Is BlueStacks Safe for PCs and Macs? Yes, With Ifs

August 10, 2024 By Nick Anderson No Comments 14 minutes

Yes, Bluestack is safe for PCs and Macs because it is nothing more than an emulator. The company behind the application has been operating for over 10 years, but it has been a part of major controversies. Recently, there have been concerns about the security of this application because of various flaws.

Note: One of the easiest ways to improve performance on Bluestack is through a VPN. Installing a VPN on Bluestacks allows you to emulate apps with their functionalities in different countries without affecting the other apps installed on your system. It’s a great way to multi-task on one single system, so get FastestVPN today.

We’ll look at all of these flaws and find any persistent points about its privacy. We also saw solutions to common problems with Bluestack, like virtualization, bit optimization, and compatibility analysis. All of these will make your everyday Bluestack experience much smoother.

What is Bluestacks?

Bluestacks is an emulator that lets you use Android applications on your PC. For example, you can use it to play PUBG or WarZone on your PC as you would on your phone. You can use your mobile banking or social media apps on your PC. Some people use it to access the full functionality of Facebook because the PC or web version lacks advanced features.

Jay Vaishnav, Suman Saraf, and Rosen Sharma founded the application in 2009. After an under-the-radar release, users started emulating it, and the application gained fame and fortune. Over the years, the base version has been updated, and the latest version was released on May 5, 2021.

Bluestack Features

Since its introduction in 2011, Bluestacks has evolved into the best Android emulator and way to run Android apps on Windows and macOS. Perhaps the best part is that Bluestacks is completely free to use. It is regularly maintained, and new features are added year after year.

Here are some of the noteworthy Bluestack features:

• Map touch controls are available on the mouse and keyboard or controller.
• Run multiple games simultaneously or multiple instances of one game through different accounts.
• High-frame rate mode.
• Translate text in real-time during gameplay.
• Access 20M+ Android apps.
• Works on older Windows OS like Windows 7 and Windows 8.

Is Bluestacks Safe for PC?

Overall, Bluestacks is safe and trusted because the applications have no hidden malware. The application is often included in lists of the best Android emulators. However, on a more precise scale, Bluestacks does have a few problems. For example, how it slows down PCs and installs Bluestacks X is concerning.

Let’s look at all the instances and questions in more detail to get the right answers:

Does Bluestacks Have Viruses?

No, Bluestacks does not have viruses, which means you can use it without any major issues. There have been instances where Bluestacks has been flagged as a virus by certain antivirus services, like BitDefender. This is mostly because Bluestacks monitors and hogs system resources.

Because of its resource intensive nature, your PC will slow down because of Bluestacks. The same happened to a user on Reddit, who ended up with a fried PC.

To avoid this, we highly recommend having more than the minimum specs. The requirements are understated, and you should have more than the required RAM and processing power. Besides that, we’ve tested the Bluestacks application with TotalAV, Norton, and Kaspersky, and it wasn’t flagged as a virus on any of these.

Does Bluestacks Have Trojans?

No, Bluestacks doesn’t have Trojans. We’ve tested this with Norton and Kaspersky. Even while using Bluestacks (mostly playing random, trashy games), we never found any unusual return requests. In 2022, there were some rumors about Trojans in the Bluestacks application.

However, the application didn’t contain any specific Trojans. One reason Bluestacks was flagged as a Trojan was its resource monitoring functionality. Bluestacks scans and analyzes your PC’s capabilities, i.e., RAM, and processing power, to determine if it’s a fit for your device.

However, some anti-virus software may flag this activity as a Trojan. Another interesting thing to note is that Bluestacks also installs a Now.gg wallet (now renamed as Bluestacks services) bundled with the basic installer. It’s one of the main reasons why Bluestacks is flagged as a Trojan.

Does Bluestacks Have Bloatware?

Yes, Bluestacks has a lot of bloatware, and even the moderators/developers agree. For example, Bluestacks X is downloaded as a bundle with Bluestacks 5. The company doesn’t ask for user consent when downloading this additional application.

Bluestacks X is like a beehive of ads, where one pops-up after another. While Bluestacks X is safe to use, the additional weight on your PC slows it down significantly. Apart from this, Bluestacks also downloads their crypto wallet, Now.gg, on your device without consent.

The constant drawl and beating on your PC is brutal. It also spreads this aura of fear, because the users do not know what else will come flying their way.

Does Bluestacks Have Hidden Cryptocurrency Miners?

No, on paper, Bluestacks does not have any hidden cryptocurrency miners. The company and its representatives have vehemently denied bundling any cryptocurrency miner with Bluestacks 5. However, some users have reported that they found cryptocurrency miners bundled in the installed files.

Other Redditors were also quick to notice the sneaky miner in this thread. The Bluestack representative denied including any such miner and even offered to help the user find the root cause. Realistically, several other software programs could have caused the crypto miner bug.

On the shady side, Bluestacks takes up a lot of resources, and users quickly pointed out that the miner was specifically in the Bluestacks directory. We could go on and on about whether the miner was Bluestacks’s or someone else’s, but it wouldn’t lead us anywhere.

It has been 7 years since the issue, and there have been no updates on the situation. We have reached out to the Redditor to get an update. For now, there are no hidden cryptocurrency miners in Bluestacks.

Bluestacks Revenue Model and Privacy

Bluestacks’ revenue model depends on ads and partnerships, along with a premium subscription. While this model offers nothing more, some people are angered by the constant ad barrage. There was an interesting conversation between a Bluestacks moderator and a user on Reddit.

Ad revenue and partnerships keep Bluestacks afloat, so it’s a necessary evil that we can’t do anything about. There aren’t any public reports of Bluestack’s revenue, but according to Zippia, they made $6.9 million in 2023. The intrusive ads are concerning, but they don’t affect the safety of this Android emulator.

Bluestacks Privacy Policy

According to their privacy policy, Bluestacks collects certain information about the user, including their email, IP, device, and other minor data. This isn’t a very intrusive clause because most businesses have to do this to keep track of their user base.

According to its privacy policy, Bluestacks does not collect vulnerable private data like passwords. However, in certain cases, users who tried logging in to their social media applications using Bluestacks have received a warning about Third-Party logins.

Bluestacks also shares certain information with its affiliates and partners. Most of this data is related to user behavior and is used to show better ads on its applications. We’ve seen more invasive policies, so we’ll say Bluestacks is safe to download. However, please use it after considering its privacy policy.

Concerns About Bluestacks

Over the years, there have been concerns about Bluestacks’ safety. These concerns aren’t primarily related to BlueStacks bloatware or trojans. Instead, most are related to the processing drain on all system resources and flaws found in Bluestacks in the past.

Processing Drains

The processing power drain of Bluestacks isn’t hidden knowledge. Despite claiming they only require 8G of RAM to work seamlessly, Bluestacks takes a lot more. It makes sense because you’re running a complete Android on your PC, but the drain is still massive.

Countless users have reported overheating, slow system processes, and other problems. The moderators recommend enabling virtualization, but that isn’t a core solution. For example, a reddit user reported that the problem persisted even after he enabled the option.

Flaws in the Application

One of the biggest threats to users is flaws in the framework itself. For example, in 2019, Nick Cano discovered a flaw in Bluestacks v4.90.0.1046. The flaw allowed remote execution because of DNS rebinding vulnerability, which could lead to various problems and hacks.

These hacks were addressed quickly to avoid exploitation. Fortunately, Bluestacks also pays close attention to everything it releases and patches flaws very quickly.

Is Bluestacks Safe – Should You Install It?

In a word, yes. Bluestacks is absolutely safe to use. It is a popular emulator that is the most convenient way to run Android applications on Windows and macOS. In fact, Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and Samsung are some of the names on its patron list.

If you are worried about whether Bluestacks is a trojan for a crypto miner, rest easy. Bluestacks has been in service for years, and there have been no reports about the program hosting malicious code under the code. However, it would help if you were careful about where you download the program.

Hackers prepare popular programs as trojans to attack unsuspecting users. You must always download applications from official sources, i.e., directly from the official website. It will ensure that the application is free of malware and is the latest version.

How to Install Bluestacks on Windows and Mac

Below, you’ll find a tutorial on how to install Bluestacks on Windows and macOS. Let’s get started!

1. Install Bluestacks on Windows

1. First, download Bluestacks by going to the official website. Choose the installer according to your bit version.
2. Launch the installer once downloaded.
3. Click on “Install Now” or “Customize Installation” depending on what you need.
4. Wait a bit for the installation to complete.
5. Bluestacks will launch automatically.
6. Log in to your Google account.
7. That’s all!

Now, take a look at the minimum and recommended specifications required to run Bluestacks on Windows 10 or below.

Minimum Specifications for Bluestacks

• OS: Windows 7 or higher
• CPU: Intel or AMD
• RAM: 2GB
• Storage: 5GB

Recommended Specifications for Bluestacks

• OS: Windows 10
• CPU: Intel or AMD multi-core processor with PassMark Score higher than 1000
• GPU: GPU with PassMark equal to or higher than 750
• RAM: 8GB or higher
• Storage: 5GB SSD/Hybrid SSD

2. Install Bluestacks on macOS

1. First, download Bluestacks by going to the official website and choosing the installer according to Mac.
2. Launch the installer once downloaded.
3. To install, double-click on the Bluestacks icon.
4. If prompted to confirm whether you want to use the installer, click “Open.”
5. Click on “Install Now” when redirected to a new window.
6. Enter your Username & Password.
7. Click “Install Helper.”
8. When prompted with a “System Extension Blocked” popup, click “Open Security & Privacy.”
9. Next, click on “Allow.”
10. Sign in to your Google account after it’s installed.
11. That’s it! You’re done.

Minimum Specifications for Bluestacks

• OS: macOS Sierra or higher
• CPU: Intel or AMD Dual Core
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 8GB

Recommended Specifications for Bluestacks

• OS: macOS Mojave or macOS Catalina
• CPU: Intel or AMD multi-core processor with Single Thread PassMark score of 1500
• GPU: GPU with PassMark equal to or higher than 750
• RAM: 8GB or higher
• Storage: 32GB SSD/Hybrid SSD

You can now browse through the Play Store and download Android apps. Some games use cloud saves so that you can pick up your progress in a game once signed in.

How to uninstall BlueStacks 5 from your Windows

• On your Windows PC, click on “Windows + R” to launch the Run command box.
• Type “%temp%” and then click on “OK.”
• Delete all files visible on the “Temp” window.
• Choose the following links depending on which BlueStacks you want to uninstall from your Windows:
• Tool link 1 – to uninstall BlueStacks 4 Nougat 32-bit version
• Tool link 2 – to uninstall all versions of BlueStack on your device
• Once the tool is downloaded, run it.
• Click on “Yes” when prompted for permission to jet start the BlueStacks cleaner. This will now start uninstalling BlueStacks 5.
• Once uninstalled, you will see a box that says, “Process has been finished.” click “OK.”

How to uninstall BlueStacks 5 from your Mac

• On your Mac, click on “Go” from the top bar.
• Select “Applications” from the dropdown menu.
• Look for “BlueStacks” from within the “Applications” window
• Right-click on it and then click on “Move to Bin.”
• That’s all!

How to Avoid Problems With Bluestacks?

Most of the common problems with using Bluestacks have already been addressed. To simplify your life, we’ll list some of these solutions below.

Consider More than the Recommended Specs for Bluestacks

Here are the recommended specs for running Bluestacks on your PC:

For the best-case scenario, you should have more than all of the recommended system requirements. Countless people have reported very slow PC speeds after installing Bluestacks.

Enable Virtualization for a Smoother Experience

After downloading Bluestacks, please enable virtualization to make the experience smoother. Virtualization enables Bluestacks to use more resources, which increases the speed and efficiency of the platform. However, here’s how you enable virtualization for Bluestacks:

1. Click on the Start Menu.
2. Open Windows Settings.
3. Click on Update & Security.
4. Select the Recovery tab.
5. Click on Restart Now.
6. Click on Troubleshoot.
7. Select Advanced Options.
8. Click on UEFI Firmware Settings.
9. Then press Restart.
10. When you enter the menu, select the Advanced tab.
11. Click on CPU Configuration.
12. Go to SVM Mode or Intel Virtualization Technology.
13. Enable the Mode and Press OK.
14. Save, Exit, and Restart.

To check if virtualization is enabled, open the Task Manager (CTRL + ALT + DEL > Task Manager). Click on the Performance Tab and then CPU. In the window, you should see a row for virtualization status.

Maximizing Bluestack Efficiency With a VPN

Bluestacks is great for playing games, but there’s a lot more you could be doing with it. You have a portable Android phone on your PC, why limit it to games. You can use hundreds of applications on your PC, that would otherwise stay within the confines of your phone.

Furthermore, you tunnel your traffic on the Bluestacks engine through the VPN server by using a VPN. When you enable the VPN in Bluestacks, it won’t affect any applications outside of the Bluestacks application. You can run a virtual phone on your PC, protected by a VPN, without affecting other processes.

FastestVPN gives you 10 multi-logins, which means you can get your favorite virtual environment on any 10 devices of your choice. Get FastestVPN today to unleash the true potential of Bluestacks.

Is Bluestacks X Safe?

Yes, Bluestacks X is safe because it’s an official application from the Bluestacks company. Bluestacks X allows you to play Web3 Games on the cloud without installing them on your device. The cloud Android emulator lets you download and play over 2 million games on your PC without taking up storage space.

While the application is great, it is also notorious for ad spam that surpasses the rate at which new influencers pop up on the news for their shenanigans. Use it at your own discretion and convenience.

Conclusion: Is BlueStacks Safe Today?

While Bluestacks had some controversies, none were substantial or well-documented. Since Bluestacks has no problems in 2024, we can only assume it’s safe. While there are instances where users complain about processing drains while using Bluestacks, there are no alarm-raising reports of trojans or malware.

Bluestacks X, on the other hand, is notorious for ad spam and problems. Always use it with caution and enable a VPN for better security. Click on the button below to get FastestVPN today for Bluestacks at a special discounted price.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Receive the trending posts of the week and the latest announcements from FastestVPN via our email newsletter.

Email Address