Direct File Download Instructions
For most users, downloading Pleco from Google Play and downloading databases for it via its built-in download manager should work fine; however, we also offer the following alternative methods in case those fail to deliver for you.
- Install Pleco Application – start here if Pleco isn’t installed on your device at all yet.
- Install Other Data Files – start here if Pleco is installed and running successfully but you’re unable to download additional files in “Add-ons.”
Install Pleco Application
Here’s how to install Pleco without using Google Play:
- Configure Device. Since this is not being distributed through Google Play, the first thing you need to do is configure your device to work with non-Play apps.On most Android devices, you can do this by opening up the built-in “Settings” app, tapping on “Applications,” and check the “Unknown Sources” box at the top of the page. (it may be under “Security” on some devices)
- Install Application. Enter the following link in your device’s web browser:pleco.com/getandroid(for users running Android 2.x or 3.x: pleco.com/getoldandroid)
After the download finishes, go into your notification bar and tap on it. You should see a prompt asking if you want to install Pleco; click yes and the app will show up in your program launcher screen.
If this doesn’t work and your device has a built-in file manager (called “My Files” on a lot of devices) or can download one from its built-in app store (search for “file manager” and download a well-reviewed free one), open the “download” folder in your SD card and you should see a file called “plecodroid-(some numbers)-.apk”; tap on that file to install Pleco.If your device can’t successfully finish this download, click on the above link to download the file to your computer, copy it to your device’s storage memory (connect your device to it via USB, swipe down the notification bar, tap on the USB connection notification, tap on the button to mount it as a USB drive, and copy the file to that drive), then open it on your device using a file manager.
(advanced users: all this is doing is downloading an APK file, so if you prefer to install it some other way, just download the file from that link and install it however you like)
- Launch Application. The first time you run it, Pleco will automatically download two free dictionaries and some other data files to get you started; additional databases can be obtained via the “Add-ons” menu command. If you encounter any problems with those file downloads, see below for alternate ways to download Pleco’s data files.
Install Other Data Files
All Add-ons
| Worldwide | China mirror (Hong Kong) | |
|---|---|---|
| Optical Character Recognizer | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Enhanced Handwriting Recognizer | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Extended Audio (male) | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Extended Audio (female) | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Cantonese Audio (female) | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Stroke Order Diagrams | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| KaiTi Stroke Order (Experimental) | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| ABC Chinese-English Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| ABC English-Chinese Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| 21st Century English-Chinese Dict | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| NWP English-Chinese Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Xiandai Hanyu Guifan Cidian | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Tuttle Learner’s Chinese-English Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Cheng & Tsui E-C Business Lexicon | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Grand Ricci | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Gu Hanyu Da Cidian | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Pocket Oxford Chinese Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Longman Advanced Chinese Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Practical Dictionary of Chinese Medicine | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Zhongshan Chinese Medical Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Oxford Chinese Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Hanyu Da Cidian | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| A Student’s Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| KEY Chinese-English Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Guangzhouhua Fangyan Cidian | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Duogongneng Chengyu Cidian | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| New Century English-Chinese Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Outlier Mini (Simplified) | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Outlier Mini (Traditional) | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Outlier Essentials (Simplified) | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Outlier Essentials (Traditional) | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Outlier Expert (Simplified) | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Outlier Expert (Traditional) | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Unihan Character DB (extended) | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Wiseman Chinese Medical Terms | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Adsotrans Chinese-English Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| LDC English-Chinese Wordlist | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| HanDeDict Chinese-German Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| DeHanDict German-Chinese Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| CFDICT Chinese-French Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| MoEDict | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| CC-Canto Cantonese-English Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Tuttle Chinese Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| ABC Dictionary of Chinese Proverbs | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| ABC Cantonese Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| The Right Word in Cantonese | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Guangzhouhua-Putonghua Cidian | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Lernwörterbuch Chinesisch | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Das Neue Chinesisch-Deutsche Wörterbuch | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| KEY Chinese-French | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Xiandai Hanyu Dacidian | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| FLTRP German-Chinese | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| FLTRP Chinese-German | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| FLTRP Chinese<>Spanish | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| FLTRP Chinese<>French | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| FLTRP Chinese<>Italian | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Babelcarp Chinese Tea Terms | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Cross-Straits Chinese Dictionary | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Hui Text-to-Speech Voice | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Liang Text-to-Speech Voice | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Hong Text-to-Speech Voice | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Qiang Text-to-Speech Voice | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Yafang Text-to-Speech Voice | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Kayan Text-to-Speech Voice | ⬇ | ⬇ |
| Kaho Text-to-Speech Voice | ⬇ | ⬇ |
- Download one or more file archives to your computer from one of the above links – DO NOT open or unzip it.
- Connect your device to your computer via a USB cable.
- Swipe down your device’s notification area, tap on the USB connection notification, and tap on the button to mount your device as a USB drive on your computer.
- Copy each of the files to that USB drive. (doesn’t matter where)
- Use the “Eject” command on your computer to unmount your device from it, then tap on the button on your device’s screen to disconnect it from your computer.
- Open up Pleco, press your device’s menu button, tap “Add-ons,” press the menu button again, and tap “Install from zip.”
- Select one of the files you copied to install it.
- Repeat this procedure with each of the other files.