How to Install Android Launchers on Windows Subsystem for Android?

April 5, 2022

Windows Subsystem for Android is undeniably an outstanding feature of the Windows 11 Operating System to run Android applications on your computer system as smoothly as possible. If you’re an app developer who is looking for a flawless or seamless debugging environment, or just a general PC user trying to run their favorite Android apps along with the general Windows applications and programs, then this feature will never disappoint you. With the help of this feature, you can easily set up multiple Android apps on your Windows-based system seamlessly without any errors or bugs.

About its user interface, Microsoft acquired conceptual elements from its own Linux Subsystem, which signifies that an Android application is presented in the same way as the latest or modern Windows application. While Windows 11 OS streamlines the Android app management process by automatically creating contextual shortcuts in the Start menu as soon as you download the Android apps from the Amazon Appstore or sideload the Android apps by using Android Debugging Bridge (ADB) tool, the Windows Subsystem for Android feature doesn’t provide you a customized home screen to access all the installed Android apps.

The initial thing you’ll notice after installing any Android Launcher is the accessibility of a home screen. From there, you can access the app launcher along with the Android instance’s in-built Settings application. In this article, we’ll be going to discuss how you can install Android Launchers on Windows Subsystem for Android. Before starting this process, you must install the Windows Subsystem for Android feature on your Windows 11 system.

Prerequisites Before we Begin:

Before we get started, remember that this article is best for those who have already installed the windows subsystem for android on their Windows 11 PC. If you have not installed it yet, then don’t worry, you can go through our detailed posts. The links are given below:

How to install Android Launcher on Windows Subsystem for Android?

Firstly, download the APK File of your favorite Android Launcher from a third-party source (like APKMirror.com). You can download the Windows Launcher app as this launcher is compatible with the environment of Windows.
After downloading the APK File of the Android Launcher, you’ve to sideload the APK File with the help of the Android Debugging Bridge (ADB) tool. We’ve discussed this process in our previous article in detail, check the link.
Now, move the downloaded file to the platform-tools folder so that you can easily sideload the APK file.
Now, click on the Start menu and search for Windows Terminal and open the program.
The Windows Terminal window will appear on the screen. Now open the Settings section of the Windows Subsystem for Android feature on your PC system and enable the Developer Mode.
After enabling the Developer Mode on the Settings section, copy the IP Address and again open the Windows Terminal window.
Now, type the following command on the Windows Terminal window to connect to the WSA (Windows Subsystem for Android) Interface and press Enter key.

adb connect WSA-IP-ADDRESS.

In the following command, interchange “WSA-IP-ADDRESS” with the actual IP address of the Windows Subsystem for Android which you’ve enabled through the Developer Mode.

Now, to install the Android APK File on your Windows 11 system, again type the following command and press Enter key –

adb install ANDROID-APK-APPNAME

In the command, again interchange “ANDROID-APK-APPNAME” with the actual APK file of the Android app which you’ve downloaded from the third-party sources.

After a few seconds, your Apk file will be installed successfully. Now open the Android Launcher from the Start menu and complete the setup for the Android Launcher.

After finishing the setup, your Android Launcher will open on your Windows 11 system. Also, you can see other Android-based apps which you’ve installed on your PC system. You can also create some cool widgets on the Android Launcher so that you can easily access all the apps instantly on the home screen.

Last Words:

That’s all about how you can install Android Launchers on Windows Subsystem for Android. If you have further queries don’t forget to drop them down in the comments section below. I will be happy to help.

Thank you for reading. I will be back soon with another interesting update. Don’t forget to join our Telegram Channel for getting the latest tech updates.

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Anuj Kumar

Anuj is a passionate blogger from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. Currently pursuing B.sc in Programming and Data Science from IIT Madras. Apart from being an avid learner and a tech enthusiast, he loves playing PC Games and likes to keep himself updated with the latest trends in the tech industry.