WinDroid Runtime is an independent Android-compatible runtime and toolkit for Windows.
The long-term goal of this project is to build a modern platform that allows Android applications to run, integrate, and feel natural on Windows. The project is being designed from scratch, starting with developer tooling, APK management, ADB integration, and runtime research before moving toward experimental Android runtime and desktop integration research.
Project Status: Early planning and research phase.
This repository currently contains the project vision, roadmap, and architecture planning. Production-ready runtime code has not been implemented yet. This project is not currently usable as an Android runtime. It is a planning-stage repository for a long-term open-source systems project.
Windows previously had official Android app support through Windows Subsystem for Android. After its discontinuation, there is a gap for users, developers, and students who want a clean Android-on-Windows experience without relying only on traditional emulators.
WinDroid Runtime aims to explore that space by building an independent, open-source Android-compatible runtime and toolkit for Windows.
The goal is not to reuse or modify Microsoft WSA. The goal is to build an original system from the ground up.
- Build an independent Android-compatible runtime for Windows.
- Provide a native Windows control application for managing the runtime.
- Support APK installation, uninstallation, launching, and debugging.
- Integrate ADB-based developer tools.
- Research Android image booting and runtime backends.
- Explore native-feeling Windows integration for Android apps.
- Build a safe, transparent, and open-source project structure.
- Avoid dependency on proprietary WSA binaries or branding.
The native Windows control application for managing WinDroid Runtime.
Planned features:
- Runtime dashboard
- ADB detection
- Connected device/runtime detection
- APK installation
- Installed app list
- App launch/uninstall controls
- Log viewer
- Runtime settings
- Developer tools
Shared project logic used across the runtime and control application.
Planned responsibilities:
- Configuration management
- Runtime state tracking
- App metadata handling
- Logging
- Error handling
- Shared models and services
A dedicated service layer for interacting with Android Debug Bridge.
Planned features:
- Detect ADB installation
- Start/stop ADB server
- List connected devices
- Install APK files
- Uninstall packages
- Launch apps
- Capture logs
- Run shell commands
The long-term experimental runtime backend.
Research areas:
- Android x86/x86_64 images
- AOSP / Generic System Images
- Virtualization on Windows
- QEMU / Hyper-V / Windows Hypervisor Platform research
- Android boot process
- Graphics, input, audio, networking, and file bridges
- Choose project name
- Define project scope
- Add license
- Create initial README
- Write architecture notes
- Create contribution guidelines
- Document legal/trademark boundaries
- Create WinUI 3 / .NET project structure
- Build initial dashboard UI
- Add project settings page
- Add logging system
- Add basic runtime status panel
- Detect ADB installation
- Allow custom ADB path
- Run
adb devices - Parse connected devices/emulators
- Display device information in the UI
- Start and stop ADB server
- Select APK file from Windows
- Install APK to selected target
- List installed packages
- Launch installed apps
- Uninstall apps
- Clear app data
- Show install/log output clearly
- Add logcat viewer
- Add screenshot capture
- Add file push/pull tools
- Add basic shell command interface
- Add exportable diagnostic reports
- Research AOSP x86/x86_64 boot options
- Research QEMU and Windows Hypervisor Platform
- Boot a minimal Android-compatible image
- Connect to the runtime through ADB
- Install and launch a test APK inside the runtime
- Explore app window forwarding
- Research input bridge
- Research clipboard sharing
- Research file sharing
- Research notification bridge
- Research Start Menu and shortcut integration
- Independent runtime backend
- Per-app windows
- Shared folder controls
- Audio support
- Networking support
- GPU acceleration research
- Compatibility database
- Installer and public beta
WinDroid-Runtime/
├── src/
│ ├── WinDroid.Studio/ # Native Windows control app
│ ├── WinDroid.Core/ # Shared logic and models
│ ├── WinDroid.Adb/ # ADB integration layer
│ └── WinDroid.Engine/ # Experimental runtime backend
│
├── docs/
│ ├── architecture.md
│ ├── roadmap.md
│ ├── research-log.md
│ └── legal-notes.md
│
├── assets/
│ └── branding/
│
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
├── CONTRIBUTING.md
├── SECURITY.md
└── .gitignore
The initial multi-project solution has been scaffolded. This is foundational structure only — it establishes the planned architecture and builds cleanly, but no ADB functionality, Android runtime, or virtualization backend exists yet.
WinDroid-Runtime/
├── src/
│ ├── WinDroid.Studio/ # WinUI 3 desktop app (unpackaged), minimal window
│ ├── WinDroid.Core/ # Class library (empty foundation)
│ ├── WinDroid.Adb/ # Class library (empty foundation, references Core)
│ └── WinDroid.Engine/ # Class library (empty architectural boundary)
│
├── tests/ # Reserved for future test projects
├── Directory.Build.props # Shared build settings
├── WinDroid.Runtime.slnx # Solution (XML format)
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
└── .gitignore
Project dependencies:
WinDroid.Studio -> WinDroid.Core, WinDroid.Adb
WinDroid.Adb -> WinDroid.Core
WinDroid.Core -> (no project references)
WinDroid.Engine -> (isolated)
Prerequisites (verified with the toolchain used to scaffold this solution):
- Windows 11
- .NET SDK 10.0.x (the class libraries target
net8.0; the app targetsnet8.0-windows10.0.19041.0) - Windows App SDK 2.2.0 (restored automatically via NuGet)
- Visual Studio 2026 (or 2022) with the Windows App SDK C# /
.NET Desktop Development workload and a Windows 10/11 SDK. This workload
may be required to open, build, and run
WinDroid.Studio(WinUI 3).
Build from the repository root:
dotnet restore .\WinDroid.Runtime.slnx
dotnet build .\WinDroid.Runtime.slnx --configuration Debug --no-restore
dotnet build .\WinDroid.Runtime.slnx --configuration Release --no-restoreThe solution can also be opened and built directly in Visual Studio.
The planned first-stage stack:
- Language: C#
- Framework: .NET
- Desktop UI: WinUI 3 / Windows App SDK
- Platform: Windows 11
- Tooling: Android Debug Bridge
- Version Control: Git and GitHub
Long-term research may involve:
- C++
- Rust
- AOSP
- QEMU
- Hyper-V
- Windows Hypervisor Platform
- VirtIO
- Graphics/input/audio bridge systems
WinDroid Runtime is:
- An independent open-source project
- A Windows-focused Android compatibility/runtime research project
- A developer toolkit for Android-on-Windows workflows
- A long-term attempt to explore native-feeling Android app support on Windows
WinDroid Runtime is not:
- A fork of Microsoft WSA
- An official or unofficial continuation of Microsoft WSA
- A Microsoft product
- A Google product
- An Amazon product
- A repackaged emulator
- A redistribution of proprietary WSA binaries
- A project that bundles Google Play Store or Google Play Services without proper permission
WinDroid Runtime is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or connected to Microsoft, Google, Amazon, or any related organization.
Windows, Android, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and related names, logos, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
This project does not use Microsoft WSA binaries, Microsoft branding, Google Play binaries, or proprietary application-store components.
For the complete project policy, see Legal, Licensing, and Trademark Boundaries.
The project may support APK sideloading and open-source app distribution methods in future versions.
Official Google Play Store or Google Mobile Services integration is not included and will not be bundled unless proper legal permission, licensing, or certification requirements are satisfied.
This project is currently in the early planning and research stage.
Contributors, mentors, and developers interested in the following areas are welcome:
- C# / .NET development
- WinUI 3 desktop application development
- Android Debug Bridge tooling
- Android internals
- AOSP
- Virtualization
- Hyper-V / Windows Hypervisor Platform
- QEMU
- Graphics and input systems
- Open-source project architecture
- Security and sandboxing
Contribution guidelines will be added as the project structure becomes more stable.
For quick questions, community discussion, testing feedback, and contributor coordination, join the Nova Systems Lab Discord server:
Join Nova Systems Lab on Discord
For official project work:
- Use GitHub Discussions for detailed proposals and long-term discussions.
- Use GitHub Issues for confirmed bugs and actionable tasks.
- Use Pull Requests for code and documentation changes.
The first practical milestone is to build WinDroid Studio v0.1, a native Windows application that can:
- Detect ADB
- List connected Android devices or emulators
- Display device information
- Install APK files
- Launch installed apps
- View basic logs
This milestone will create the foundation for deeper runtime work later.
WinDroid Runtime is developed under Nova Systems Lab, an independent open-source organization focused on systems software, developer tools, platform integration, and experimental runtime technologies.
This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.
See the LICENSE file for details.