Difference between revisions of "Mobile/Extracting APK"

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Android games come in the form of a .APK. The actual process of extracting files from them is very simple. Make sure you have WinRAR or 7-ZIP for this step.
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Android games are usually downloaded in the form of an .APK file. Extracting the content from these files is actually quite easy.  
  
 
{{TutorialInfo
 
{{TutorialInfo
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Now, we have an .APK, as seen here. We'll be using Steven Universe: Attack the Light for this example.
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==Required Files & Tools==
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# The APK you want to extract
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# '''WinRAR''' or '''7-ZIP'''
  
[[File:APK File Example.png|thumb|An .APK file.]]
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==Tutorial==
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===Step 1: Acquiring an APK file===
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When it comes to aquiring an APK file, there are multiple ways to do so, however we suggest dumping your own if possible. For this tutorial we'll be using Steven Universe: Attack the Light as an example.<br/>
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[[File:APK File Example.png]]
  
We will want to open the .APK using our archive software of choice (in this case, WinRAR).
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===Step 2: Opening the APK file===
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Next we will want to open the .APK using our archive software of choice (in this tutorial WinRAR is used).
  
[[File:APK File Extraction Example.png|thumb|Using the Windows context menu to open an .APK using WinRAR.]]
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[[File:APK File Extraction Example.png|400px]]
  
You can also choose to associate the .APK file format with WinRAR or 7-ZIP so that you may simply double-click on the file to automatically open it as an archive without having to go through the context menu again, by checking the "Always use this app to open .APK files" box.
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Alternatively you can choose to associate the .APK file format with WinRAR or 7-ZIP so that you may simply double-click on the file to automatically open it as an archive without having to go through the context menu again, by checking the "Always use this app to open .APK files" box.
  
Now that we've learned how to open .APK files, let's see what can be found inside!
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===Step 3: Extracting the APK file===
  
[[File:APK Contents Example.png|thumb|Commonly found contents within a .APK file.]]
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[[File:APK Contents Example.png]]
  
As you can see, there are some folders along with some other odd files, such as "resources.ARSC". In most cases, only a few of these files and folders will be useful to us though. Extract the contents into a folder, and we'll break down each folder.
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As you can see, there are some folders along with some other odd files, such as "resources.ARSC". In most cases, only a few of these files and folders will be useful to us though. Extract the contents into a folder, and we'll break them down.
  
"assets" and "res" are what you want. You may find some subfolders within these, such as several "drawable" folders within the "res" folder. These typically contain only the application's icon/banner, but can contain other miscellaneous graphics. In most cases, "assets" is where the bulk of the content is located. Let's take a look!
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Typically "assets" and "res" are what you are looking for. You may find some subfolders within these, such as several "drawable" folders within the "res" folder. These typically contain only the application's icon/banner, but can contain other miscellaneous graphics. In most cases, "assets" is where the bulk of the content is located. Let's take a look!
  
[[File:APK assets folder content.png|thumb|Possible contents of an .APK's "assets" folder.]]
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[[File:APK assets folder content.png]]
  
There are more strange files here, but the ones we want in this case are "mainData" and "sharedassets0.assets". Do note however that this last step only applies to Unity games, however, so I recommend using Asset Studio to open, view, and extract these files.
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A large majority of mobile games use [[Unity]] and you will be able to tell if there are any files named "mainData" and "sharedassets0.assets". You would then use [[AssetStudio]] to view, and extract these files. Do note though that not all mobile games use Unity so keep that in mind.

Latest revision as of 16:00, 1 April 2020

Android games are usually downloaded in the form of an .APK file. Extracting the content from these files is actually quite easy.

Mobile/Extracting APK

Category: File Extraction
Difficulty: Beginner
Duration: 3 Minutes
Tutorial by: Garamonde


Required Files & Tools

  1. The APK you want to extract
  2. WinRAR or 7-ZIP

Tutorial

Step 1: Acquiring an APK file

When it comes to aquiring an APK file, there are multiple ways to do so, however we suggest dumping your own if possible. For this tutorial we'll be using Steven Universe: Attack the Light as an example.
APK File Example.png

Step 2: Opening the APK file

Next we will want to open the .APK using our archive software of choice (in this tutorial WinRAR is used).

APK File Extraction Example.png

Alternatively you can choose to associate the .APK file format with WinRAR or 7-ZIP so that you may simply double-click on the file to automatically open it as an archive without having to go through the context menu again, by checking the "Always use this app to open .APK files" box.

Step 3: Extracting the APK file

APK Contents Example.png

As you can see, there are some folders along with some other odd files, such as "resources.ARSC". In most cases, only a few of these files and folders will be useful to us though. Extract the contents into a folder, and we'll break them down.

Typically "assets" and "res" are what you are looking for. You may find some subfolders within these, such as several "drawable" folders within the "res" folder. These typically contain only the application's icon/banner, but can contain other miscellaneous graphics. In most cases, "assets" is where the bulk of the content is located. Let's take a look!

APK assets folder content.png

A large majority of mobile games use Unity and you will be able to tell if there are any files named "mainData" and "sharedassets0.assets". You would then use AssetStudio to view, and extract these files. Do note though that not all mobile games use Unity so keep that in mind.