WSA Manager

WSA Manager is a native Windows app for installing Android APK files into Windows Subsystem for Android. It is built for people who do not want to touch ADB, package names, or command prompts: open the app, drop an APK on the dashboard, and let WSA Manager handle the connection and install flow.

What It Does

• Installs .apk files into Windows Subsystem for Android.
• Wakes WSA and reconnects ADB when the subsystem is sleeping.
• Detects when an APK is already installed and lets you replace or skip it.
• Shows installed Android apps with names, package IDs, icons, size/date information when available, and uninstall actions.
• Keeps a diagnostics log so connection or install failures are easier to understand.
• Stores fresh native settings for the WinUI app; it does not use the old Electron settings file.

Start Using It

Download the latest build from the GitHub Releases page, unzip it, and run WsaManager.WinUI.exe.

1. Open Windows Subsystem for Android.
2. Go to Advanced settings.
3. Turn on Developer mode.
4. Open WSA Manager.
5. Drop one or more .apk files onto the dashboard, or click Choose APKs.
6. Wait for the cards to move through the install steps.
7. Open Installed apps to confirm the app is there or uninstall apps you no longer want.

If the dashboard says setup is needed, click Wake / reconnect. If it still cannot connect, open WSA Advanced settings and confirm Developer mode is still on. WSA may take a few seconds to start accepting ADB connections after Developer mode is enabled.

Requirements

• Windows 11
• Windows Subsystem for Android installed and working
• Developer mode enabled inside WSA Advanced settings
• Android platform tools, specifically adb.exe

Download

The current downloadable preview build is published on GitHub Releases as:

• WSA.Manager.WinUI.0.2.0.win-x64.zip

WSA Manager looks for ADB in common places, including:

• A saved path from app settings
• ANDROID_SDK_ROOT
• ANDROID_HOME
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\Android\Sdk\platform-tools\adb.exe
• %USERPROFILE%\Desktop\platform-tools\adb.exe
• adb.exe on PATH

Project Structure

• WsaManager.WinUI: WinUI 3 desktop app.
• WsaManager.Core: testable C# service layer for ADB, WSA readiness, installs, uninstall, settings, diagnostics, and installed app catalog.
• WsaManager.Core.Tests: unit tests for parsers, readiness, ADB resolution, install queue behavior, duplicate install handling, and catalog behavior.
• docs/: active visual references and archived historical notes.

Development Setup

This project currently targets .NET 9 and Windows App SDK.

On this machine, the local SDK is installed at C:\tmp\dotnet-sdk. If you use a normal system-wide .NET install, you may not need the environment setup lines.

$env:DOTNET_CLI_HOME='C:\tmp\dotnet-home'
$env:PATH='C:\tmp\dotnet-sdk;' + $env:PATH

Restore, test, and build from the repository root:

dotnet test WsaManager.Native.sln -p:Platform=x64
dotnet build WsaManager.Native.sln -p:Platform=x64

Run the app:

dotnet run --project WsaManager.WinUI\WsaManager.WinUI.csproj -p:Platform=x64

Verification

Before opening a PR, run:

dotnet test WsaManager.Native.sln -p:Platform=x64
dotnet build WsaManager.Native.sln -p:Platform=x64

For UI changes, also launch the app and manually check:

• Dashboard APK drop and file picker flow
• WSA wake/reconnect
• Duplicate install replace/skip prompt
• Installed apps list, icons, scrolling, and uninstall
• Diagnostics entries for failures

Status

The WinUI app is now the main app in this repository. The earlier Electron app was removed from the root project.

Packaging and installer work are still future work; the current development target is dotnet run.