ADB Installation Guide

Complete step-by-step instructions for Windows & Mac

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📋 Table of Contents

What is ADB?

ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is a command-line tool that allows you to communicate with Android devices. It's essential for:

  • Getting detailed device information (IMEI, Android version, battery status)
  • Installing/uninstalling apps
  • Debugging applications
  • Accessing device shell
  • Transferring files

🪟 Windows Installation

Method 1: Platform Tools (Recommended)

Step 1: Download

  1. Go to: Android Platform Tools
  2. Click "Download SDK Platform-Tools for Windows"
  3. Accept terms and download (10-15 MB)

Step 2: Extract Files

  1. Locate downloaded ZIP file (usually in Downloads)
  2. Right-click → "Extract All..."
  3. Choose destination: C:\platform-tools
  4. Click "Extract"

Step 3: Add to PATH

  1. Press Windows + S (search)
  2. Type: "environment variables"
  3. Click "Edit the system environment variables"
  4. Click "Environment Variables" button
  5. In "System variables", find and select "Path"
  6. Click "Edit" → "New"
  7. Type: C:\platform-tools
  8. Click OK on all windows

Step 4: Verify Installation

# Open Command Prompt (Windows + R, type "cmd")
adb version

✅ Expected: You should see "Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.41..."

Method 2: Chocolatey (Alternative)

If you have Chocolatey installed:

choco install adb
adb version

🍎 Mac Installation

Method 1: Homebrew (Easiest)

Step 1: Install Homebrew (if needed)

Check if Homebrew is installed:

brew --version

If not installed, run:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Step 2: Install ADB

brew install android-platform-tools

Step 3: Verify Installation

adb version

✅ Expected: "Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.41..."

Method 2: Manual Installation

Download & Extract

cd ~/Downloads
unzip platform-tools-latest-darwin.zip
sudo mv platform-tools /usr/local/

Add to PATH

echo 'export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/platform-tools' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc
adb version

📱 Enable USB Debugging on Android

Step 1: Enable Developer Options

  1. Open Settings on your Android device
  2. Scroll to "About phone" (or "About device")
  3. Find "Build number"
  4. Tap "Build number" 7 times rapidly
  5. Enter PIN/password if prompted
  6. You'll see: "You are now a developer!"

Step 2: Enable USB Debugging

  1. Go back to Settings
  2. Find and tap "Developer options"
  3. Toggle ON: "Developer options"
  4. Scroll down and find "USB debugging"
  5. Toggle ON: "USB debugging"
  6. Tap OK on the warning dialog

Step 3: Connect & Authorize

  1. Connect your device to computer via USB cable
  2. Unlock your device
  3. On device, you'll see: "Allow USB debugging?"
  4. ✅ Check "Always allow from this computer"
  5. Tap "OK" or "Allow"

Step 4: Verify Connection

adb devices

✅ Expected output: Your device serial number followed by "device"

🔧 Common ADB Commands

Basic Device Information

# Check connected devices
adb devices
# Get device model
adb shell getprop ro.product.model
# Get Android version
adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release
# Get manufacturer
adb shell getprop ro.product.manufacturer

Advanced Information

# Get all device properties
adb shell getprop
# Get IMEI (requires authorization)
adb shell service call iphonesubinfo 1
# Get battery information
adb shell dumpsys battery
# Get storage information
adb shell df
# Get RAM information
adb shell cat /proc/meminfo
# Get screen resolution
adb shell wm size

🔍 Troubleshooting

"adb is not recognized" (Windows)

Solution:

  1. Verify ADB location: C:\platform-tools\adb.exe
  2. Re-add to PATH (see Step 3 above)
  3. Restart Command Prompt
  4. Try full path: C:\platform-tools\adb.exe version

"command not found: adb" (Mac)

Solution:

# Reinstall via Homebrew
brew install android-platform-tools
# Or add to PATH manually
echo 'export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/platform-tools' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Device shows "unauthorized"

Solution:

  1. Disconnect device
  2. Settings → Developer Options → Revoke USB debugging authorizations
  3. Reconnect device
  4. Accept authorization popup

Device not detected

Solutions:

  • Try different USB cable (use original if possible)
  • Try different USB port (avoid USB hubs)
  • Enable "File Transfer" mode on Android
  • Install device-specific USB drivers (Windows)
  • Restart both device and computer

📥 Download Links

Windows Platform Tools
Official Download
Mac Platform Tools
Official Download
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