How to Install Android on a PC: Every Method Explained
You can run Android on a PC by replacing Windows, dual-booting, using a virtual machine, or using an emulator.
4 min read

In brief
AI summaryAndroid can be installed on a PC in place of Windows using tools like PrimeOS, Phoenix OS, or Android-x86.
Android can also run alongside Windows on a separate disk partition for dual-boot setups.
Virtual machines (VirtualBox, VMware) and emulators are alternative ways to run Android on a PC without replacing Windows.
Contents6 sections
Installing Android on a PC isn't something you can only do with an emulator. That's why we've covered every method for running Android on a PC. In this article, we'll go into detail about running Android on a PC, installing Android on a PC, and using Android.

Guide to Installing Android on a PC 2022
The idea of installing Android on a PC keeps coming up thanks to the recent growth of Android games and apps. Almost everyone finds they need a virtual Android on their computer at some point. Running certain apps from a PC instead of a phone can matter for both security and convenience. It's also true that game controls can work better with PC hardware. Playing on a bigger screen with more powerful gear gives us an edge over our opponents.
Installing Android Instead of Windows on a PC
Using Windows on your PC but need Android more? Then this method is for you. One of the most stable ways to run Android on a PC is to install a Linux distribution built around Android. As you know, Android is a Linux distribution. Because it runs on a Linux base, it has a different structure from Windows. Adapting that structure into Windows can cause some issues. Running Android inside Windows through an emulator or another method sets the stage for those same issues. If you want to get rid of these problems entirely, you should dedicate your resources directly to Android instead of running it inside Windows. You can do this in one of two ways. One is replacing Windows with Android entirely. The other is installing Android alongside Windows. Both help you make full use of your computer's resources.
However, if you want to use all of your computer's resources purely for running Android, you need to install Android instead of Windows. Because if you install both Windows and Android side by side, you'll use up more space on your disk. If that's going to be a problem for you, the best way to run Android on a PC is to install Android instead of Windows. Here's the software you can use to install Android directly on a PC in place of Windows:
- PrimeOS
- Bliss OS-x86
- Phoenix OS
- Remix OS
- Android-x86
- LineageOS
Installing Android Alongside Windows on a PC
If removing Windows and installing Android in its place doesn't suit you, and you'd rather have both Android and Windows on your computer so you can boot into either one whenever you want, you'll need to install Android alongside Windows. To do this, you need enough disk space and a proper partition on your computer. The drives used as C and D (some use a single drive like C) may be enough for this. But if you want to run Android alongside Windows, the installation needs to go somewhere other than the drive Windows runs on. You should also know that this drive will need to be formatted, prepared in the appropriate format for Android. In other words, you need to know that you'll need to create a separate disk partition on your computer where only Android can run. Once you've created the partition, you'll need to install one of the following Android solutions onto that drive. Installation notes for these are widely available on the projects' official websites and across the internet.

Installing a Virtual Android on a PC
Most of you have probably heard of creating a virtual computer on your PC. This method, known as a virtual machine, lets you run an additional operating system inside your existing one. To do this, you'll need helper programs, which we can call virtualizers. Here are some programs commonly used to set up a virtual machine:
- VirtualBox
- VMware Workstation Player
- Parallels Desktop
- QEMU
- Citrix HyperVisor
- Xen Project
- Microsoft Hyper-V
Installing Android on a PC Using an Emulator
If none of the sections above suit you and you need an emulator to run Android on your PC, read this section carefully. Using an Android emulator, you can run Android on your computer and do most of the things you can do with Android. You can play games, use WhatsApp and Telegram, and do many other things you wouldn't normally do on your phone, all by running Android in an emulator. Keep in mind that running Android on a PC with an emulator requires solid system resources. Emulator software puts heavy load on your processor. Even though processors perform better thanks to virtualization technology, this can still get in the way of doing other things on your computer. If your resources aren't up to the task, it can slow down your PC enough to disrupt your other work.


