{"id":20275,"date":"2013-11-18T21:20:50","date_gmt":"2013-11-18T19:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onsoftware.en.softonic.com\/?p=20275"},"modified":"2025-07-02T01:01:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T08:01:39","slug":"how-to-install-android-apk-files-in-windows-xp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/how-to-install-android-apk-files-in-windows-xp\/","title":{"rendered":"How to: install Android APKs with Google Drive"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to netmarketshare<\/a>, Windows XP still holds a decent market share on desktops. That’s still a significant number considering the different versions of Windows there are in the wild. But if you’re still running this old operating system and own an Android device, you may find trouble trying to install Android application packages (APKs) outside of the Google Play Store.<\/p>\n

Back when I was running Android<\/a> 2.3 Gingerbread, there were a lot of apps that I sideloaded to my device. Now with Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, most Android devices can connect to your computer using USB without any additional software.<\/p>\n

In Windows XP, devices are not easily connected. Testing with a Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Galaxy SIII, Nexus 5, and Nexus 7 2013, I found that each device couldn’t auto-install the proper drivers and be recognized through Windows Explorer.<\/p>\n

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My thought was that if I downloaded the general Android drivers, these devices would connect through USB without having to use any additional software. The result was that every device would not install the proper drivers for each device, making them inaccessible in\u00a0Windows XP so I couldn’t drag-and-drop files into the internal memory.<\/p>\n

There is a complicated method for pushing APKs but you need to install the Android SDK<\/a> and Java JDK<\/a> (Java Development Kit) to use the ddms batch file to access the file explorer to push apk files.<\/p>\n

An easier method would be using cloud storage. With Google Drive<\/a>,\u00a0you can upload APKs and install them from the app on an Android device. It’s now much easier to install APK files using any operating system.<\/p>\n

Enable installation of unknown sources<\/h4>\n

Before you can install an app outside of Google Play<\/a>, you need to enable the ability to install APKs from Unknown sources. This option is under Security in Settings.<\/p>\n

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Be aware that installing apps outside of Google Play will be at your own risk. Sometimes these apps don’t have full support on your version of Android and there are security risks when installing apps from third party sources.<\/p>\n

Upload and install through Google Drive<\/h3>\n

Since Google Drive can store any digital file you want, you can store different APK files in its own folder for access whenever you want. Open your web browser and sign into Google Drive. Creating a folder will help you keep track of your different APKs.<\/p>\n

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After creating the file, upload the APK. Google Drive will show a percentage status of the upload. If you’re uploading multiple apks, then be patient and wait for the entire upload to complete.<\/p>\n

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Now that the upload is complete, open Google Drive on Android and locate the same folder in the app. Open the app and tap on the file care in Google Drive. This will prompt Google Drive to open the APK.<\/p>\n

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Once the APK is finished loading, Android will ask if you want to install the app. The example used is the Google Search<\/a> APK. As long as you have enabled installations from unknown sources, the APK should install.<\/p>\n

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Depending on the size of the app, installation time will vary. But once it has completed, you should have that app installed.<\/p>\n

Install through Windows XP<\/h3>\n

Back when I originally wrote how to install APKs through Windows XP, the solution was to use the Android SDK. This method still exists, but I thought two years later it might be possible for Windows XP to recognize Android devices if updated drivers were installed. Unfortunately, I found that there are still problems with Windows XP recognizing devices through the MTP (Media device) connection. Funny enough, I have installed CyanogenMod 10 on one of my personal devices and this was recognized by Windows XP as a removable drive.<\/p>\n

But if you don’t have Google Drive, then here’s the original way to install APKs using the Android SDK.<\/p>\n

The tools you’re going to need:<\/p>\n