Windows OS emulators for Android. The best Android emulators for Windows Android simulator for windows 7

It would seem, why emulate the Android mobile operating system on a computer if you are not a developer? There are plenty of reasons for this, and one of them is the huge ecosystem of applications and games that are created specifically for Android, but are not present on Windows, Linux or OS X. What to do if you want to continue playing Clash of Clans on your computer or upload a high-quality photo to Instagram from PC? Of course, you should resort to the help of emulators. The best of them are presented in this article.

Bluestacks - all in one

One of the most popular and fast-growing Android emulators for Windows and OS X. With update 2.0, the emulator has literally changed - a fresh, but sometimes overloaded interface has appeared, the developers began to position Bluestacks more as an opportunity to play Android games and for this they added several useful functions.

Most programs and games are compatible with Bluestacks - as the developers themselves say, and in general the software library for the emulator is quite extensive. It is worth noting that all games and applications in the Bluestacks internal catalog are specially optimized, that is, they will definitely work on the computer. If you install a third-party APK file, then its correct operation, of course, is not guaranteed. Some programs are completely built into the emulator and work almost out of the box, for example Instagram. All the functions characteristic of an emulator are present: changing the screen orientation, simulating shaking, creating screenshots, GPS emulation, convenient work with files - dragging and dropping from Windows Explorer or Finder OS X into the program, copying / pasting, as well as sound control.

You can easily switch between open applications and games using tabs, just like in a browser. Among other things, games now support gamepads. If Bluestacks has any shortcomings, then they probably include only low performance and sometimes an overly cumbersome interface. You can download Bluestacks for Windows and OS X on Trashbox or on the official website of the emulator.

Nox App Player - convenient and functional

It is a more minimalistic, convenient and functional solution. Compared to the same Bluestacks, Nox does not have any cumbersome menus with recommendations, various synchronizations with your own account, and other functionality that will be superfluous for most users. When you launch Nox App Player, the user will see the familiar Android desktop with a sidebar where there are quick function buttons, as well as the familiar “Home”, “Back” and “Recents”. The developers decided to remove the bottom bar with control buttons to save space.

One distinctive feature is immediately noticeable - when running applications that only work in portrait orientation, the emulator screen and window are adjusted. That is, there will be no situations like in Bluestacks, where portrait programs take up ¼ of the screen and the rest is empty space. By the way, in the settings you can adjust the window size and orientation, as well as performance, allocating processor cores and memory.

Geeks in Nox App Player will be pleased with the function of receiving by switching one toggle switch in the settings. You can also set custom keyboard shortcuts here. Even without rooting, Nox App Player can record screen videos. This might not even be mentioned if the emulator used a fresh version of Android (video recording is available from 5.0), but, unfortunately, the Nox developers are stuck with 4.4.2 KitKat for now.

Nox App Player is not the best for games - many display graphics incorrectly. The emulator is more tailored for applications and working with them. For example, to create videos and beautiful screenshots without upper and lower bars. The emulator is also integrated with the Windows 10 notification system. You can download the Nox App Player emulator for Windows on Trashbox and the official website of the project.

Genymotion - for developers

Genymotion is an emulator designed specifically for Android game and application developers, but it can also be used by ordinary people. Unlike the two previous emulators, Genymotion is present on all three popular desktop platforms - Windows, OS X and Linux.

Since Genymotion is an alternative to the emulator built into the Android SDK, templates for a wide variety of Android devices are available in it - from smartphones and tablets of the Nexus line to some little-known budget devices. The emulator of each device has a set of relevant characteristics: screen size and resolution, processor and video chip, battery, GPS and support for cellular networks, as well as some others. When you launch an application or game in the emulator, you can call up a special panel to control all these device parameters. For example, you can find out how the program behaves when GPS or the Internet is turned off. Also, device parameters can be freely edited.

For ordinary users who would like to play and use mobile applications on a computer, Genymotion is not very suitable, but for geeks it is quite suitable. You can download the Genymotion emulator for Windows, Linux and OS X on the official website of the project.

MEMU - for games

It is another emulator focused mainly on mobile games. There is a special keyboard layout for them and even gamepad emulation. For example, you can bind keyboard keys to on-screen buttons. Such features are often missing from Bluestacks, which is also positioned as a mobile gaming platform for PC. Otherwise, MEmu is a standard emulator with a good set of features.

At the time of writing this article, MEmu does not use the latest version of Android - 4.4.2 KitKat, but Lollipop or even Marshmallow are not particularly needed in emulators, because most software is optimized specifically for KitKat. Among the interesting additional features of MEmu are: sending applications from a computer to a smartphone or tablet for quick installation, convenient change of screen orientation, as well as a full-screen mode for games. The picture quality in the latter often leaves much to be desired, but still. Surprisingly, most of the “heavy” games in MEmu are emulated well - there are no problems with graphics.

WindowsAndroid is an emulator program that allows you to simulate the operation of the Android OS on Windows computers, which in turn allows you to work on a computer under the same conditions and principles as on a smartphone with an Android operating system installed.

The unique feature and advantage of this PC emulator over analogues is its simple and at the same time intuitive use. It would seem that this is an elementary condition for the popularity of an application, however, oddly enough, it does not occur and is fulfilled as often as we would like. The main requirement from you when working with an emulator program for Android WindowsAndroid is to install the file. At this point, your work stops; the application will independently make the necessary settings for the system to operate.

The difference in use between a smartphone and a personal computer will be only that, in the first case, you use your fingers on the touchpad, and in the second, you use the mouse. To unlock the device, you will need to drag a specific item to its designated location.

The interface is no different from the one you are used to seeing on the screen of your smartphone. All functions of the device become available, as well as manipulations that are available by default on any gadget with the Android system.

Another important detail is the opening possibility of using Google Play for your computer. You can download and install all the games and programs available and available there on your PC just as you do on a smartphone.

In order to use the Android OS on Windows, you can install special programs - emulators. They are created so that people can test different mobile applications on a PC before installing them on a smartphone or tablet. Emulators are also needed by developers creating software for portable gadgets.

If you want to download an Android emulator for Windows 7, 8.1 or 10, be sure to check out this article. You can also search the Internet for information on how to run Android applications from a flash drive or using various virtual machines, for example, Virtual Box or Hyper-V.

Important: in order for Android emulators to fully function on a computer, AMD-v or Intel VT-x virtualization must be enabled in EUFI or BIOS. Most often, it is activated by default, but if problems arise with the operation of special applications, be sure to check the settings.

Top 10 best Android emulators for a computer running Windows 7,8,10

Below, we provide 10 of the highest quality Android OS emulator programs (in Russian) for PCs with Windows 7,8,10.

BlueStacks

This is the most popular program used by millions of people to run Android games in the Windiws environment. BlueStacks has good performance, a Russian-language interface and thoughtful settings that are easy to understand.

After installing the emulator, it will launch in full screen mode, but you can also turn it on in a window. In the program you will see a search for games and a list of applications available for download. To be able to install them, use a Google account. For these purposes, you can not use the old profile, but create a new one.

Do you have an Android tablet or smartphone? Then install the BlueStacks Cloud Connect app. Then you can synchronize applications between your computer and portable gadgets.

Various programs in BlueStacks work without problems, as do games, but in the second case the emulator may slow down a little. But it is good because it works not only in Windows, but also in Mac OS X.

You can download the BlueStacks emulator program (in Russian) for free on the developer’s website.

MEmu

The distinctive features of this emulator are the possibility of free use and the presence of Russian in the interface settings and shell parameters. MEmu works without lag, loads quickly and has good compatibility with games from the Play Market. It provides many useful options: binding keyboard keys to certain areas of the screen, organizing shared access to folders on a PC, replacing GPS.

New applications in MEmu can be installed from Google Play (you will need an account for this) and using APK files. In the second case, the user needs to press the corresponding button on the taskbar or double-click on the file, after which the program will appear on the display of the virtual device.

MEmu also provides the ability to transfer software from a computer to smartphones or tablets. To do this, you need to connect the gadget to the PC via a USB cable and press the corresponding key in the emulator.

You can download the MEmu emulator on the official website. The selection of the Russian language in the program occurs during its installation process.

Remix OS Player

This emulator is based on Remix OS, a modification of Android x86 designed specifically to work on laptops and computers. It has a taskbar and a Start button. In general, this is a full-fledged Android system. The bad thing about it is that it is intended exclusively for computers with Intel processors.

In Remix OS Player, Google services, in particular the Play Market, are disabled for security reasons. You can activate them at any time. We remind you that experts do not recommend using the main Google account in emulators - for these purposes it is better to create a separate account.

Some applications in Remix OS Player run in small windows, but they usually expand to fill the entire display. Unlike Bluestacks and other programs, Remix OS Player is designed for use on a PC with a regular display, not a touchscreen. There is always a cursor in the program window, and when entering text, a virtual keyboard does not appear on the screen, occupying almost the entire screen. To switch the cursor between windows in the emulator and Windows, you can use the Ctrl + Alt key combination.

You can download the Remix OS Player emulator (in Russian) on the official website page.

Nox App Player

According to many users, Nox App Player is the best Android emulator for Windows. It deserves special attention, because it has practically no shortcomings and copes with the assigned tasks perfectly. This program is intended for Windows 7, 8.1 and 10.

A few seconds after the program starts, you will see the Android screen on the monitor.

Nox App Player uses the Nova Launcher shell, has a browser and a file manager. In older versions of the emulator, the Russian language had to be enabled in the settings, but in the new one it is present initially.

The tablet resolution is enabled in the program settings - 1280x720. To change this setting, click on the gear icon in the upper right corner of the screen - this will take you to settings. By default, low performance is selected in Nox App Player, but even with this option, the emulator running on a weak computer runs without freezing.

The program's controls are completely identical to those used in Android devices. The video camera and sound work there; there are no problems with the functioning of the regular and on-screen keyboard. Nox App Player also has PlayMarket, from where you can download various software and test it on Windows.

For greater user convenience, the developers have placed icons for the following actions on the right side of the emulator window:

• installing applications from APK files;
• taking screenshots;
• location spoofing for GPS;
• export and download files;
• simultaneous launch of several emulator windows.

Do you run different Android applications on your computer, use Instagram and want the emulator to work flawlessly? Then use Nox App Player. Most programs run in it without freezing. Some “brakes” can only be observed when launching heavy 3D games.

You can download the Nox App Player emulator (in Russian) on the developer’s website page.

You can find complaints on the Internet that Nox App Player does not start after installation. To solve this problem, change the username and the name of his folder, using the Latin alphabet instead of the Cyrillic alphabet.

Leapdroid

Back in 2016, many users paid attention to the Leapdroid emulator. At that time it had just appeared on the market, but over time it became a serious competitor to software with similar functionality.

Main advantages of Leapdroid:

• Availability of Russian language;
• high performance;
• support for many applications and games for Android;
• ability to work without activating hardware virtualization.

When using Leapdroid, pay attention to the settings of the mouse buttons and control keys in games. Some gaming apps load these options automatically, while others require the user to manually assign individual keys and set the desired screen areas.

The developers of the Leapdroid emulator recently announced the end of support for it. The program can be found on the page. When downloading the emulator from third-party resources, do not forget to check the files for viruses.

Koplayer

Koplayer is a free emulator that allows you to run Android applications and games on laptops and desktop computers. It works quickly even on weak machines and has a large number of settings. In Koplayer, you can even choose how much RAM is allocated for use by the emulator. Its important advantage is the convenient setup of the keyboard for games. For each key, the user can assign ascelerometer actions, gestures and presses to different areas of the display.

Other interesting features of Koplayer include buttons for taking screenshots and capturing video from the screen, and changing the display orientation (vertical and horizontal). In the program, the developers provide the ability to transfer data from different sensors, in particular, the same accelerometer. Thanks to its presence, users can comfortably play car racing and other games.

In the Koplayer emulator, game control settings are configured as follows. Start an arcade or race, then click on the item with its image in the upper left corner of the screen. As a result, you will be able to create virtual buttons by clicking anywhere on the display and then pressing the desired keys to “bind” them to a specific action.

You can download the Koplayer emulator on the official website.

Droid4X

A good emulator that demonstrates high speed, a well-thought-out interface, and is easy to learn. Droid4X is quite fast. It has the Play Market, the ability to connect Windows folders and install APK files, as well as location substitution. In this emulator, you can also bind the coordinates of points on the display of the emulated Android to the keys of the computer keyboard. This option is especially useful for customizing game controls.

When testing Droid4X, you can run, for example, the popular game Asphalt. You will see that it will work with virtually no lag even on a relatively weak computer with 4 gigabytes of RAM and a Core i3 processor.

The program emulates a fairly powerful device with 16 GB of internal and 32 GB of external memory. Considering that the largest applications from the Play Market take up about 2 GB, you can install about 20 games in the emulator, even demanding ones.

Droid4X boasts flexible customization. It provides the ability to change the screen orientation and resolution, and set the desired volume level. Using the emulator, you can take screenshots, record videos, and synchronize all data with your Android device. Droid4X attracted people due to its easy installation and configuration, moderate consumption of PC system resources. With its help, you can operate a virtual device as if you were actually working with a real tablet or smartphone.

You can download the emulator program on the official website page.

Windroy

The Windroy emulator was produced by Chinese programmers and has a number of fundamental differences from similar software. It does not provide emulation, but porting Dalvik and Android to Windows. This uses the Windows kernel and real PC hardware resources. Windroy works quickly, but since it appeared recently and is still far from perfect, it often freezes and produces various errors. For example, it does not launch for all users and does not always switch from full-screen to windowed mode.

At the moment, Windroy cannot be downloaded from the official website (for some reason it does not work). You can find this emulator on third-party resources.

AMIDuOS

A high-quality program that is very popular. It was published by American Megatrends. AMIDuOS is a paid emulator, but you can test it for free for 1 month. If other similar programs are not suitable for you for some reason, you can install AMIDuOS. It will delight you with high performance and a wide range of functions.

The disadvantage of AMIDuOS is that the original installation package of the emulator does not contain Google Play services. Accordingly, the user has to download and install them independently.

Another drawback of the program is that its interface does not have a button for installing APK files. When installing packages, you have to use the Apply to AMIDuOS item from the Windows Explorer context menu.

You can download the YouWave emulator on the official website. The program has two versions - free and paid. If you are interested in new OS editions, use the paid YouWave Premium emulator.

Due to the limited capabilities of the Android platform, it may be necessary to run a full version of Windows OS as a separate application. This is a completely feasible task due to the active development of modern Android devices, many of which are not inferior to personal computers in terms of power. In the course of today's article, we will talk about several emulators of this kind, whose functionality directly depends on the software requirements and characteristics of the smartphone.

There are a large number of emulators that allow you not so much to deploy a full version of Windows on Android, but to perform a specific task. For example, some of the software in question is designed exclusively for running games, while alternative options transfer most of the functions of Windows, allowing the use of only small programs. When choosing an application, these nuances should be taken into account, since even on a powerful phone or tablet, resources are limited.

Bochs

Of all the Windows emulators for Android, Bochs is the best option for deploying a full version of the operating system. Among its advantages are low requirements for the characteristics of a smartphone, the ability to run a large number of programs limited only by the version of the selected OS.

The only drawback, which will not always be noticeable, is the control - periodically the mouse cursor does not respond to gestures or moves too slowly.

Overall, if you need to run a full-featured version of Windows up to XP, there is nothing better than Bochs. In addition, not every emulator has a graphical interface and allows you to control the selection of components on which the capabilities and requirements of the application will ultimately depend.

QEMU

QEMU software is a fairly well-known option, as it is designed to emulate not only Windows on Android, but also other OSes on many alternative platforms. Depending on the need, you can deploy almost any Windows with the only requirement in the form of an image in IMG or ISO format.

In terms of operation, the application is not much different from Bochs, also providing a convenient interface for managing emulation. In this case, not only Windows is supported, but also other operating systems, for example, Linux. The only disadvantages include the lack of software in the Google Play Store and difficulties in the learning process.

Limbo

With Limbo PC Emulator you can run the vast majority of 32-bit operating systems, including Windows. The existing limitations come down to the technical characteristics of the Android device and OS requirements. In particular, the application can only be run on an ARM processor.

You shouldn't have high hopes for this emulator, since although it is based on QEMU, its capabilities are very limited. It is relevant to use Limbo only when, for some reason, any other considered analogue does not start.

DosBox

This version of the emulator, as the name suggests, is not intended for deploying Windows, but for running DOS applications on the phone. This software does an excellent job of processing files, has virtually no performance problems even on relatively weak smartphones, and is relatively lightweight.

The main reason why DosBox is worth taking into account when choosing this kind of program is the ability to run Windows up to version 95. Of course, doing this will require certain skills, but as a result you can gain control of a full-fledged Windows. This option cannot be called the best, but one should not forget about it. Especially when deploying an older OS without installing the more cumbersome Bochs and QEMU.

ExaGear

Of all the options presented, ExaGear stands out the most, since this application is not a classic Windows emulator. However, its main purpose is to launch applications created for the computer. Thus, the software independently emulates the operation of the required components, allowing you to run many games and some programs.

This application has several variations designed to run a specific type of Windows application. These include:

• ExaGear – Strategies;
• ExaGear – RPG;
• ExaGear – Windows Emulator.

In terms of advantages and disadvantages, in all cases the application works much more stable than previously discussed analogues, but only if the Android device has impressive power. Otherwise, ExaGear will install and launch without problems, but it will not be able to emulate any games and programs, ending with an error.

Another advantage of the application that deserves special mention is the integration of some supported games located in a separate section. This will allow you not only to emulate Windows applications, but also to download all the necessary files without any problems.

Conclusion

In almost all cases, the emulator requires Windows operating system files in a specific format to function. You can find suitable distributions at. Using high-quality images and paying attention when working with applications, you can easily emulate many versions of Windows, despite the shortcomings.

Well then. We have come to the most important part of the review, but can we choose an emulator that we can call the best without any twinges of conscience? Let's think about it.

• Firstly, it is worth noting that most of the presented software are solutions from Chinese developers who quickly “cool” towards the project and stop “supporting” it. This is actually why not everyone supports Android versions higher than 4.4, and the same software testing should be carried out on several versions of the OS.
• Secondly, it is impossible to name the best of the best for one simple reason - different software is designed for different categories of users. Let's try to distribute it wisely.

BlueStacks, Andy, Nox, MEmu– popular emulators, free, approximately equal in capabilities, functions, with similar implementation. All of them are designed for ordinary users, which need to install, run, press a button and get the result. Here you won’t have to set up anything for a long time - virtual reality will load immediately, and the user interface will delight you with its intuitiveness.

Looks good compared to its peers Nox App Player. The application player installs quickly, works stably, and supports all modern games. Provides the most convenient control and is not demanding on PC resources. It’s nice that the computer program is equally convenient for both gamers and ordinary users, and also does not bother you with advertising, unlike some popular alternatives. Another plus is that you don’t need a Google account to install “computer games” from a company store!

And a few more words about BlueStacks. The developers offer a fairly high-quality product with a package of essential services. For example, video streaming on Twitch.tv, as well as access to adapted versions of games with controls modified for PC. Among other things, BlueStacks performs very well in games. The emulation is of quite high quality, and there are minimal brakes, since the creators of the program removed unnecessary processes in the OS, reducing the load on the computer’s RAM and central processor.

Windroy is our winner in the “simple emulator” category. Its undemanding nature deserves special honor and praise. But if Windroy allows a maximum of “throwing birds”, then Droid4X you will pass demanding games that once migrated to Android from PC without discomfort. With this emulator you will want to conquer all the tracks in Asphalt, destroy all the enemies in Gangstar, and, of course, be nostalgic for Infinity Blade, but on a personal computer. Root access for using cheats is included.

There are as many as three emulator options on our list that are suitable for professional testing: BlueStacks, Genymotion And LeapDroid. The first contender got here for the quality of his workmanship. The second is for the variety of images - almost any top-segment cell phone is emulated, and the third is for the number of settings.

notice, that Genymotion And LeapDroid do not contain the virtual machine engine, but simply create images for VirtualBox. But Genymotion clearly does it better. The program database contains profiles of several dozen smartphones and tablets on different OS, up to Nexus on Android 7 Nougat. Moreover, the set is constantly updated - this is suitable for developers and testers.

As for LeapDroid– this is software for geeks and advanced users. If you want to spend a lot of time, but use trial and error to configure the emulator to work perfectly, we recommend downloading it for free. Support for opengl (hardware virtualization technology) will undoubtedly be an advantage when choosing among analogues. However, the development environment is not disabled. The product is more household than specialized. It’s too early to include it in the best Android emulators.

P.S. advanced users will probably ask, where is the youwave emulator, which is so praised on other sites? The answer is that we have not tested products based on ICS or older versions of the operating system. We will say the same thing if you came to download the Android emulator on your Amiduos or Koplayer Computer - the applications are clearly outdated and have not been updated for a long time.