How to install Android on PC?

Do you want to install Android on PC? This post from MiniTool Partition Wizard offers you two solutions: replace Windows with Android thoroughly or install Android alongside Windows. You can choose one according to your condition. In addition, it offers you the step-by-step guide.

Best Android OS for PC

Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

This OS is designed for ARM chips and you can’t run it on PCs that use x86 chips. However, some people may want to install Android on PC because Android OS has many advantages, for example:

• It is a lightweight OS. If your PC has a low-end configuration, Android can invigorate it.
• Android OS supports Google Play. Installing Android desktop PC allows you to run Google Play apps on PCs.

Tip: If you just want to run Android apps on your PC, installing Android OS on the PC is not the only choice. Installing Chrome OS or other systems based on the Chrome OS can achieve the same purpose.

To install Android on laptop, you can use the following 3 ways:

1. Use software to emulate Android on PC. This is the method BlueStacks and other Android emulators use. This method will consume more resources because you need to run both Windows and Android systems. Surely, you can also install Android on VirtualBox or VMware by yourself.
2. Replace Windows with Android. Before you do this, please back up data in advance because this will destroy data on the hard drive.
3. Dual boot Android and Windows. If your PC has a low-end configuration but you can’t make up your mind to replace Windows with Android thoroughly, you can use this schedule. This schedule allows you to try Android on your low-end PC. If you find you don’t like this OS, you can remove it easily.

Now, you should pick an Android OS for PC. Here are the top 4 best Android OS for PC and you can choose one from them.

1. Android x86: It is the project to port AOSP-Android for x86 machines and it plays a very significant role in all Android systems for PC. It gives you a lightweight Android operating system without customization. On the  PC, you can get the same key features and interface seen on a real Android smartphone.
2. Bliss OS: It is a pure Android x86 OS with few modifications like the taskbar and system stability. You can launch apps in Windowed mode rather than the full screen, which helps open two or more apps side by side. The problem is that it may fail to bot under the UEFI mode.
3. Phoenix OS: It is based on the Android x86 project. Both 32-bit and 64-bit computers are supported, but the new Phoenix OS only supports x64 architecture. The downside is that it has annoying ads and built-in apps.
4. Prime OS: It is an operating system that claims to give you a full desktop experience just like Mac and Windows, but the new version is bugged.

Preparatory Work

To install Android on laptop, you should do some preparations in advance.

Create an Android Installation Disk

The problem is what OS you want to use. In my opinion, Android x86 is the best Android OS for PC. I recommend you choose it to install on your PC because this OS has the following advantages:

• It can run on 32-bit/64-bit AMD and Intel processors.
• It supports both BIOS and UEFI boot modes.
• It can boot from FAT32, EXT4, and NTFS partitions.

If you want to install Android x86 on your PC, you can go through the following steps to create an installation disk:

Step 1: Get the Android x86 ISO file.

• Go to the Android x86 official website (android-x86.org) and click the Download button.
• On the Android x86 download page, choose a download website (FOSSHUB, OSDN, or SourceForge) to get the Android x86 ISO file from it.
• Download the 32-bit or 64-bit ISO file that can be installed on Windows PC directly. As for other files, two RPM files are used for Linux PCs and the K49 ISO file is used for VMWare.

Step 2: Download a burning tool and then use it to burn the ISO file into the USB drive. Taking Rufus as an example, the process is as follows:

• Insert a USB drive into your PC.
• Download Rufus and launch it. The USB drive will be detected automatically.
• Click the Select button to select the Android x86 ISO file.
• Choose MBR or GPT as the partition scheme according to the what partition scheme the target disk use. 
• Click the Start button to burn the ISO file into the USB drive. Some windows may pop up and you just click the Yes and OK buttons.

Create Space for Android x86 (Optional)

If you want to install Android x86 alongside Windows, this step is necessary. To create space for Android x86, I recommend you use MiniTool Partition Wizard, which allows you to get unallocated space from multiple partitions. Here is the guide:

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1: Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard and go to its main interface. Right-click a partition and choose Move/Resize.

Step 2: Drag the arrow icon to decide how much space you want to shrink. Click the partition block and drag it to decide the location of the partition. Then, click the OK button. In the same way, you can take unallocated space from other partitions and then put the unallocated space together by moving the location of partitions.

Tip: Android x86 requires at least 4GB of space, but in most cases, around 10GB is recommended.

Step 3: Right-click the unallocated space and choose the Create button.

Tip: In most cases, you don’t need to do the partition creation operation because the Android installation wizard will help you do that. However, when I do that, I encounter the error “Fatal Error: Bad primary partition: Partition ends in the final partial cylinder”. To work around this problem, I decide to create a partition in advance.

Step 4: Set parameters for the new partition. You can keep all of them to the default value if you don’t have specific demands. Then, click the OK button.

Step 5: Click the Apply button to execute pending operations.

Tip: If you have moved/resized the C drive, it will request you to restart the PC.

Install Android on PC

Tip: Android x86 requires at least 2GB memory and 4GB disk space. You should

Android x86 requires at least 2GB memory and 4GB disk space. You should check your PC specs to make sure your PC meets these requirements.

Dual Boot Android and Windows

Step 1: Insert the USB installation disk into the PC where you want to install Android x86. Boot the PC into the firmware and set the USB disk as the first boot device. Press F10 to save changes and boot the PC from the USB drive.

Step 2: Now, the Android x86 installation wizard will open and you need to go through the Android installation process. Please select Installation – Install Android-x86 to harddisk.

Tip: In the installation interface, you should use arrow keys (up, down, left, and right) to select the item you want, and then use the Enter key to confirm your option.

Step 3: You will be asked to select a partition to install Android-x86. On this page, all partitions will be listed and you should choose the new partition you just created for Android x86. You can identify this partition by size.

Tip: If you don’t create a partition for Android in advance, you should choose “Create/Modify partitions” to create the partition. Please select the free space, choose New > Primary, press Enter key to confirm the size, select Write, and then type “yes” and press Enter. Then, select Quit and choose this partition to install Android.

Step 4: Choose a file system for the Android partition as your will. To make sure Windows can access Android data without hindrance or vice versa, NTFS is recommended.

Tip: You can also choose the “Do not re-format” option because the partition is already formatted to NTFS in the above steps.

Step 5: It will ask you some questions related to GRUB, /system directory, etc. Please select OK for all of these questions after reading them.

Step 6: After the installation process is completed, select Run Android-x86 to boot into it. Wait until you get into the GUI. 

 

Replace Windows with Android

Step 1: Boot the PC from the USB installation disk. When the installation wizard opens, select Installation – Install Android-x86 to harddisk.

Step 2: When it asks you to select a partition to install Android-x86, please choose Create/Modify partitions. Select a Windows partition and choose Delete. Please repeat this operation until you have deleted all Windows partitions.

Tip: If you encounter problems when you delete Windows partitions, you can create a MiniTool Partition Wizard bootable disk or a Windows bootable disk to delete these partitions. To get the detailed steps, please read this post:

If you encounter problems when you delete Windows partitions, you can create a MiniTool Partition Wizard bootable disk or a Windows bootable disk to delete these partitions. To get the detailed steps, please read this post: How to Wipe a Computer Windows 10 [4 Ways]

Step 3: Select the free space, and select New > Primary. Then, press Enter to confirm the size. Once the partition is created, select Bootable. When the “Boot” appears under the Flags tab, now you can select Write. Then, type “yes” and press Enter to write the partition table to the disk. Once the process is completed, select Quit.

Step 4: Now, select the partition to install Android. Then, follow the wizard to complete the installation. As for the detailed steps, you can refer to the above content. 

The above content offers a full guide on how to install Android on PC. You can follow the guide to get an Android desktop PC.

Here is a post showing you how to create an Android desktop PC. If you want to install Android on laptop or want to dual boot Android and Windows, this post will help you.Click to Tweet

Bottom Line

Do you know other nice Android systems for PC? Have you encountered issues when installing Android x86 on a PC through the above steps? Please leave your ideas in the following comment zone. I look forward to discussing these issues with you.

In addition, if you encounter problems when using MiniTool Partition Wizard, please feel free to contact us via [email protected]. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

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It's possible to install Android on a PC without using an emulator. Learn how to run Android apps and access a full version of the mobile operating system on Windows.

Instructions in this article apply to desktops and laptops running Windows 10, 8, and 7.

Why Install Android on PC?

If you don't have an Android device, you're missing out on millions of apps in the Google Play Store. Even if you already have a smartphone or tablet that you play Android games on, you might prefer to play them on your PC.

There are several ways to run Android apps on your computer. For example, the Android SDK comes with an Android emulator for debugging apps, and BlueStacks is a cloud-based virtual machine that optimizes Android apps for desktops. However, if you want to access the full version of Android without an emulator, then your best bet is Phoenix OS.

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What Is Phoenix OS?

Phoenix OS is an operating system based on Android 7 (Nougat) that is designed to run on desktop and laptop computers. If you install it on your hard drive, you're given the option to boot into Phoenix OS each time you start up your computer. Alternatively, you can save it to a USB flash drive for use on any computer.

Before you can install Phoenix OS, you must first download the installer for your operating system. Windows users can download an EXE file, but Mac users must download an ISO file and burn it to a flash drive before they can launch the installer. You must also make changes to your system's BIOS settings.

To run Phoenix OS, your computer needs an Intel x86 series CPU.

How to Install Android Phoenix OS on PC

To get started installing Android on your PC using the Phoenix OS, these are the steps you'll need to follow:

1. Download the Phoenix OS installer for your OS.

2. Open the installer and select Install.

   To install Phoenix OS on a USB drive, select Make U-Disk.

3. Select the hard drive where you want to install the OS, then select Next.

4. Select the amount of space you want to reserve on your hard drive for Phoenix OS, then select Install.

   This option determines the size of the apps you can run, so you should set it as high as possible.

5. Phoenix OS is now installed, but you'll likely receive a notification saying you must disable secure boot.

How to Disable Secure Boot for Phoenix OS

Windows has a built-in security feature that will prevent Phoenix OS from running at startup. How you disable the secure boot feature depends on your motherboard and your version of Windows. The Microsoft support website has detailed instructions for disabling secure boot for different systems.

Using Phoenix OS to Run Android Apps on PC

Whenever you start your computer, you can choose to load Windows or Phoenix OS. You can also select the shortcut on your desktop to launch Phoenix OS. The first time you start Phoenix, you'll need to select the language (the default is Chinese) and set it up just like you would a new Android device.

Phoenix OS isn't always stable, so if it doesn't load successfully the first time, it might work if you try again.

The Phoenix OS interface looks similar to Windows, but it behaves like Android. If using a laptop, then you may need an external mouse as Phoenix OS is not compatible with all trackpads. If your computer has a touch screen, then you can navigate the interface just like you would on a smartphone or tablet.

Phoenix OS comes preloaded with Google Play, so you can download apps directly from Google. You can also sideload apps using APK files. Select the Menu icon in the bottom-left corner of the desktop to see your apps.

FAQ

• How do I play Steam games on Android?

  Set up the Steam Link app on your mobile device and PC to play games from your Steam library on your Android device.
  

• How do I play PC games on Android?

  You can stream PC games to your Android using an app like Nvidia GameStream, Kainy, or Splashtop Personal.

• How do I mirror my Android device to my PC?

  To mirror your Android screen on your computer, set up the Link to Windows app (formerly Your Phone) on your PC and mobile device.