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In the name of convenience, many apps these days are designed to be cross-platform. They can run on both mobile and desktop, so you can readily switch between devices without starting from scratch. It’s also easier to access your work from anywhere, whether you’re on the go, at home, or in the office.<\/p>\n
But while a number of apps are compatible with both your phone and computer, others are exclusive to mobile devices. They don’t have desktop equivalents, essentially tying you to your phone whenever you need to use them. The good news, though, is that there are workarounds should you want to open Android-only apps on your desktop. From Android emulators to screen mirroring tools, here are some easy ways to run your favorite Android apps for fitness tracking<\/a>, reading, and more, right on your PC or Mac. The best part: They won’t cost you a cent.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Sync your Android phone to your Windows computer using Phone Link<\/p>\n
Marinel Sigue\/BGR<\/p>\n Windows 11 offers a native way to control your Android phone with your PC<\/a> \u2014 using Phone Link<\/a>. This desktop app wirelessly connects your smartphone to your computer, allowing you to check your texts, make calls, browse your photos, and even launch Android apps directly from your PC. You can also receive your phone notifications on your desktop. For viewing texts, calls, and photos, you’ll be using Phone Link’s own interface. But when it comes to Android apps, Phone Link essentially mirrors your smartphone’s screen to access these. Here’s how to set up Phone Link:<\/p>\n Connect your Android phone and PC to the same Wi-Fi network. Do note that with this method, you might experience some delay when navigating the apps. It won’t also work when your Android phone is offline, locked, or connected to a different network than your PC.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Play Android games on Windows via Google Play Games<\/p>\n
Marinel Sigue\/BGR<\/p>\n If the only Android apps you want to use on your computer are games, then\u00a0Google Play Games<\/a>\u00a0is your solution. Google Play Games is a desktop app built for Windows. What it does is sync the games from your Android device to your PC, so you can quickly switch from one to the other. It copies your Google Play Games profile, including your game library, progress, and even Google Play Points<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the minimum, your PC needs to run on Windows 10 (v2004) and have 10GB of available SSD storage, 8GB of RAM, Intel UHD Graphics 630 GPU (or equivalent), and four CPU cores. To use Google Play Games to run Android games on your computer, here’s what you need to do:<\/p>\n Visit the Google Play Games download page<\/a> on your PC browser. From here, you can now see all the different Android games. Pick one you’d like to install on your Windows computer and start playing. Keep in mind, though, that not all Google Play games are playable on your PC. You’d want to look for either a green checkmark or green laptop icon on the game’s download page. A green checkmark means the developers optimized the game specifically for Windows, while a green laptop means it was tested to be playable. You’ll also potentially see a yellow laptop icon (game is untested so it may or may not run well), or red cross icon (game is unavailable for installation), next to an individual listing.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Run the MuMuPlayer Android emulator<\/p>\n
Marinel Sigue\/BGR<\/p>\n Another easy way to use Android apps on your computer is via Android emulators. Android emulators essentially recreate the Android OS environment on your PC or Mac, so it feels like you’re using a real mobile device. Out of the dozens of emulators out there, though, many users swear by MuMuPlayer<\/a>. It’s free (at least for Windows computers) and doesn’t bombard you with ads. Plus, it allows you to play games with your keyboard, mouse, and even gamepad.<\/p>\n To run MuMuPlayer on your PC, first check whether you have at least Windows 7, a quad-core i5-7500 CPU, a relatively recent graphics card (preferably not AMD), 4GB RAM, and 2GB free disk space. For macOS devices, the only condition is that you’re running on Apple Silicon. If your computer meets these hardware requirements, you’re ready for installation. Here’s how to proceed:<\/p>\n Download MuMuPlayer<\/a> on your computer. If you can’t find the app on Play Store, you can also download an APK of it and install it via MuMuPlayer. It’s important to note, though, that MuMuPlayer isn’t a 100% replacement for an Android device, as it might not support every Android app out there.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Mirror your Android screen to your computer via ScrCpy<\/p>\n
Marinel Sigue\/BGR<\/p>\n ScrCpy<\/a> (pronounced screen copy) is an open-source phone screen mirroring tool that lets you see and control your Android screen from your computer. Yes, it’s somewhat similar to Microsoft’s Phone Link. But instead of working wirelessly, ScrCpy requires a wired connection\u00a0\u2014 meaning it’s much less laggy.\u00a0It runs on multiple platforms too, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.\u00a0To use ScrCpy, you first need to configure your Android phone by turning on Developer options and USB debugging. Here’s how:<\/p>\n On your Android phone, launch Settings. With your Android phone ready for screen mirroring, you can begin pairing it with ScrCpy. Follow these next steps:\u00a0<\/p>\n Plug your Android phone into your computer with a data cable.
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\n ![\"Opening](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/sync-your-android-phone-to-your-windows-computer-using-phone-link-1765563890.jpg\")
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\nInstall Link to Windows<\/a> on your Android. Some Samsung and HONOR phones already have this pre-installed.
\nLaunch Phone Link on your PC.
\nOn the Phone Link welcome page, select Android.
\nWhen prompted, enter your computer PIN or password.
\nUsing your Android phone, scan the QR code shown on your computer.
\nHit Continue on your Android device.
\nType the code shown on your PC.
\nSign in to our Microsoft account.
\nPress Continue on both Phone Link and Link to Windows.
\nOn Phone Link on your computer, go to the Apps tab at the top.
\nClick on the app you want to use.
\nBack on your Android phone, select Allow to allow screen mirroring from your phone to the PC.
\nUse the Android app as you normally would.<\/p>\n
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\n ![\"Playing](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/play-android-games-on-windows-via-google-play-games-1765563891.jpg\")
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\nClick Download on PC.
\nInstall the downloaded EXE file.
\nClick on Sign in with Google.
\nIn the browser tab that opens, select the Google account you also use for Play Store on your Android device(s).
\nBack in the Google Play Games app, confirm your Play Games profile.
\nRead and accept the terms and conditions.
\nHit Finish.<\/p>\n
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\n ![\"MuMuPlayer](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/run-the-mumuplayer-android-emulator-1765563891.jpg\")
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\nInstall the file as you normally would.
\nWait for the download and installation to finish.
\nOn the MuMuPlayer home page, hit the play button next to Android Device.
\nWhen prompted, click Allow.
\nGo to the Android Device emulator window that pops up.
\nOpen the Play Store.
\nSign into your Google account.
\nSearch for the Android apps you want to run on your PC or Mac.
\nClick Install.
\nUse the app as you would on your Android phone.
\nTo close the app, simply close the tab from the top menu bar.
\nTo go back to the Android home screen, select the Android Device tab at the top.<\/p>\n
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\n ![\"Android](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mirror-your-android-screen-to-your-computer-via-scrcpy-1765563892.jpg\")
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\nSearch for Build number.
\nTap on the Build number multiple times until you see the “You are 1 tap away from being a developer” message.
\nTap the Build number again. When prompted, enter your phone password if necessary.
\nHit OK to allow development settings.
\nBack on the main Settings page, find Developer options using the search bar.
\nTurn on USB debugging.
\nPress OK to allow USB debugging.<\/p>\n
\nWhen prompted, select Allow on your Android phone.
\nDownload and install ScrCpy<\/a> to your computer.
\nExtract the ZIP file.
\nOpen the folder you extracted.
\nDouble-click on the scrcpy.exe file to run it.<\/p>\n