Open EXE files on Android

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Contents

The Android platform differs significantly from the one familiar to many Windows operating systems, in particular due to the lack of support for EXE files. Despite this, it is still feasible to open executable files if needed. We will talk about this in today's post.

Open EXE files on Android

Most of the tasks in Android are usually solved by installing one or more special applications that allow you to open this or that extension. Despite this, in the case of EXE files, the case is somewhat more complex: to work with them, you must use emulators.

Method 1: Bochs

Nowadays, there are several programs created to run Windows on Android smartphones and tablets. Among these applications is Bochs, which acts as a cost-free but handy emulator with lots of features.

Download Bochs from Google Play Market

Paso 1: instale Bochs

  1. Use the link above and download the application on your phone. Subsequently start Bochs and, without changing anything in the settings, press “Start”. in the upper corner of the screen.
  2. Wait until the file copy procedure is finished and the BIOS appears.
  3. In this point, you can temporarily stop working with the app. Make sure to turn it off so there are no parameter issues during subsequent changes.

Paso 2: prepare files

  1. Use any useful file manager, What “ES Explorer”, and navigate to the root directory of the device through the main menu.
  2. Later open the folder “SD card” and press the three dots icon in the upper right corner of the screen. From the list provided, select “To create”..
  3. In the window that appears, specify object type “Proceedings”. and enter the name you want. It is best to give the name “HDD”to avoid confusion in the future.
  4. This directory will be the repository for all the EXE files that can be opened on the device.. For this reason, add immediately “HDD” the data you need.

Paso 3: add an image

  1. Now you must download the Windows image in IMG format. You can find constructions of the highest quality in the following link of the 4PDA forum. In our case, will be based on the Windows version 98.

    Go to the system image download for Bochs

  2. The file downloaded to your device must be unzipped and transferred to the main directory of the application. If you use a smartphone when downloading and transferring, copy it with tools “ES Explorer”..
  3. Open the folder “SD card” and go to “Android / data”.

    Here you must expand the application directory. “Net.sourceforge.bochs” and go to “records”.

  4. When the copy is complete, rename the file to “C.img”.
  5. In the same directory, click on “Bochsrc.txt” and select the text editor you have installed.
  6. Find the value “Ata1: enabled = 1”, make a line break and add below code. In doing so, Folder “HDD” May have a different name.

    ata0-master: type=disk, path=c.img
    ata1-master: type=disk, mode=vvfat, path=/sdcard/HDD

    Immediately after verifying the changes you have made, click the save button and close the text editor.

Paso 4: open the EXE format

  1. With the application icon, reopen Bochs and make sure the first and third items in the “Storage”..
  2. Go to page “Hardware” and select the components to emulate. This directly affects system speed and file processing.

    In the tab. “Misc” are additional parameters, modification of which will have minimal effect on performance.

  3. To start the operating system, Press the button. “Start” on the top panel. This will start the standard Windows startup procedure depending on the version you are using.
  4. To open a file, you must first master the controls:
    • The icon is “FOR” on the top panel will bring up the virtual keyboard;
    • Double tapping the area corresponds to clicking the LCM;
    • You can emulate PCM operation by tapping with two fingers.
  5. Other actions, as you can easily guess, They are similar to Windows. Click on the shortcut “My computer”. on the desk.
  6. Open local drive “Bochs vvfat (D)”. This section includes everything in the folder. “HDD” in Android device memory.
  7. Select the desired EXE file by executing it with a double tap. Please note that if you are using older but less demanding versions of Windows, many files will fail. This is what we have shown in the following example.

    Despite this, whether the software is compatible with the system, there will be no problems to open it. The same can be said for games, but it is better to use other software to run them.

    Note: When the emulator finishes running, close it in the traditional way through the menu. “Start”.since the system image gets corrupted easily.

We have tried to describe in detail the Windows emulation procedure on Android, since it is not feasible to open executables without it. Following the instructions to the letter, there will be no problems using the software. The only major drawback of the app is that it is not compatible with all versions of Android.

Method 2: ExaGear – Windows emulator

Unlike Bochs, ExaGear Windows Emulator does not display a full version of the Windows operating system. Therefore, you don't need an image to use it, but there are several installation problems. Even so, the software works much faster than any other existing.

Note: The application is not enabled in the Google Play Market search engine, so the 4PDA forum is the only reliable source.

Go to the Windows ExaGear emulator in 4PDA

Paso 1: install the app

  1. Go to the page on the link provided and download ExaGear. Please note that all files will need to be extracted from the archive, therefore install the filing cabinet beforehand.

    Read also: Android file cabinets

  2. Tap on the APK file and install it equivalently to any other app.
  3. Thereafter, start ExaGear and wait for the license error message.
  4. Go back to the folder with the unzipped data, highlight and copy directory “Com.eltechs.ed”.
  5. Go to directory “SD card”open the folder “Android / obb” and paste the copied files, confirming the merger and replacement.

Paso 2: active ExaGear

  1. Use the following link and download the LuckyPatcher application. You must install and run it in the same way.

    Download LuckyPatcher from the official web portal

  2. After completing the installation and granting root rights, wait for the analysis to complete. From the list that appears, select ExaGear Windows Emulator and click “Patch menu”..
  3. To complete the registration, click on the line “Create a license”..
  4. Alternatively, if you don't have ROOT rights on your device, you can try a modified version of the application thread in 4PDA. Despite this, performance for this case is questionable.

Paso 3: work with files

  1. Once you have worked out the preparations, go to directory “SD card” and open the folder “Descargar”. It is in this directory where all the EXE files should be placed.
  2. Launch ExaGear, pull down the main menu and select “Install app”..
  3. In the page, select one of the suggested alternatives or click “Other app”..

    Specify the EXE file of interest to start the emulation, and at this point the task is considered solved.

A great utility of the application is not only the ability to open programs using EXE files, but in addition to running some games. Despite this, on more modern devices, boot errors can occur.

Method 3: DosBox

The last application of this post, DosBox, it is the easiest to use, but it has some major limitations in terms of compatible programs. Can run EXE files in DOS, but it is not feasible to install them. In other words, the program or game must be in package form.

Download DosBox for free from Google Play Market
DosBox Turbo page in the Google Play Store search engine
DosBox Turbo page on 4PDA forum

  1. We have cited different sources to download the application, since there are several versions of DosBox. The instructions will use the Turbo version of the 4PDA forum.
  2. Download and install the application on your Android device. After the installation is complete, no need to open it.
  3. Go to root directory “SD card / Descargar”Create a folder with an arbitrary name and put the EXE files to open in it.
  4. Memorize the path of the folder with the executable files and open the DosBox application.
  5. After . “C: gt;” enter a command cd имя_папкиwhere “Folder name” must be substituted with a suitable value.
  6. Then, specify the name of the EXE file to be opened without extension.
  7. If the program or game works correctly, it will start.

The advantage for this case is that almost any DOS application with more or less acceptable controls will run. At the same time, most games run smoothly and without freezing.

We have analyzed three different options, each of which is suitable in certain cases and will help you run EXE files on your phone. Unlike running modern apps on Android, emulators are more stable on older versions of the platform.

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