Meta has officially launched its Thread app, which is available in more than 100 countries, and anyone can use it by downloading the app on their Android or iOS device. Since this is a rival to Twitter, where most users consider using Thread on their desktop via the web, if it is essential for you to have Thread on your desktop, we have prepared a guide for you on how you can use Thread on Windows.
First, let us acknowledge that Thread is not available on the web or as a desktop app. So there is no native way to run the Thread app on Windows, and it does not seem like Meta will announce a desktop app anytime soon. Nevertheless, there is a simple workaround that you can use to run the Thread app on your Windows computer.
Is Thread available on the web or desktop?
Post by @androidgreekView on Threads
The company’s official website is threads.net. Don’t get confused with threads.com. On the website, you can view your profile and check other threads, but you cannot use Thread on the website. This means the primary way to use Thread is to use it on your mobile device, either on an Android or iOS device, by downloading the app from Google Play Store or Apple App Store respectively.
However, Meta’s Thread allows you to share links and embed replies or posts of Thread to any website and links to open in a browser to read or view posts.
Windows Subsystem for Android
This is one of the best ways to run threads on your Windows device. Microsoft has announced a native Android emulator to run Android apps on Windows 11.
How to use Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows
It is currently available only in the United States. If you are not in the US, change your region from Windows Settings by navigating.
How Non-US users can download Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows 11
- Open Windows Settings (Shortcut key: Windows + I).
- Head over to Time & Language from the left sidebar.
- From there, go to Language & Region.
- Now, change the Country or Region from your country to the United States. In my case, I changed from India to the United States.
Note: You need to enable Virtual Machine Platform to use WSA.
- Search for “Turn Windows Features on or off”.
- Next, look for “Virtual Machine Platform” and check the checkbox.
- Then, restart your computer, and now you can download and install WSA for Windows.
Download Windows Subsystem for Android for Windows
- Now, launch Microsoft Store and then search for Windows Subsystem for Android.
- Click on it and then click on download. It will start downloading Amazon App Store and environments for Android on your Windows.
- It takes some time to download and install Windows Subsystem for Android.
- Once it finishes, it will ask you to log in with an Amazon account, which you do not have to continue with.
- Before proceeding, ensure you have enabled Developer Mode from Windows Settings.
Now, download Thread App and WSA Tool.
After downloading Windows Subsystem for Android, it’s time to download Threads, which you can download from APKMirror or anywhere else you believe you can find the Thread APK.
- Download Thread APK on your computer.
- Next, download WSA Tool from Microsoft Store.
- Search for the WSA-Tools – APK Installer and more and download it.
Install Thread App on Windows 11
- Launch Windows Subsystem for Android for Windows.
- Once it launches, you need to launch the WSA (Windows Subsystem for Android for Windows) by searching for “Windows Subsystem for Android for Windows” in Windows Search.
- After that, go to Advanced Settings and enable Developer Mode.
- Now, click on “install APK” on WSATool and then it will ask if ADB is missing. Click on “Install” to proceed.
- It will start downloading and then ask you to select where you want to install ADB. Create a folder for it on Windows C to keep files safe.
- Next, browse the APK. Remember, we have downloaded the APK, so browse the APK to load it.
- It will start sideloading, and at the same time, you will also receive a WSA prompt asking for “Allow ADB Debugging.”
- Enable it, and if an error occurs, click “Retry.”
- It will install the app and launch it.
- Login with your Instagram account, grant permission, and that’s it!
Enjoy using Thread on Windows. Launch the Files from the Windows Subsystem for Android to grant access to your files. It will appear in the system settings.
Alternative Way to Use Thread on Windows
Since it is better to use Windows’ functionality, which is not that hard, but if you do not want to use the previous method, then you can use the following methods.
- Mirror Your Phone: By doing this, you can control what’s on your phone from your Windows desktop. You can use Scrcpy, AirDroid Cast, or PhoneLink (limited to Samsung Galaxy S-Series models) to launch the app on your desktop and use Thread on Windows.
- Android’s Emulator: Apps like Bluestacks, GameLoop, NoxPlayer, Memu, or others can set up an Android virtual machine and download or sideload the Thread app on the emulator to run Thread on your Windows.
So this is how you can install the Thread app on your Windows device. You can use Thread using these methods as you have been using it on your mobile device.
