How to Open XAPK File on Android, PC & Mac (Install or Extract)

What is an XAPK file?

Have a single .apk instead of a bundle? Use our APK file opener and Android installation instructions.

An XAPK file is an Android app package in a ZIP container: it holds an app's base APK, its split APKs and, for many games, OBB expansion data, plus a manifest.json that tells an installer what each file is. The format was introduced by the APKPure download site and is now used by other app sites and installer apps too. It is not an official Android format, which is why Android's built-in installer can't open it.

XAPK exists because many apps no longer ship as one file. Since August 2021, new apps on Google Play are published as Android App Bundles, and Play delivers each phone only the pieces it needs as several split APKs. Older large games used OBB expansion files, which Google Play allowed in addition to the APK: up to two files of up to 2 GB each. A download site that wants to offer such an app as one download zips all the pieces together, and that bundle is the .xapk.

A typical manifest.json looks like this (the viewer above shows the real one from your file):

{
  "xapk_version": 2,
  "package_name": "com.example.app",
  "name": "Example App",
  "version_code": "137",
  "version_name": "2.12.9",
  "min_sdk_version": "24",
  "target_sdk_version": "35",
  "icon": "icon.png",
  "split_apks": [
    { "file": "com.example.app.apk", "id": "base" },
    { "file": "config.arm64_v8a.apk", "id": "config.arm64_v8a" }
  ],
  "expansions": [
    { "file": "Android/obb/com.example.app/main.137.com.example.app.obb",
      "install_location": "EXTERNAL_STORAGE",
      "install_path": "Android/obb/com.example.app/main.137.com.example.app.obb" }
  ]
}

Because the outer file is a standard ZIP, any archive tool can open it for a look. Installing it correctly, though, needs software that reads the manifest and installs all the APKs in a single session.

How to install an XAPK on Android with an installer app

An installer app is the easiest way to open XAPK files on a phone: it unpacks the bundle and hands every APK to Android in one install session, which Android's own installer can't do. Three well-known options:

1. Install the installer app. APKMirror Installer is the simplest, because it comes from Google Play and you don't have to sideload anything first.
2. Download the .xapk to your phone. It lands in the Download folder.
3. Open the installer app and choose to browse your files, then pick the .xapk. You can also tap the file in your Files app and choose the installer in the "Open with" list.
4. Allow installs from that app when Android asks: tap Settings and turn on Allow from this source for the installer, then go back.
5. Tap Install on Android's confirmation screen. The base APK and its split APKs go on together.
6. Open the app. If it's a game that immediately says data is missing or tries to download gigabytes, the OBB data didn't land in place: follow the OBB steps.

Install an XAPK manually: unzip it and copy the OBB folder

You can install an XAPK by hand only when it contains one APK plus OBB data, which is common for older games. If the viewer above lists several APK files (split APKs), Android can't install them one by one: use an installer app or ADB instead.

1. Extract the XAPK. Make a copy, rename it from .xapk to .zip, and extract it with your Files app or an archive app such as ZArchiver. (Or save the contents from the viewer above.)
2. Install the APK by tapping it, the same way as any APK file. Don't open the app yet.
3. Copy the OBB folder. Inside the extracted folder, find Android/obb/<package name>. Copy that whole folder to Internal storage > Android > obb on the phone, keeping the folder and file names exactly as they are.
4. Open the game. It should start without downloading its data again.

"Can't use this folder" or no access to Android/obb (Android 11 and later)

Since Android 11, apps can no longer reach other apps' folders under Android/, and the system file picker won't let you choose anything inside Android/data or Android/obb. That's why many file manager apps can't copy the OBB into place. What works, from easiest:

• Let the installer do it: the APKPure app, which the format was made for, is designed to put OBB data in place for its own XAPK downloads.
• Try your phone's built-in Files app first; some manufacturers' file managers can still write there.
• Use a computer: connect the phone by USB, choose File transfer on the phone, and copy the folder into Internal storage > Android > obb in File Explorer (on a Mac, use a USB file-transfer app), or run adb push as shown in the ADB section.

The OBB file name follows Google's pattern main.<version>.<package>.obb (or patch.…). The number is the app version the data was first published with, so it doesn't have to match the version you're installing: don't rename it.

Where are XAPK files on my phone?

XAPK files you download in a browser are saved in the Download folder of your phone's internal storage. To show your XAPK files:

1. Open Files by Google (or My Files on a Samsung phone).
2. Go to Downloads, or use the search box and type xapk.
3. Tap and hold a file to share, move or delete it, or tap it and choose your XAPK installer.

XAPK files received in WhatsApp or Telegram stay in those apps' own storage, so it's easier to tap them inside the chat and pick your installer. Once the app is installed, the .xapk is only a leftover download: deleting it doesn't affect the app.

Install an XAPK from a computer with ADB (install-multiple)

Google's ADB (Android Debug Bridge, part of SDK Platform-Tools for Windows, Mac and Linux) installs all the parts of an XAPK over USB with no installer app on the phone. Its install-multiple command exists exactly for installing several split APKs as one app:

1. On the phone, turn on Developer options (tap Build number seven times in Settings > About phone), then turn on USB debugging. Connect the phone and accept the "Allow USB debugging?" prompt.
2. On the computer, rename a copy of the file to .zip and extract it into a folder.
3. Open a terminal in that folder and install every APK together: adb install-multiple com.example.app.apk config.arm64_v8a.apk config.en.apk config.xxhdpi.apk. Use the real file names; the viewer above writes this command for you.
4. If there's an Android/obb/<package name> folder, copy it to the phone: adb push Android/obb/com.example.app /sdcard/Android/obb/. ADB can write there even on Android 11 and later, where file manager apps usually can't.

If install-multiple fails with INSTALL_FAILED_NO_MATCHING_ABIS, the processor splits don't match the phone. When a bundle has several, keep only the one for your device (almost always arm64_v8a on a modern phone) and leave out x86, x86_64 or armeabi_v7a. The same commands work with an emulator started from Android Studio.

How to open an XAPK file on Windows PC

Windows can't run Android apps by itself, so to open an XAPK file on a PC and use the app you need an Android emulator. BlueStacks 5 accepts .xapk files directly, according to BlueStacks' own support guide:

1. Download BlueStacks from bluestacks.com (the official site only), install it and start it.
2. Drag the .xapk from File Explorer onto the BlueStacks window, or click Install APK in the side toolbar and select the .xapk.
3. Wait for the install to finish, then open the app from the BlueStacks home screen.

If your emulator only accepts plain APK files, extract the XAPK first (rename a copy to .zip and use Extract All or 7-Zip) and install the APKs with adb install-multiple. For emulator choices and requirements, see running Android apps on Windows 11 and 10.

To only look inside without installing anything, drop the file into the viewer at the top or open a renamed copy with 7-Zip.

XAPK files on Mac: run the app or extract it

To open XAPK files on a Mac, pick the route that matches what you want:

• To run the app: Google's free Android Studio Emulator runs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Start a virtual device, extract the XAPK and install the APKs with adb install-multiple (Platform-Tools come with Android Studio). BlueStacks Air also runs on Apple Silicon Macs; if it won't take the .xapk, use the ADB route.
• To view the contents only: duplicate the file, rename the copy's extension to .zip (choose Use .zip when macOS asks) and double-click it; Archive Utility extracts it into a folder.

How to open XAPK files on Linux

To run the app, use the Android Studio Emulator with adb install-multiple, or Waydroid, which runs Android in a container. Older guides still recommend Anbox, but it was deprecated in February 2023 and is no longer maintained. To inspect the contents without running anything, extract it like any ZIP:

unzip app.xapk -d app-extracted

Can an iPhone or iPad run XAPK files?

XAPK vs APK vs APKM vs APKS vs AAB

All five are Android app formats, but only a plain APK installs with a tap. The others are bundles of several APKs, each from a different source:

Can you convert an XAPK to an APK? Only partly. You can extract the APK files from it, and if there's just one APK inside, that file installs normally. If there are split APKs, the base one alone is not a complete app, and no simple converter can merge them back into one working APK.

Is it safe to open an XAPK file?

Opening an XAPK to look inside it is safe, because nothing runs. Installing it is only as safe as its source: the APKs inside can contain any code, exactly like a single APK.

Even established sites have had problems: in April 2021, Doctor Web and Kaspersky found that version 3.17.18 of the APKPure app itself contained a trojan from a third-party ad library; APKPure removed it in version 3.17.19. Before you install an XAPK:

• Drop it into the viewer above and check that the package name matches the official app (on Google Play it's the part after id= in the app's web address).
• Check the target SDK: a very old one means an outdated or repackaged build, and Android 14 and 15 will refuse it anyway.
• Keep Google Play Protect on; it also checks apps installed from outside the Play Store.
• Never give an unknown app Accessibility or device admin access. For a deeper check, see our 6-point APK safety checklist.

XAPK install errors and how to fix them

Old apps blocked on Android 14 and 15

Recent Android versions refuse to install apps built for very old versions, because those apps can sidestep modern permission protections. The cut-off is the app's target SDK, which the viewer above checks for you:

Apps already installed before the phone updated keep working. The real fix is a newer version of the app; for testing, Google documents adb install --bypass-low-target-sdk-block. More install error codes are explained in our APK error guide.

Related file extensions

Sources and technical references

XAPK isn't an official Android format, so this page relies on Google's documentation for the parts it packages and on the installer makers' own pages. Checked on October 7, 2026:

• APK Expansion Files — Android Developers — OBB naming, Android/obb location, 2 GB and two-file limits, legacy status.
• About Android App Bundles — Android Developers — split APKs and the AAB requirement since August 2021.
• Android Debug Bridge (adb) — Android Developers — install-multiple for split APKs.
• Storage updates in Android 11 — Android Developers — Android/data and Android/obb access restrictions.
• Android 14 behavior changes and Android 15 behavior changes — Android Developers — minimum installable target SDK.
• Android developer verification — Android Developers — 2026 rollout and countries.
• APKMirror Installer (Official) — Google Play — installs APK, APKM, XAPK and APKS files.
• SAI (Split APKs Installer) — GitHub and SAI 3.10 release notes — XAPK support without automatic OBB install.
• Installing apps on BlueStacks 5 — BlueStacks Support — .apk and .xapk via Install APK or drag and drop.
• .XAPK File Extension — FileInfo — format introduced by APKPure.
• Hackers tampered with APKPure store to distribute malware apps — The Hacker News (April 2021).
• Anbox — Wikipedia — deprecation and Waydroid.

Frequently asked questions