How to Install PC Software on Android Phone, 4 Ways to Try

How to install PC software on Android phone, the four ways

Here are the options, easiest first.

1. Install the Android version of the program, if one exists.
2. Reach your own PC from the phone with remote access, so the program runs on the PC.
3. Run the Windows program on the phone itself with Winlator.
4. Replace Android with Windows, which I'd skip.

Check for an Android version first

Before anything clever, search the Play Store for the program's name. Many programs people use on a computer have an Android app from the same maker, and that's the only option that installs normally and gets updates on its own.

Search by the program's name and by the company that makes it. On the listing, check that the developer name matches the company you know, since copycat apps borrow famous names. Read the most recent reviews too, which tell you whether the Android version does the job you need or only part of it.

If the maker offers a download on its own website instead, read where it comes from before you install it. An app from outside the Play Store has only its source behind it, so stick to the maker's official site.

An Android version can be smaller than the desktop program. If the feature you need is missing, the next option gives you the full program.

How to run Windows apps on Android with remote access

If you have a Windows PC at home or work, remote access is how to run Windows apps on Android with nothing new installed on the phone but one app. The program runs on your PC, and your phone shows the screen and sends your taps.

Google's Chrome Remote Desktop works this way. On the computer, Google's steps are to open Chrome, go to remotedesktop.google.com/access, click Download under "Set up Remote Access" and follow the directions. On the phone, install the Chrome Remote Desktop app, pick your computer and enter its PIN. Google says every remote session is fully encrypted.

The PC has to be on and online for this to work. A small screen also makes desktop programs fiddly, so a Bluetooth keyboard helps, and turning the phone sideways gives you a wider view of the desktop.

When you're done with a computer, Google's help shows how to remove it from your list. Open remotedesktop.google.com/access on the computer and click Disable remote connections next to it. I'd do that for any PC you stop using, so an old setup can't be reached from a lost phone.

Windows emulator for Android, what Winlator does

When people search for a Windows emulator for Android, the app they often land on is Winlator. Its developer describes it as an Android application that lets you run Windows (x86_64) applications with Wine and Box86/Box64. Wine's own description is a program that runs Windows programs on Unix by translating their Windows calls, and Box64 calls itself an x86_64 emulator for ARM64 Linux devices. It doesn't run a full copy of Windows. It runs the program itself.

The project's GitHub page says to download the APK from its GitHub Releases page, install it, then launch it and wait for its setup to finish. When I checked on October 28, 2026, the newest release was Winlator 11.2, published August 19, 2026, and the project had about 19,700 stars on GitHub. Get it from that page only, since copies on other sites are where the risk is.

Run Windows programs on Android, what to expect

Once Winlator is set up, you can run Windows programs on Android by copying the program's files to the phone and opening them inside the app. It won't run everything. The project's own tips cover instability and older games, which tells you how often things need tweaking.

Two of its tips are worth knowing.

• If a program is unstable, change the Box64 preset in the container's settings.
• For programs built on the .NET Framework, install Wine Mono from the app's Start Menu, under System Tools and Installers.

Heavy programs work your phone hard. If it gets warm, my guide on why a phone overheats so fast covers what to do.

Move a program's files from your PC to your phone

Winlator needs the program's files on the phone. Google's Quick Share sends files between Android and a Windows PC without a cable. Google says Quick Share is built into Android 6 and later, so there's nothing to add on the phone.

On the PC, you install Google's Quick Share app for Windows, which needs 64-bit Windows 10 or later, or Windows 11 on an ARM-based PC. Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on the PC and make it visible to your phone, then send the files. Google notes its Quick Share app isn't for Samsung PCs, which install Quick Share from the Microsoft Store instead.

Run Android apps on Windows instead

Sometimes the goal is the reverse. If you want to run Android apps on Windows, Microsoft's Phone Link shows the Android apps on your phone on your PC's screen, over Wi-Fi, and lets you pin them to the Start menu and taskbar. The apps still run on your phone, and Phone Link mirrors them to the PC, so the phone has to stay linked.

Microsoft lists a PC with the Windows 10 May 2020 Update or later and a phone on Android 11 for its multiple apps feature, and opening several apps at once needs select Samsung or HONOR phones. The phone side is the Link to Windows app.

The older way is gone. Microsoft says that starting March 5, 2025, the Windows Subsystem for Android and the Amazon Appstore are no longer available in the Microsoft Store.

Can you install Windows on Android?

People do try to install Windows on Android phones, and I wouldn't. It replaces the phone's own system, which means unlocking the bootloader first.

Android's own documentation says most Android devices ship with a locked bootloader. Unlocking it needs the OEM unlocking setting in Developer options, and the documentation says the phone should then perform a factory data reset. Everything on it is wiped before you've installed anything, and you're on your own if the result doesn't work.

My Pick

Check the Play Store first. If there's no Android version, remote access to your own PC is the safest way to use the program you already own. Try Winlator when there's no PC to reach. More Android tips are in my guide to hidden Android features, and more phone guides are in Phone Secrets.