On a personal computer/laptop with the Windows operating system, you can run Android OS for mobile devices in a variety of ways. Moreover, some of them require complex initial settings, others differ in functionality, and still others - in performance. An Android emulator can run on the Windows operating system for various reasons. But usually ordinary users want to see how software for mobile devices works, and developers run emulators on personal computers to test their applications. There is a third category of users - avid gamers. These run emulators on computers to play interesting games designed for smartphones and tablets.
If you are a curious user or an experienced player, download the Android emulator for OS Windows. We will tell you and clearly demonstrate how to launch mobile applications in several ways in this article. Products for mobile devices are launched on computers not only using programs for emulating Android OS. For example, you can install the Android operating system on a PC, run it in the Chrome browser from Google or from a flash card.
Nox App Player
Our users have left positive reviews about Nox App Player, calling it the best program for Android emulation on Windows. After extensive testing, we came to the same conclusions and recommend everyone to use this emulator. We are even sure that you will stop at it and will not want to install and test other emulation programs, well, except for inquisitive users who always want to form their own opinion. The Nox App Player emulation program is compatible with all new versions of Windows, and we tested it on the “top ten”, installing it on a regular, not the most powerful laptop computer.
The emulator is easy to install and starts in about two minutes. After launch, you will see the loading screen of the Android operating system, which will have a pre-installed mobile browser and file manager. The emulation program itself does not support the Russian language, but you can enable it in the OS itself. This happens the same way as on your mobile device.
When you first start it, you may see an unusual screen resolution. But these are the initial settings intended for tablets, and they can be changed to more convenient and familiar ones. In order to do this, click the gear, calling up the settings, and set your screen parameters. On the same tab you can change performance parameters (by default they are set to low levels). Looking ahead: these settings do not need to be changed, since even with such low performance, the emulation program works perfectly.
The Nox App Player emulator is controlled in the same way as on any mobile device with Android OS. You type using an on-screen keyboard, sound and a camera, if present, works like on a smartphone, there is also an application store where you can find and install various applications and toys.
The right side of the emulation program window can be opened to full size without loss of quality. Here are all the icons with which you can perform actions, for example:
- Install a variety of mobile applications stored in a special folder.
- Change your location manually.
- Upload and export files (in the usual way or by dragging and dropping onto the program window).
- Take a variety of screenshots (screenshots).
- Launch several emulation program windows at once.
- And we have listed only the main actions.
If your Nox App Player emulation program does not start, firstly, check that the processor supports hardware virtualization technology, and secondly, set the correct settings in the BIOS. And if this does not help to launch the emulator, rename your name and directory by entering the letters of the English alphabet.
MEmu is one of the best emulators of the Android operating system, which will allow you to enjoy all the applications and games of this mobile platform directly on your Windows computer. Now, if you want to test a program or just play one of the many exciting games on Google’s operating system, you don’t even have to have a real device.
This emulator is completely customizable to your preferences and needs. In addition to adjusting the options of the Android system itself, there are additional settings, such as selecting screen resolution (up to full screen), placement of the navigation bar (top, bottom, hide), using a virtual keyboard, quickly obtaining Root rights, etc. It’s convenient that they are implemented separately buttons for screenshot, shaking, changing screen orientation, clearing memory, adjusting volume.
System Requirements:
1200 MHz processor or faster
RAM 256 MB or more
Free hard disk space from 915 MB
32-bit or 64-bit architecture (x86 or x64)
Operating system Windows Vista / Windows 7 SP1 / Windows 8.1 / Windows 10
Torrent Emulator Android - MEmu 3.0.8 details:
MEmu simulates a tablet or smartphone on the large screen of a computer or laptop with Windows. After installing and launching the emulator, the desktop of the Android operating system will be displayed on the screen in which you can fully work. The system immediately has a standard set of applications installed - Play Market (Google Play), Browser, File Manager, etc. In the settings you can change the language, add Google accounts so that you can use synchronization and game saves, in general everything is like in a real mobile device, and you can also easily take screenshots of any Android programs (there is a button in the panel).
You can install new applications either from Google Play (you need a Google account) or using an apk file. For the second option, there is a special button on the taskbar, or you can simply double-click on the file itself, and the program will appear on the screen of the virtual device.
If you have tested the application and want to have it on your real device, then MEmu has provided a quick transfer for this through a special button on the same taskbar: connect your smartphone or tablet to the PC via a USB cable and wait for installation.
It is also worth noting that the emulator allows you to link a “mechanical” PC keyboard to certain actions on a virtual device: using the AWDS cross-pad, a shooting cursor, a gravity sensor, etc. for control, which will greatly simplify the gameplay, especially in shooters.
In general, MEmu is a truly convenient Android emulator in all respects, which will allow you to fully use all the advantages and capabilities of this operating system on a regular PC.
Program features:
· The program allows you to run applications developed for Android phones and tablets on a computer or laptop, while the emulated device will perform faster in games than current models of flagship smartphones and tablets. Of course, this indicator directly depends on the performance of your PC or laptop.
·The user can set the parameters of the emulated device in the emulator settings, for example, you can set the number of cores of the emulated processor, screen resolution in pixels, amount of available RAM, brand, model phone number and IMEI of the mobile device, as well as root support.
·MEmu is in many ways similar to the popular Android emulator - BlueStacks, but surpasses the latter in performance and can use the webcam as an Android device camera.
· Otherwise, working with the emulator completely repeats working with an Android tablet, including the settings of Android itself.
·Switching between selected keyboard layouts is carried out by pressing the Ctrl+Space (Ctrl+space) keys. Please note that conflicts may arise with the Punto Switcher program, so it is better to disable it before starting the emulator.
·The disadvantages compared to BlueStacks include the inability to install apk files by simply dragging them onto the window of the running MEmy program (drag-and-drop technology). But this is not critical, since the program sets the apk file associations to be installed in MEmu by default.
·All the necessary applications and games can be downloaded through the Google Play store and the results can be synchronized with your mobile device. It is possible to install programs using installers (apk files). Now you don’t have to worry that there won’t be enough system resources or that games will slow down. It is recommended to update the video card drivers, and if the computer has two video cards, then configure it to switch to one of them when starting the MEmu emulator to avoid errors.
·MEmu allows you to use shared folders for Music, Videos, Photos and Downloads. You can simulate GPS data directly on the map - all this is available in the emulator settings, which are called up by the corresponding button in the sidebar. There, in the emulator settings, you can select the required screen resolution, select RAM and the number of processor cores, come up with any manufacturer name for your virtual tablet - it will be transferred to programs that require a brand name (Samsung, Sony, iPhone or any other)
·The virtual device is already rooted, the Superuser is installed if someone needs it. Control can be done with a mouse, keyboard or even a joystick. The default zoom is F2/F3 or with the mouse wheel while pressing the Ctrl key.
·In addition, with the help of the MEmu - Multiple Instance Manager, it is possible to create several independent virtual Android devices with their own settings and accounts, come up with their own manufacturer for each of them, and even generate different IMEIs.
·Simple and accessible multilingual interface, Russian language is present, Ukrainian and Russian localizations are presented, as in Android devices.
What's new in MEmu 3.0.8:
·Fix the issue of MEMU start occasionally no response
·Add support to adjust skillshot distance in MOBA game, like RealmofValor/PentaStorm/Fix the issue of MEMU start occasionally no response
·Fix the issue of incompatible device in Google Play
·Fix the issue of unable to connect Google server in Android 5.1
Fix the issue of unchangeable device model
Fix the issue of boss key setting
·Improve video play in wechat and whatsapp
Add support to adjust skillshot distance in MOBA game, like RealmofValor/PentaStorm/
A couple of years ago, I didn’t even think about downloading an Android emulator for my usual Windows computer. But the popularity of Google’s brainchild cannot but surprise; of course, this has affected the entire information technology industry - there are simply an unrealistic number of different applications and games that have come out that work exclusively on Android and can be downloaded from, which I wrote about quite recently. This is actually why it was decided to write this guide on choosing the best emulator - it won’t work in a nutshell, there’s plenty to choose from.
In fact, there are really many reasons why there is a need to run an Android Emulator on your personal computer or laptop. For example, application developers can test their programs before publishing it in the App Store on various configurations. Fans of a wide variety of games can use their favorite mice and keyboard over the years as controls in games - and this is really necessary (however, I don’t think they will replace gyroscope control). In any case, emulating Android applications in Windows is possible, and my task is to tell you about the best in this niche.
Two years ago I had the imprudence to install the game Hay Day on my tablet, and ended up stuck there for several days. The habit has done its job - playing on a computer is more familiar and convenient for me, but the online version does not exist in nature and it was decided to install the Bluestacks emulator. At that time, probably the only adequate option for running Android games on a PC running Windows.
Important Note: For some emulators to work, it is necessary to enable support for Intel VT-x or AMD-v hardware virtualization in the BIOS (or UEFI). Usually they are always active, but if you are experiencing problems with some of the emulators on the list, then check these settings. However, that’s not all, I noticed that when installing the Hyper-V component on the system, many of the above emulators simply refused to start - I never found a solution to this problem, so choose what is more important to you. (There are quite a few alternatives to Hyper-V and they do not conflict - this is not meant to offend Microsoft)
Since we are talking about virtualization in general, we should understand that the Android emulator is a rather power-hungry thing and requires a sufficient amount of RAM. You can view its quantity in the system properties (for beginners there is a detailed note on how to determine computer parameters -), if you have less than 4 gigabytes of RAM, then most likely you will not achieve comfortable work.
Don't forget that for correct operation and maximum performance, it is recommended to install the latest versions of drivers for your graphics adapter. I did not include commercial versions in this review, because I understand that most likely it is needed to satisfy interest, and in general, to see how it happens there.
Nox App Player is perhaps the best emulator
To be honest, I only recently became acquainted with this emulator, but nevertheless it deserves the first line in our review. More recently, I thought that Bluestacks was the best for our tasks, but I was very wrong (although it probably was like that before). Now there is healthy competition in this segment and many truly worthy options. Most likely, if you don’t have any problems with NOX App Player, then your acquaintance with Android virtualization will end there - you simply won’t find anything better. Everything works great even on modern Windows 10 and I didn’t find any problems with installation or settings, everything is intuitive and simple.
After installing and launching the program, and it installs quite quickly - literally a couple of minutes - we will see the familiar Android screen in front of us (unfortunately, not the latest version, but only 4.4.2, but this is enough to run a huge number of games and applications). The system already has Google Play Market pre-installed, so there should be no problems choosing what to play. There is a small note: be prepared to confirm your Google account, authorization in NOX App Player causes distrust from the “good corporation”.
Unfortunately, the program is not localized into Russian, but Android itself allows you to switch to Russian - you can do this in the same way as on a phone or tablet. But all the program settings will remain in English, but this is not the biggest problem, set it once and forget it.
Now let's move on to the settings (you can open them by clicking on the gear icon at the top of the program). We are interested in the “Advanced” tab - by default the emulator will launch with a resolution of 1280x720, for some this may be too much, or vice versa - too little, just select the one you need and restart the application. You can also configure your emulated device here, for example, Perfomance Setting - these are performance settings; as it turned out, even in the minimum configuration nothing slowed me down, which indicates good optimization.
For the test, I tried to install the game Need For Speed: No Limits - everything works extremely smoothly and there are no problems with the controls. Of course, racing is not the best example, but as far as I know, this game is quite demanding on resources, but everything works just fine.
I would like to write a few words about the action icons that are located to the right of the emulator window, let's go over some of them:
- It is possible to install applications from APK files from a computer; this function is useful if you have problems with the Google Play Store.
- You can select your location manually and the emulator will think that it is receiving the real coordinates of the GPS receiver, but we set them ourselves.
- Creating screenshots, I think there is nothing special to explain here - the most ordinary picture with the contents of a window at a certain moment.
What can be summarized after the mini description of the Android emulator Nox App Player? If you need to install Prescope, Instagram or similar programs, then this emulator is ideal for these purposes. There are no questions about the speed of operation, even heavy 3D toys work great, but you must understand that a lot depends on the performance of your computer.
UPD: If Nox App Player does not start for you or refuses to install, then most likely the username contains Russian characters. You can create a new user using only English characters or rename an existing one
You can download NOX App Player completely free of charge on the official website http://en.bignox.com/
Andy is my choice
I can’t say why, but I settled on this emulator - it seemed to me the most thoughtful and convenient. Unfortunately, the interface is similar to the previous one - in English, but Android itself is in the familiar Russian language. There were no particular problems with installation and startup; everything went like clockwork.
This Android emulator has a pre-installed application store and for the test I tried installing Township and checking how everything works. To be honest, I got stuck and lost for about an hour - everything works smoothly, doesn’t crash or glitch.
There’s nothing special to configure; I think it’s worth highlighting the emulator’s screen resolution settings if the window suddenly turns out to be too large or small. The settings are called up by clicking on the program icon in the taskbar next to the clock, the menu item is called Set Resolution@DPI, and here the desired resolution is selected. Naturally, after applying the parameters, the program must be restarted for the settings to take effect.
If you are worried that this emulator has few settings, then you are mistaken, it has everything you need. You can also configure the allocated amount of RAM (do not forget that it cannot be more than what is physically installed in your computer) and the number of processor cores. On this I think we can finish the description of this wonderful application.
You can download Andy Emulator Android by going to the official website http://www.andyroid.net/
Bluestacks is a former favorite
Bluestacks is probably the most popular and well-known emulator of the Android operating system for a computer running Windows. The big advantage of this program is the presence of the Russian language, but it is not really an emulator - rather an environment for running games. This is probably why Bluestacks shows excellent performance in gaming applications; if you don’t need anything else, then you can choose this option.
Unfortunately, after the update, it is no longer completely free - you will be forced to install certain applications every day or will be asked to pay a subscription of $2 per month. However, no one is stopping us from removing unnecessary programs immediately after installation, but as they say, a residue remains...
The test game Hay Day installed and launched without problems and synchronized perfectly with the facebook account. I had no desire to play, but I didn’t have any problems with this emulator before and I don’t think there will be any now.
The main feature of Bluestacks TV is the ability to broadcast games online on Twitch. I think this feature will be especially in demand by streamers and will help make reviews of Android games simpler than ever before.
Complex and demanding games also launch without problems, but it feels slower than the same Andy or Nox App Player, so the choice is yours.
You can download the Bluestacks emulator by going to the official website of the program http://www.bluestacks.com/ru/index.html
Droid4x - Gamers' Choice
I often saw the Droid4X emulator in the comments - so I decided to test it too. As it turned out, it has a lot of problems - this concerns stability; during testing I constantly had problems. However, it has a lot of useful and necessary functions, so let's not discount it.
Of course, I can’t say that my computer is weak. (Core i5 and 24 GB RAM, HD5870 video card), but the configuration is quite old by computer standards, but I didn’t notice any hints of slowdowns in games, everything goes very smoothly. There is a fly in the ointment, I was never able to launch Plants VS Zombie 2 - the game constantly crashed and did not want to start under any circumstances, there were some problems with the keyboard that resolved themselves. The most unpleasant thing is that the emulator simply froze completely several times in just half an hour of work, this will probably be very annoying. Maybe I have these problems specifically - it’s quite possible that everything will work stably for you, but, unfortunately, it didn’t work for me.
Of course, he also has a bright side - this concerns management. The fact is that out of the box it is remarkably adapted to the usual keyboard and mouse (scrolling left or right, zoom in or out using the mouse wheel - this is all native and familiar to us for a long time).
Droid4X also allows you to bind computer keyboard buttons to the desired areas of the screen, this can be very useful for games, in my opinion, this emulator was intended for games - there were no problems with the Play Market.
In general, the verdict is a good and productive Android emulator for a computer, but I have problems with it, as you will have - I can’t say, try it.
You can download Droid4X on the official website http://www.droid4x.com/
Genymotion - the best for developers
The Genymotion emulator is very different from all the programs presented on today's list; it allows you to emulate not only Android itself, but a wide range of real-life devices. It works quite quickly and supports hardware graphics acceleration, which is good news. The Russian language is not provided here, so some users may have difficulty mastering it.
The audience for this emulator is not avid gamers, but most likely software developers, and I simply wasn’t able to run many games. To get the program we are looking for, we need to register on the site and the opportunity to download the distribution for personal use will become available to us. I recommend using the version with VirtualBox - it's first on the list. There is no need to launch VirtualBox separately - you launch Genymotion and it does everything without your intervention.
So, as I already wrote, there is an opportunity to select the version of Android and the model of the real device, I don’t think that this is a necessary function for the average user, and developers will certainly be happy with this functionality. Click Next and the emulator will automatically pull up everything from the Internet; all we have to do is fine-tune the application.
In the configuration, we can choose the number of cores and the amount of RAM for the device, and we can also change the resolution - everything is only the most necessary.
Next, we need to select our newly created device in the list and click “Play”; in a couple of minutes, the ready-to-use image of the system we have chosen will launch. The emulator's capabilities are well documented, but again, a language barrier may prevent you from working with the program.
You can download Genymotion as usual, on the official website of the program https://www.genymotion.com/. This emulator also has a paid version with extended functionality, but we are not interested in this, we are looking for the one that is For Personal Use and we are happy.
Test results and my thoughts
Currently, there are a lot of Android emulators, for almost every taste and color. I distributed them based on my subjective opinion and it is not necessarily the only correct one - it is possible that for you, the presence of some functions will be decisive and then the favorite of this review will not be Nox App Player or Andy, but perhaps Bluestacks - it is the only one who can stream to Twitch out of the box , and the price of 2 bucks, in general, is rather symbolic and does not hit the pocket of a modern gamer much.
Of course, many have thought about opening applications (Windows OS). After all, everyone has favorites games and programs on your handheld device, which can be played on a larger display.
Description
An emulator will help you with this BlueStacks, which is made specifically for Windows. This program is available on the Internet only in alpha version, so it is difficult to say that it is full-fledged. Most likely, we can say that this is a utility that, inside the operating system of your PC, creates a certain atmosphere that allows open apk files that are intended for Android.
Installing games on Android
Although the program does not have the capabilities of such powerful modifications as the Android SDK, where it is very difficult for a beginner to understand this matter, but BlueStacks has a very easy interface and easy to use. That is, in order to simply open applications, this utility will be enough for you.
This emulator Android for Windows, you can absolutely free download on our website without making any costs or additional registrations. To date, the application has been developed only for Windows 7 for all types of existing versions. In the near future, it is also planned to develop for XP, Vista and, of course, OS X. Install BlueStacks Anyone can do it; there are also a lot of instructional videos on the Internet, which is very acceptable for inexperienced users.
UPDATE 12/14/2015 We have a popular application on our website.
It's no secret that all programs have their drawbacks. This utility also has them, but to be honest, they are not very significant. The main problem is that there is no way to install random applications. It is worth remembering that on low-power computers that provide poor performance, work will be somewhat difficult.
Despite the fact that now there is only a test version, the utility works well. At the same time, it has high stability, the program freezes very rarely, and there are no malfunctions. That is, as you understand, BlueStacks should be ideal for you and your PC.
An Android emulator on a Windows PC in Russian allows you to recreate the smartphone software environment directly on your computer.
With the increasing popularity of the Play Market application store, many users have a desire to transfer some of the software to their desktop PCs.
As a result of the emulator, you can use all the functions and programs that are only available on Android.
It is important to choose good software for creating a virtual OS.
Let's look at the top 5 best emulators, which are distinguished by stable operation, clear menus and Russian-language interface.
System Requirements
Before you start installing a specific program, you should pay attention to all the features and system requirements that your PC must have.
To be able to create virtual machines, visualization must be enabled in the hardware settings of your device. This option is activated in the BIOS/UEFI menu.
As you already understand, the Android OS will be installed as a virtual machine.
This process takes up a lot of RAM, so you should pay special attention to its quantity. Normally, for stable operation of the emulator you will need at least 4 GB of RAM.
A smaller amount of memory will lead to spontaneous shutdowns or errors in the emulator.
You can view the parameter in the system data window (Window "Notification Center"-“System” -“About the system”):
Rice. 1 – checking the amount of RAM on the computer
Remember, in order for the emulator to be able to correctly display all the graphic settings of the adjacent operating system, you must update all video adapter drivers.
This can be done in the device manager by clicking on the appropriate section. Then perform the automatic upgrade procedure by clicking on "Update configuration".
Rice. 2 – updating video adapter drivers on PC
Now you can start installing the emulator. Choose one of the programs suggested below, based on the needs and characteristics of your work with the Android OS.
Windroy – fast system operation
In the process of its operation, the virtual machine uses all available computer resources (core functionality, RAM).
Windroy independently adjusts the performance mode and is capable of automatically optimizing operation. Thus, this emulator is one of the fastest. However, it will be inconvenient to play “heavy” games on it, because the quality of graphics and sound effects may deteriorate.
The program can be switched to window mode. This function is provided by the developers for more comfortable user interaction with the two systems.
As for the installation process, Windroy needs to be installed in the root folder of your main Windows hard drive.
Placing the emulator image on other disks will result in its inoperability.
Main features of Windroy:
- Speed of work;
- Windowed mode support;
- Intuitive installation interface;
- Optimal consumption of computer resources.
Rice. 3 – Android emulation using Windroy
Bluestacks – for installing games
Bluestacks was developed as an environment for quickly installing games that are available on the official Play Market. If you want to install a virtual machine on your PC solely for gaming, we recommend choosing Bluestacks.
Thanks to the reduced functions, gaming performance shows better results than other emulators.
The main window of the program displays a list of the most popular gaming applications in the store. To work with integrated Android, you will need a Google+ account.
Bluestacks Features:
- Excellent game graphics;
- Convenient work desk;
- Fast work;
- Easy installation.
Rice. 4 – main window in the Bluestacks emulator
Andy
The developers of the Andy emulator regularly release new versions of the program, adapting its interface and functionality to different versions of Android firmware.
To install and operate the application correctly, you will need at least three gigabytes of RAM on your main computer.
Your hard drive must have 20 GB of free space.
Unlike the first two representatives of the rating described above, Andy almost 100% replicates the appearance of the popular mobile OS. Users can create multiple desktops, work with files and folders, and install games and applications inside a virtual machine.
Also, Andy allows you to use widgets and live wallpapers. For the most comfortable work, we recommend installing the emulator version 4.2 Jelly Bean.
According to user reviews, it is well adapted for Windows. In older Android firmware, frequent bugs and unexpected failures of saved data may occur.
Andy Emulator Features:
- Ability to synchronize with your smart device;
- Supports Multi-Touch option;
- Pre-installed application store;
- Access the Windows file system directly from the virtual machine.
Rice. 5 - example desktop in Andy
