You can encounter an APK extension file, for example, if you decide to install an application on your computer that you used on your tablet. After downloading a file from the Internet, the time will come to think about how to open it. apk file on the computer?
What is a fileAPKand its purpose
APK (abbreviation for Android Package) is a format of archived application files for Android. Any application written for Android, after compilation, is packaged into one file of this extension. The file name can be anything, but the extension must be .APK.
Encryption is not used when storing data in the archive of this type.
Thus, each .apk file is an archive that can be executed using DalvikVM ( virtual machine), can be installed not only on Android OS.
APK files are stored in the system in the /data/app directory, which is accessible only through Explorer.
For development own applications You can use Google's Android SDK - development environment, .
You can download files of this extension either from where they are stored, or on third-party resources on the Internet (which is undesirable). Once downloaded, you can manually install the application contained in the apk file on your tablet or smartphone. It is not recommended to install applications from unknown sources - they may contain malicious code, while all applications available through Google Play, tested and signed. The installation procedure is described below Android applications APK to tablet or smartphone via USB:
- You need to copy the .APK file to your device using any in a convenient way(via USB, transfer via Wi-Fi, etc.);
- Using the file manager, go to the directory where the application was saved;
- Open the selected apk file.
A number of manufacturers disable the ability to install applications from unknown sources. If you need to enable this feature, go to Settings. Select the “Security” section, check the “Allow installation of applications not obtained from the Market” option.
Video tutorial on APK file format
View file contentsAPK
Wondering which program to open an apk file to see what's inside?
Since .APK files use compression algorithms similar to ZIP, the contents of such archives can be obtained using almost any archiver - .
To view the contents of a file using one of the specified archivers, you need to change the APK extension to ZIP.
File installationAPKon computer
Are you wondering how to open an apk file on your computer? Below is a list that will help you with the installation - it will show you how to open the arc file under any required operating system.
So, how to open APK files under different platforms:
Where else can you encounter files?APK?
Files of this extension can be used by other applications and services discussed below.
- As a file for the GameSpy arcade game service. This extension is used in a shareware MMO game. The utility, which allows players to find available multiplayer games, connect to them, and communicate between players, uses APK extension files that store service data.
- Storage of Active Tutor projects - an environment that provides tools for multimedia development (Creator - 4C Soft Inc.).
- Activity data storage. APK files are also used in the train simulation game (Microsoft Train Simulator), released back in 2001.
So, we looked at the APK file format - what is it used for, what program to open the arc file, where else can you use files of this extension. We hope the information will be useful to readers.
In this article we will tell you how to open an APK file. Follow the instructions exactly and everything will work out.
What is an APK? This is a regular installer or an archive of source files for any application created for the Android platform. Stands for Android PacKage. Some Android device users complain about problems when installing such files. Let's take a closer look.
Initially, you need to give your phone access to third party applications(applications downloaded from the Internet, not from Play Market) and allow them to be installed on your phone. To do this, you need to perform several manipulations with the settings: go to “Settings”, then to the “Personal Data” / “Personalization” / “System” section (it’s different on all phones).
Now the phone will install any downloaded applications. Please note that by downloading such “fraudulent” programs, you risk losing valuable information, for example, passwords, numbers bank cards, and just personal data. Hacking and viruses have not been canceled. Be careful and vigilant about downloaded files.
Tip: Be sure to download an antivirus program to protect your device.
So, there is access. Now you need to get to the file itself, as in regular computer. Almost any file manager will help you with this. It will allow you to use and open downloaded APK programs.
Download absolutely any one. We prefer X-Plore File Manager (Download). In our opinion, it provides the most detailed and conveniently structured information about smartphone files and, in addition, has excellent functionality.
In most cases, you just need to click on the icon of the downloaded application and it will launch.
But if that doesn’t work, then use the “Open in system” function, which allows you to use absolutely all possible programs to open.
Before installation, be sure to check the application permissions. Some of them request access to personal information. In this case, think 20 times before using such applications.
And in general, it is still better to purchase licensed software and other software.
Dear readers! If you have any questions or comments on the topic of the article, please leave them below.
If for some reason you want to install a program not from the Play Store, you will probably be faced with the issue of opening the application distribution package, which is located in the APK file. Or perhaps you need to open such a distribution to view the files (for example, for subsequent modification). We'll tell you how to do both.
The APK format (short for Android Package) is the main format for distributing application installers, so by default, when you run such files, the installation of the program begins. Opening such a file for viewing is somewhat more difficult, but still doable. Below we will describe methods that will allow you to both open APKs and install them.
Method 1: MiXplorer
MiXplorer has a built-in tool to open and view the contents of an APK file.
Cunning this method lies in the very nature of the APK: despite the format, it is a modified version of the GZ/TAR.GZ archive, which, in turn, is a modified version of the compressed ZIP folders.
If you want to install the application from the installer rather than view it, do the following.
There are similar tools in many other file managers(For example, Root Explorer). The algorithm of actions for another explorer application is almost identical.
Method 2: Total Commander
The second option for viewing an APK file as an archive is Total Commander, one of the most sophisticated explorer applications for Android.
To install an APK file using Total Commander, do the following.
- Activate "Unknown sources", as described in Method 1.
- Repeat steps 1-2, but instead "Open as ZIP" choose an option "Install".
Method 3: My APK
You can speed up the process of installing applications from an APK distribution by using an application such as My APK. This is an advanced manager for working with both installed programs, and with their installers.
If you have installed on your computer antivirus program Can scan all files on your computer, as well as each file individually. You can scan any file by clicking right click mouse on the file and selecting the appropriate option to scan the file for viruses.
For example, in this figure it is highlighted file my-file.ark, then you need to right-click on this file and select the option in the file menu "scan with AVG". When you select this option, it will open AVG Antivirus, which will perform the check this file for the presence of viruses.
Sometimes an error may occur as a result incorrect installation software , which may be due to a problem encountered during the installation process. This may interfere with your operating system link your ARK file to the correct application software , influencing the so-called "file extension associations".
Sometimes simple reinstalling FreeArc may solve your problem by linking ARK to FreeArc correctly. In other cases, problems with file associations may result from bad software programming developer and you may need to contact the developer for further assistance.
Advice: Try updating FreeArc to latest version to make sure you have the latest patches and updates installed.
This may seem too obvious, but often The ARK file itself may be causing the problem. If you received the file via an attachment Email or downloaded it from a website and the download process was interrupted (for example, a power outage or other reason), the file may become damaged. If possible, try getting a new copy of the ARK file and try opening it again.
Carefully: A damaged file may cause collateral damage to a previous or existing malware on your PC, so it is very important to keep an updated antivirus running on your computer at all times.
If your file is ARK related to the hardware on your computer to open the file you may need update device drivers associated with this equipment.
This problem usually associated with media file types, which depend on successfully opening the hardware inside the computer, e.g. sound card or video cards. For example, if you are trying to open an audio file but cannot open it, you may need to update sound card drivers.
Advice: If when you try to open an ARK file you receive .SYS file error message, the problem could probably be associated with corrupted or outdated device drivers that need to be updated. This process can be made easier by using driver update software such as DriverDoc.
If the steps do not solve the problem and you are still having problems opening ARK files, this may be due to lack of available system resources. Some versions of ARK files may require a significant amount of resources (e.g. memory/RAM, processing power) to properly open on your computer. This problem occurs quite often if you are using a fairly old computer. Hardware and at the same time a much newer operating system.
This problem can occur when the computer has difficulty completing a task because operating system(and other services running in background) can consume too many resources to open ARK file. Try closing all applications on your PC before opening PowerDesk Pro Archive. Freeing up all available resources on your computer will provide the best conditions for attempting to open the ARK file.
If you completed all the steps described above and your ARK file still won't open, you may need to run equipment update. In most cases, even when using older versions of hardware, the processing power may still be more than sufficient for most custom applications(unless you're doing a lot of CPU intensive work like 3D rendering, financial/scientific modeling or multimedia intensive work). Thus, it is likely that your computer does not have enough memory(more commonly called "RAM", or RAM) to perform the file open task.
Found among the files Windows file with unknown expansion, we often become discouraged. The devil knows what this is so unrecognized by the “axis”. Such thoughts come to the minds of many people who see the “apk” extension for the first time. Having an apk file, how can I open this thing on Windows?
Before answering this question, it is necessary to understand what kind of animal is in front of us. The ".apk" file format was developed by Google for the purpose of maintaining this format executable applications of the Android OS. The very concept of storing programs and data in one archive is not new. Even at the dawn of distribution personal computers Packaging programs into archives was very popular. To launch such applications, you didn’t even need to unpack this archive - the system tools did it on their own. This technology It is also popular among developers and users of various types of emulators. Therefore, the idea of Google is not something unusual or unexpected.
“Apk” simply stands for “Android Package”. This is an ordinary archive that can be opened by almost any archiver available for Windows.
The archive contains the following application components:
- Source code of the program.
- Application resources, such as images, sounds, etc.
- A special file called manifest.
Those wishing to open such a file with an archiver will need to follow our further instructions.
We perform an autopsy
Since apk is an archive, we will try to open it with an archiver program. Many multifunctional archiver programs have been developed for Windows that can create and open an archive of almost any format. APK files are no exception. Let us point out two such archivers for Windows that successfully cope with this task: WinRar and 7-zip. If the first of these programs is commercial, then the second is completely free, and you can download it directly from the website of its developer - Igor Pavlov - at: http://www.7-zip.org/ or http://7-zip .org.ua/ru/ .
Install the 7-zip archiver on Windows (unless of course this famous program no longer found a home on your computer).
Right-click on the required apk file. The context menu should appear as usual.
Select the menu item “7-zip” - a submenu will appear with a choice of action options.
We ask the archiver to open the archive or extract data from the archive. It can be done different ways by selecting one or another submenu item, for example, the “Open archive” item (only for viewing the contents) or the “Unpack” item. The user will be prompted to specify a folder for unpacking and other optional parameters.
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