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Convert files
Archive format

APK converter

An .apk file is the package Android installs an application from. It is a ZIP archive with a fixed internal layout: a binary AndroidManifest.xml, compiled resources in resources.arsc, one or more Dalvik executables named classes.dex, native libraries under lib/, and a signature block appended after the ZIP data.

Private for supported formats — processed in your browser

Convert supported files

Runs on your device

Drop APK files here

Batch files can each use a different output. Nothing uploads for local conversions.

Working inputs include camera RAW, browser-local audio/video, PDF, CBZ/CBR comics, office documents, ebooks, markup, 3D models, structured text, images, and archives.

Where APK comes from

The format shipped with Android 1.0 in 2008, reusing the JAR signing scheme Java already had. Google replaced that with APK Signature Scheme v2 in Android 7.0 to sign the whole file rather than each entry, added v3 key rotation in Android 9, and introduced Android App Bundles in 2018 so the Play Store generates device-specific packages instead of one universal file.

How APK works

  • The container is an ordinary ZIP, so any archiver lists its entries without Android tooling.
  • AndroidManifest.xml inside a package is binary XML, not text, and must be decoded before it reads like the source manifest.
  • resources.arsc is a compiled resource table mapping identifiers to strings, layouts, and drawables for every configuration the app supports.
  • Signature blocks from v2 onward live in a dedicated section between the last entry and the central directory, so re-zipping invalidates them.
  • Native code sits under lib/<abi>/, which is why a universal package is far larger than a per-architecture split.

When to use APK

  • Pulling icons, layouts, or bundled assets out of an app for inspection.
  • Checking which native architectures and permissions a package declares before sideloading it.
  • Archiving a specific app version as a plain ZIP alongside other build artefacts.
  • Reading a package on a desktop where no Android SDK is installed.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Just a ZIP underneath, so extraction needs no Android-specific software.
  • Everything the app needs travels in one file, including resources and native libraries.
  • Signature schemes v2 and above protect the whole archive, not merely its entries.
  • The layout is stable enough that tooling written years ago still lists entries correctly.

Limitations

  • The manifest and resource table are compiled binaries, so raw extraction gives unreadable XML.
  • Repacking breaks the signature, and Android refuses to install an unsigned or mis-signed package.
  • Universal builds carry code and resources for devices the user will never own.

Compatibility

Android installs the format natively, aapt2, apktool, and Android Studio inspect it on desktop, and any ZIP utility opens one for extraction. Novus Convert reads the ZIP directory in the browser and rewrites the entries as ZIP or TAR — nothing is decompiled, installed, or executed.

Package name, version code, permissions, and component declarations live in the binary manifest, which is preserved byte for byte as an extracted file. The signature block sits outside the ZIP entries and does not survive repackaging.

Convert APK to another format