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How to Enable the Classic Android Navigation Bar in BlueStacks 5 (Back / Home / Recents)

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How to Enable the Classic Android Navigation Bar in BlueStacks 5 (Back / Home / Recents)

BlueStacks 5 hides the classic Android system navigation bar by default, which can be frustrating if you’re testing Android apps, debugging UI flows, or working with apps that rely on Back, Home, or Recent Apps behavior.

Fortunately, you can re-enable the classic Android navigation bar by editing a hidden configuration file.

This guide walks you through the safe, manual way to enable it.

Guide from my blog jervi-writes

✅ What You’ll Get

Once enabled, you’ll see the standard Android system buttons at the bottom of BlueStacks:

  • ◀️ Back
  • ⭕ Home
  • 🟦 Recent Apps

From

To

This is especially useful for:

  • React Native / Flutter / Android developers
  • UI & navigation testing
  • Apps that don’t handle gestures well
  • Emulator-like behavior without Android Studio

⚠️ Important Notes Before You Start

  • Close BlueStacks completely before editing any files
  • Editing config files incorrectly may cause startup issues
  • Follow the steps exactly

Step-by-Step: Enable Navigation Bar in BlueStacks 5

1. Close BlueStacks Completely

Make sure BlueStacks is fully closed (also check the system tray).

2. Enable Hidden Files in Windows

The required folder is hidden by default.

Windows 10 / 11

  • Open File Explorer
  • Click View → Show → Hidden items

3. Navigate to the BlueStacks Config Folder

Go to:

C:\ProgramData\BlueStacks_nxt
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ProgramData is hidden by default, which is why step 2 is required.

4. Open the bluestacks Configuration File

Inside the folder, locate a file named:

bluestacks
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(If file extensions are hidden, it may appear without .conf or .ini)

  • Right-click → Open with → Notepad

5. Enable the Navigation Bar Setting

Search for the following line:

bst.enable_navigationbar="0"
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Change it to:

bst.enable_navigationbar="1"
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This flag controls whether the Android system navigation bar is visible.

6. Save the File

  • Press Ctrl + S
  • Close Notepad

7. Prevent BlueStacks from Reverting the Change (Important)

BlueStacks may overwrite this file on startup unless you lock it.

  • Right-click the bluestacks file
  • Select Properties
  • Under General, check Read-only
  • Click Apply → OK

8. Reopen BlueStacks 5

Launch BlueStacks normally.

You should now see the classic Android navigation bar at the bottom of the screen.

9. The end

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