your APK file in the window that opens.
- Click Open or Choose in the bottom-right corner of the window.
- Wait for the APK's app to appear in the "My Apps" section.
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1
Understand what this method does. By installing a free extension in Google Chrome, you can download the APK file for any free Android app that is listed on the Google Play Store. Keep in mind that you can't use this method to download paid apps.
- You won't be able to open the APK file without special software (e.g., Bluestacks).
2
Open Google Chrome. Click or double-click the Chrome app icon, which resembles a red, yellow, green, and blue sphere.
- If you don't already have Chrome, get it for free by going to https://www.google.com/chrome, clicking DOWNLOAD CHROME, and installing it on your computer.
3

Open the Google Play Store app page. Go to https://play.google.com/store/apps in Chrome. This will open the Google Play Store's online interface.
4
Copy the URL for an app you want to download. In order to download your preferred app through Chrome, you'll first need the web address for the app:
- Search for an app by typing its name into the "Search" text box and pressing ↵ Enter .
- Click the app you want to download.
- Highlight the app's address in the address bar at the top of the Chrome browser window.
- Copy the address by pressing Ctrl+C .
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Click ＋ ADD TO CHROME . It's a blue button in the upper-right corner of the Window.
7

Click Add extension when prompted. An icon with a green, downward-pointing arrow in a white circle will appear in the upper-right corner of your browser window. This is the 1Mobile Downloader extension.
8

Click the 1Mobile Downloader icon. It's the green, downward-facing arrow in the top-right side of your browser window. A drop-down menu will appear.
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Click APK Downloader . This option is in the drop-down menu. Doing so opens the APK Downloader text field.
- APK is the Android package file format that is used to install apps in the Android operating system.
10

Paste in your copied URL. Click the APK Downloader text box, then press Ctrl+V to paste in the app's address.
11

Click Generate Download Link . This green button is to the right of the text box.
12
Click Download APK of [app] . It's a green button below the name of the package. Doing so prompts the app file to begin downloading onto your computer.
- Depending on your browser's settings, you may have to click Save or confirm the download before the app file will actually download.
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Question

What do I do if I download something on my PC but can't find it?

On most PCs, you can search for it. Go to documents, look for "This PC" at the top of the window, click it and look for "Downloads," It is most likely here, unless you chose to download it somewhere else. You can use the search bar to find it.
Question

Can I download Bluestacks on a Windows 7 laptop?

Yes, as long as your laptop has more than 2 GB of RAM. It is not recommended to use Bluestacks on a PC with less than 4 GB RAM and decent graphics card.
Question

Is this a secure way to download? The source of the APK file is unknown. Is it from a third party or an official Google Play store?

If you have doubts about security, use the play store in bluestacks. Though if your trying to download for a phone the APK should probably be safe to download if you run it through an antivirus.
Question

Nothing happens when I click 'generate download link'. What am I doing wrong?

It's probably not you. It's probably a bug in 1Mobile downloader's code. Try again later and you might be able to use it.

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Video

APK files are useful when attempting to modify or test an app in a development environment such as Android Studio.

While the extension recommended in this article is confirmed to be safe, others can be dangerous! Don't give your password to any application or extension if you don't feel confident about it.

About This Article

Article SummaryX

1. Go to https://www.bluestacks.com.
2. Download the latest version of BlueStacks.
3. Run the installer.
4. Open BlueStacks.
5. Sign in with your Google account.
6. Click My Apps.
7. Click System app.
8. Click Google Play.
9. Install the app of your choice.

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