Can you run Android apps on a Chromebook?

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If you’re after a low-cost, high-productivity mobile device, you can’t go wrong with a Chromebook. Google has made great strides in the usability of Chrome OS, and the list of apps you can run on them is growing all the time.

Back in 2016, the Chromebook overtook Mac sales to become the second most popular computer operating system in the U.S. With that huge userbase, and Google maintaining both Chrome OS and Android, you might be wondering if you can run Android apps on your Chromebook.

I mean, it makes sense for Google to work on this, right? Instead of building new apps for Chrome OS, they could just enable Chromebooks to run the existing huge library of apps in the Google Play Store.

So, can you run Android apps on your Chromebook?

Short answer: Yes

Most Chromebooks produced in 2017 or later have access to the Google Play Store, as Google announced it was bringing Android apps to Chrome OS way back in 2016.

The Google Play Store should be installed by default, but if it’s not there’s a very simple process to install it. Go to “Settings” then down to the Google Play Store section, then tick “Enable Google Play Store on your Chromebook.” Once you confirm the change, the Google Play Store will be downloaded and installed, and you can start installing all the Android goodness that you couldn’t before.

What do you think? Plan on using the Google Play Store on your Chromebook? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.