Essential ADB Commands Every Developer Should Know

The commands you will actually use daily, organized by task instead of dumped alphabetically.

Device connection and management

Check connected devices

adb devices

List of devices attached
1234567890ABCDEF    device
emulator-5554       device
9876543210FEDCBA    unauthorized

Status meanings: device (ready), unauthorized (accept the USB debugging prompt), offline (not responding – replug USB or restart ADB), no permissions (Linux udev rules issue). adb devices -l adds model and product name, useful with multiple devices attached.

Target a specific device

With several devices connected, use -s with any command:

adb -s 1234567890ABCDEF shell getprop ro.product.model

-d targets the only USB device, -e the only emulator.

Restart the ADB server

adb kill-server
adb start-server

Fixes the majority of “device not detected” problems.

App installation and management

Install an APK

adb install path/to/app.apk

Useful flags: -r (reinstall, keep data), -d (allow downgrade), -g (grant all runtime permissions), -t (allow test APKs). Example – reinstall a debug build with all permissions:

adb install -r -g app-debug.apk

List installed packages

adb shell pm list packages

Filters: -3 (third-party), -s (system), -e (enabled), -d (disabled). Find specific apps:

adb shell pm list packages | grep chrome

Grant and revoke permissions

adb shell pm grant com.example.myapp android.permission.CAMERA
adb shell pm revoke com.example.myapp android.permission.CAMERA

File operations

Copy files to the device (push)

adb push local-file.txt /sdcard/

Common destinations: /sdcard/ (external storage), /data/local/tmp/ (temporary, world-writable), /sdcard/Download/.

Copy files from the device (pull)

adb pull /sdcard/screenshot.png

Pull to a specific location:

adb pull /sdcard/photo.jpg ~/Pictures/

Debugging and logs

Logcat

adb logcat

This floods the terminal. Filter it. Clear old logs first with adb logcat -c.

By priority (V=Verbose, D=Debug, I=Info, W=Warn, E=Error, F=Fatal):

adb logcat *:E

By app:

adb logcat | grep com.example.myapp

Save to file:

adb logcat -d > logcat.txt

Screen capture and recording

Screenshot

adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screenshot.png
adb pull /sdcard/screenshot.png

One-liner:

adb exec-out screencap -p > screenshot.png

Screen recording

adb shell screenrecord /sdcard/demo.mp4

Press Ctrl+C to stop, then adb pull /sdcard/demo.mp4. Options: --time-limit 30, --bit-rate 6000000, --size 1280x720.

System control

Simulate input

Type text (%s for spaces):

adb shell input text "Hello%sWorld"

Key events:

adb shell input keyevent 3   # Home
adb shell input keyevent 4   # Back
adb shell input keyevent 26  # Power
adb shell input keyevent 66  # Enter

Tap coordinates:

adb shell input tap 500 1000

Device info

adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release   # Android version
adb shell getprop ro.product.model            # Device model
adb shell wm size                             # Screen resolution
adb shell dumpsys battery                     # Battery status

Workflow scenarios

Quickly test an APK:

adb install -r app-debug.apk
adb shell am start -n com.example.myapp/.MainActivity
adb logcat | grep "com.example.myapp"

Debug a crash:

adb logcat -c
# reproduce the crash
adb logcat -d > crash.txt
grep -A 20 "AndroidRuntime" crash.txt

Pull a database off the device:

adb shell run-as com.example.myapp cp /data/data/com.example.myapp/databases/app.db /sdcard/
adb pull /sdcard/app.db

(run-as only works on debuggable builds.)

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Solution
“device unauthorized”	USB debugging prompt not accepted	Unlock device, accept prompt, check “Always allow”
“no devices found”	Device not detected or ADB server issue	adb kill-server && adb start-server
“insufficient permissions” (Linux)	udev rules not configured	Install 51-android.rules, reload udev
“more than one device”	Multiple devices without -s	adb -s <serial> command
Logcat output overwhelming	Too many logs	Filter: adb logcat *:E or grep

Quick reference

Most-used commands

Command	Purpose	Example
adb devices	List connected devices	adb devices -l
adb install	Install APK	adb install -r app.apk
adb uninstall	Remove app	adb uninstall com.app
adb shell	Device shell access	adb shell ls /sdcard/
adb logcat	View logs	adb logcat *:E
adb push	Copy to device	adb push file.txt /sdcard/
adb pull	Copy from device	adb pull /sdcard/file.txt
adb shell pm	Package manager	pm list packages -3

Common keyevent codes

Code	Key	Usage
3	Home	adb shell input keyevent 3
4	Back	adb shell input keyevent 4
26	Power	adb shell input keyevent 26
66	Enter	adb shell input keyevent 66
67	Delete (Backspace)	adb shell input keyevent 67
24/25	Volume Up/Down	adb shell input keyevent 24

Important file paths

Path	Contents
/sdcard/	External storage root
/sdcard/Download/	Downloads folder
/data/app/	Installed APKs
/data/data/<package>/	App’s private data
/data/data/<package>/databases/	SQLite databases
/data/local/tmp/	Temporary (world-writable)

Shell tip: alias your most-used fixes, e.g. alias adbfix='adb kill-server && adb start-server' or alias logcat-error='adb logcat *:E' in ~/.bashrc.

References: Android Debug Bridge (adb) – Android Developers (developer.android.com)

Part of the series: The Complete ADB Guide — also in this series: What is ADB? · Install ADB · Wireless ADB · Troubleshooting