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No—not through an official Microsoft Store installation. Microsoft removed Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) and the Amazon Appstore from the Store on March 5, 2025, and WSA is no longer supported. If you already have it installed, check its status before removing it; if you need Android apps now, choose an emulator, phone integration, or an Android device based on what you want to do.
Why the old WSA installation instructions no longer work
WSA was Microsoft’s Windows 11 runtime for running Android apps in desktop windows and from the Start menu. The official setup was tied to the Amazon Appstore, not Google Play: installing Amazon’s Store installed WSA as the underlying runtime.
Microsoft and Amazon announced the planned discontinuation on March 5, 2024. On March 5, 2025, WSA and the Amazon Appstore ceased to be available through the Microsoft Store and were no longer supported. Microsoft’s support page retains historical setup information, but also states that the products have not been available in the Store since that date. Amazon’s discontinuation announcement confirms the end of support for its Windows 11 Appstore.
So, if a Store search returns nothing, that is expected—not a Store cache problem. Old instructions to install Amazon Appstore from the Store describe the former process, not a current supported route. Microsoft’s archived WSA discussion is another record of the retirement.
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Check whether WSA is already installed
- Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
- Search for Windows Subsystem for Android or Amazon Appstore.
- If you find WSA and it still works, avoid uninstalling it until you have chosen a replacement and handled any app data you need. Microsoft does not guarantee that an existing installation will keep working.
Existing installations may continue to appear or function, but behavior can vary with Windows builds, apps, drivers, and system state. Microsoft provides no support or dependable migration path for keeping Android apps running in WSA. Back up app-specific data where the app permits it; an alternative emulator will not necessarily preserve local data or authentication sessions.
Uninstalling WSA also removes the Amazon Appstore and mobile apps installed through it. See Microsoft’s uninstall guidance before removing a working setup.
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Should you install an unofficial WSA package?
Finding an old package or a community build does not restore Microsoft support. Packages may be archived, modified, incomplete, incorrectly signed, or incompatible with your Windows build. Builds that add Google services or root access involve further changes beyond the former official configuration. Their provenance, maintenance, licensing, and security need to be assessed individually; do not treat them as Microsoft releases or download them from an unverified source.
An APK is a separate issue from WSA availability. Sideloading was historically possible into an already functioning WSA instance, often using Android Debug Bridge (ADB) and developer settings. That does not install WSA. Commands such as adb connect 127.0.0.1:<port> and adb install .app.apk are legacy examples, not a universal current procedure: they require a working Android runtime and the correct connection details.
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Choose an alternative by what you need to do
| Your goal | Best direction | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Develop or debug Android apps | Android Studio Emulator | Designed for development, device profiles, and testing; heavier and more technical than a consumer app launcher. |
| Play Android games or run general apps | BlueStacks | A dedicated emulator environment rather than Windows-native integration. Ads, promotional features, or paid tiers can vary; check an app or game’s rules before using an emulator. |
| Professional virtualization or managed testing | Genymotion | May be excessive for casual use; licensing and Google Mobile Services availability depend on the product and image. |
| Access apps already on your phone | Microsoft Phone Link or a manufacturer’s phone integration | Features depend on phone model, manufacturer, and region. This may mirror or stream phone apps; it is not necessarily local Android execution on the PC. |
| Use an app that blocks emulators or needs phone hardware | A physical Android device | It requires another device, but is often the practical choice for banking, authentication, DRM-sensitive apps, or reliable production testing. |
Before choosing, check whether the app requires Google Play services, a particular Android version or hardware sensor, or access to camera, GPS, Bluetooth, NFC, or telephony. Apps may also block virtual devices or prohibit emulator use under their terms. If testing an APK from an unknown source, use an isolated test environment rather than your primary PC.
Historical WSA requirements
These were requirements and recommendations for the former Windows 11 implementation—not a way to make WSA available today. Microsoft’s historical support instructions specified Windows 11 on x64 or ARM64, with Virtual Machine Platform enabled; an SSD and 16 GB of RAM were recommended. An Amazon account was required for Appstore downloads, and availability varied by country and region. Meeting these conditions does not restore Store access or Microsoft support.
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Troubleshoot an old WSA setup
WSA or Amazon Appstore is missing
If neither appears under Installed apps, there is no official Store installation route to restore it. A missing Store listing after March 5, 2025 is expected.
WSA settings open, but an app does not
Continued operation is not guaranteed. An app can fail because of unavailable runtime services, a Windows or driver change, or incompatibility with the app itself. Microsoft Q&A includes a report of WSA failing to open after retirement; an individual report is not a universal diagnosis or an official fix.
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An APK will not install or run
First distinguish an APK installation failure from an app that installs but cannot operate. Installing requires a functioning WSA instance and a working ADB connection. A launch failure may involve Google Play Services, an unsupported Android API level, ARM-only native code, device-integrity checks, DRM, required hardware, or server-side emulator blocking. WSA’s official Amazon arrangement did not provide the normal Google Play Store experience; community modifications that add Google services were not Microsoft-supported.
An old guide recommends enabling virtualization
Virtualization may be needed for an emulator, but enabling it does not make WSA downloadable. Likewise, unofficial packages that install but fail to launch can have missing dependencies, architecture mismatches, signing or security-policy problems, or incompatibility with current Windows builds. There is no reliable registry tweak or PowerShell command that restores WSA support.
Windows 10 users
WSA was a Windows 11 feature, and there is no supported Windows 10 installation route. For Android development, use Android Studio; for consumer apps or games, consider an established emulator; for phone-app access, check Phone Link or your phone maker’s integration; otherwise use an Android device.
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