How to Install Android Apps on Bluestacks

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: December 31, 2020 Tested

This wikiHow teaches you how to download and install Android applications on the Bluestacks emulator for Windows and Mac computers. Like on any Android, you can install apps directly from the Google Play Store in Bluestacks; you can also download and install an app's APK file directly if your preferred app isn't available on the Play Store.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using the Play Store

1
Install and set up Bluestacks. If you don't already have Bluestacks installed on your computer, go to https://www.bluestacks.com and click the green DOWNLOAD BLUESTACKS button in the middle of the page, click the green DOWNLOAD button at the top of the following page, and then install it depending on your computer's operating system:^{[1] X Research source}
- Windows — Double-click the downloaded EXE file, click Yes when prompted, click Install now, click Complete when it becomes available, open Bluestacks if it doesn't start automatically, and follow the on-screen prompts to log into your Google account.
- Mac — Double-click the downloaded DMG file, double-click the Bluestacks icon, click Install when prompted, verify the installation if prompted, click Continue when available, open Bluestacks if it doesn't start automatically, and follow the on-screen prompts to log into your Google account.
It's in the top-left corner of the window.

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You'll find this in the upper-left side of the My Apps page. Doing so opens a folder with stock Bluestacks apps in it.
Click

Google Play. It's a multicolored triangle icon on the "System app" page. This will open the Google Play Store.
You'll find this text box at the top of the Google Play Store page.
6
Search for an app. Type in the name of an app (or a search term if you don't have a specific app in mind), then press ↵ Enter.
- When typing in your app's name, you may see the app's icon and name appear in a drop-down menu below the search bar. If so, click the app's name next to its icon, then skip the next step.
7
Select an app. Scroll down until you find the app you want to install, then click the app's icon to open its page.
- The Google Play Store will often display the best-suited app for you at the top of the list of search results. You can click INSTALL under this app to prompt it to begin installing; if you do this, skip the next step.
It's a green button in the upper-right side of the page.
9
Click ACCEPT when prompted. This will cause the app to begin installing.
- Depending on the app, you may not be asked to click ACCEPT here.
10
Open your app. Once your app finishes installing you can open it in one of two ways:
- Click OPEN on the app's page in the Google Play Store to open it immediately.
- Click the app's icon on the My Apps tab at any time.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using an APK File

1
Install and set up Bluestacks. If you don't already have Bluestacks installed on your computer, go to https://www.bluestacks.com/ and click the green DOWNLOAD BLUESTACKS 3N button in the middle of the page, click the green DOWNLOAD button at the top of the following page, and then install it depending on your computer's operating system:
- Windows — Double-click the downloaded EXE file, click Yes when prompted, click Install now, click Complete when it becomes available, open Bluestacks if it doesn't start automatically, and follow the on-screen prompts to set up your account.
- Mac — Double-click the downloaded DMG file, double-click the Bluestacks icon, click Install when prompted, verify the installation if prompted, click Continue when available, open Bluestacks if it doesn't start automatically, and follow the on-screen prompts to set up your account.
2
Download an APK file onto your computer. APKs are app installation files; while they're typically used to install third-party apps which aren't available on the Play Store, you can also use them to quickly install versions of stock apps such as Chrome. To download an APK, look up the app's name followed by apk (e.g., "facebook apk"), select a site, and click the Download or Mirror link.
- APKMirror, AppBrain, and AndroidAPKsFree are all reputable sites from which you can download APK files.
This tab is in the upper-left side of the Bluestacks window.
It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. Doing so opens a File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) window.
Go to the location of the downloaded APK file, then click the APK file once to select it.
It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. Doing so opens the APK file in Bluestacks and begins installing your app.
Once you see the app's icon appear on the My Apps tab, you can click the icon to open it.

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Question

Will downloading an app on Bluestacks also automatically download the app onto my phone?

Tim Newman

Community Answer

If you download an app on Bluestacks, it will only be on Bluestacks. Any other device will not be affected.

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Question

If I uninstall the APK file after installing it into Bluestacks, will the file still work in Bluestacks?

Community Answer

No. You need to reinstall the APK you installed from the website and save it into your files.

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Question

If I download and install a game on Bluestacks, does it appear on the desktop screen?

Community Answer

No, it will show on your Bluestacks home screen.

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Tips

As of July 2018, the latest version of Bluestacks runs Android Nougat (7.0).

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To delete an app, click and hold its icon until a red X appears in the top-left corner of the icon, then click the X and click Delete when prompted.

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Warnings

APK files are convenient, but they can also host viruses. If you want to ensure that you're as safe as possible, only download apps from the Google Play Store.

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Bluestacks is notoriously slow even on high-performance computers. Because of this, you may have trouble running some apps.

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