Android apps on Windows 11 require an SSD and at least 8GB of RAM

By Sean Endicott
published

Android apps will run on many PCs, but hitting the recommended specs could cost you.

Windows 11 Android Apps Amazon A
Windows 11 Android Apps Amazon A (Image credit: Nick Sutrich / Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft recently launched a preview of Android app support on Windows 11.
  • PC owners can now download over 1,000 Android apps through the Amazon Appstore.
  • A support document from Microsoft outlines the minimum requirements to run Android apps on Windows 11.

Windows 11 can now run Android apps. The new functionality rolled out in preview earlier this week. There are over 1,000 Android apps to choose from through the Amazon Appstore and even more if you know how to sideload Android apps onto Windows 11. The new feature adds a large library of apps to PCs, but only if they meet the minimum requirements.

A support document from Microsoft (opens in new tab) outlines the specs required to run Android apps on Windows 11. Your computer will need an SSD and at least 8GB of RAM to run Android apps, though Microsoft recommends 16GB of RAM.

On the CPU side of things, Android apps will run on Windows 11 PCs with at least an 8th Gen Intel Core i3, AMD Ryzen 3000, or Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c.

CategoryRequirement
RAM8 GB (minimum)
16 GB (recommended)
Storage typeSolid State Drive (SSD)
ProcessorIntel Core i3 8th Gen (minimum) or above
AMD Ryzen 3000 (minimum) or above
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8c (minimum) or above
Processor architecturex64 or ARM64
Virtual Machine PlatformThis setting needs to be enabled. For more info, go to Enable virtualization on Windows 11 PCs.

While it's certainly possible to find a device that doesn't meet the minimum requirements, the best cheap laptops generally have configurations that meet these specs. You'll have to spend more to hit the recommended spec of 16GB.

We have a guide on how to get started with Android apps on Windows 11. The process requires installing the Windows Subsystem for Android and making sure the Microsoft Store is up to date.

Sean Endicott
Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com (opens in new tab).

8 Comments
  • I was able to install Android apps on my 1st gen Surface Go 8 GB model by manually installing the Android Subsystem msix obtained from @rgadguard using PowerShell. Experience wasn't so bad.
  • Yea, and Windows 11 was 'hacked' on to that thing in the first place.
  • Microsoft is a joke. I am running android apps on a Surface Pro 3 with no issues at all
  • These beefy spec requirements are due to the fact that you literally have to virtualize the entire Android OS on your PC in order to run a few apps. I was excited about Android apps on PC, but now that I tried the preview, I sort of don't see the benefit/point of running something for which a slimmer, more battery-friendly web version exists and that won't hog all my RAM.
  • At least an 8th gen?
    They work awesome on my 7th gen i7.
  • If (big "if") I want to do this, I'm going to have to manually install the Android subsystem. Like Hyper-V, which I had to manually install, they don't consider Windows 11 home addition worthy of these add-ons. Why MS ships the Home addition on something like my Surface Pro 8 I will never know.
  • Where does it say you need Windows 11 Pro for this? You don't need Hyper-V for this, only the virtualization platform which is also available on Home.
  • Well what did you expect? 4GB and an EMMC drive? You are running an OS and its apps in emulation. That is always very resource-intensive.