How Can I Install Android on My Surface 3 Tablet?

So, you’ve got a Surface 3 and you’re looking to spice things up by running Android on it. Cool move! If you’re up for the challenge, here’s how you can pull it off while keeping things nice and smooth.

What You’ll Need:

• A USB drive (at least 8GB should do the trick)
• Your trusty Surface 3, ideally fully charged
• Optional: a keyboard and mouse, because why not?

Before you dive in:

First off, back up your stuff. Seriously, don’t skip this step unless you’re into living dangerously. Then, go grab the Android-x86 ISO from their site – they’ve got all sorts of versions, make sure you grab the one that will play nice with your Surface. You’ll also want to get Rufus, which you can find at rufus.ie. It’s dead simple to use and will help you turn your USB into a bootable magic stick.

Making the Bootable USB:

Just slot your USB in the computer. Fire up Rufus, and point it at that Android-x86 ISO you downloaded. Make sure you’ve set it to FAT32 and MBR. Hit start, let it do its thing, and that’s one tool ready to go!

Getting Android on your Surface:

This is where it gets interesting. Pop that USB into your Surface 3 and restart it. Hammer that Volume Down button to bring up the boot menu and pick your USB drive to boot from. You’re gonna want to choose “Install Android-x86 to hard disk” in the next screen. Here’s the bit where you select a partition, format it to ext4, and put in the GRUB bootloader. Just follow the prompts – you’re almost there!

After Installation:

Once Android’s up and running, give your Surface a reboot and voilà! Boot into Android, sign in to your Google account, and start getting cozy with your new system. You’ll probably want to cruise the Play Store and install whatever apps tickle your fancy.

If something’s acting up:

Use an external keyboard and mouse if the touch screen isn’t playing ball. Need more guidance? Hit up the folks over at XDA Developers or Reddit – there’s seasoned techies there who’ve seen it all.

Take it from me – with these steps, your Surface 3 will be rocking Android in no time!

Remember: changing your OS is no small thing. Make sure you’re backed up, and take it slow!

Happy tinkering!

For more details:

• Android-x86 Project website
• Rufus USB Tool site