ADB (Android Debug Bridge) Cheatsheet | Cheat Sheets Hero

Catalog / ADB (Android Debug Bridge) Cheatsheet

Device Management

Basic Device Commands

`adb devices`	Lists all connected Android devices. Shows serial number and state (device, offline, unauthorized).
`adb devices -l`	Lists connected devices with more details like transport ID and product/model information.
`adb get-state`	Prints the device’s current state (device, offline, unauthorized, unknown).
`adb get-serialno`	Retrieves the serial number of the connected device.
`adb wait-for-device`	Blocks execution until a device is connected. Useful in scripts.
`adb kill-server`	Kills the ADB server process. The server will restart automatically when another ADB command is executed.
`adb start-server`	Starts the ADB server. Usually not required as ADB commands start the server if it’s not running.

Device Selection

`adb -s <serialNumber> <command>`	Specifies the device by serial number to execute the command on. Useful when multiple devices are connected. Example: `adb -s emulator-5554 shell getprop ro.product.model`
`adb -e <command>`	Directs the command to the only connected emulator. Returns an error if more than one emulator is running.
`adb -d <command>`	Directs the command to the only connected hardware device. Returns an error if more than one device is connected.

Reboot Commands

`adb reboot`	Reboots the Android device.
`adb reboot bootloader`	Reboots the device into the bootloader (fastboot) mode.
`adb reboot recovery`	Reboots the device into recovery mode.

File Management

File Transfer

`adb push <local> <remote>`	Copies a file or directory from your computer (local) to the Android device (remote). Example: `adb push myfile.txt /sdcard/`
`adb pull <remote> <local>`	Copies a file or directory from the Android device (remote) to your computer (local). Example: `adb pull /sdcard/myimage.jpg .` (copies to current directory)

Shell File Operations

`adb shell ls <path>`	Lists files and directories in the specified path on the device. Use `-l` for detailed listing. Example: `adb shell ls /sdcard/DCIM/Camera`
`adb shell mkdir <path>`	Creates a new directory at the specified path on the device. Example: `adb shell mkdir /sdcard/new_folder`
`adb shell rm <path>`	Removes the file at the specified path on the device. Example: `adb shell rm /sdcard/temp.txt`
`adb shell rm -r <path>`	Removes the directory recursively at the specified path on the device. Example: `adb shell rm -r /sdcard/temp_folder`
`adb shell mv <source> <destination>`	Moves a file from source to destination path on the device. Example: `adb shell mv /sdcard/test.txt /sdcard/backup/test.txt`

Shell Commands

Basic Shell Interaction

`adb shell <command>`	Executes a shell command on the Android device. Example: `adb shell getprop ro.product.model` (gets the device model)
`adb shell`	Opens an interactive shell session on the Android device. Type `exit` to close the session.
`adb emu <command>`	Runs emulator console command. Example: `adb emu geo fix -80 30`

Package Management

`adb install <path_to_apk>`	Installs an Android application package (APK) from your computer to the device. Example: `adb install myapp.apk`
`adb install -r <path_to_apk>`	Reinstalls an existing application, keeping its data. Example: `adb install -r myapp.apk`
`adb uninstall <package_name>`	Uninstalls the application with the specified package name from the device. Example: `adb uninstall com.example.myapp`
`adb shell pm list packages`	Lists all installed packages on the device.
`adb shell pm clear <package_name>`	Clear user data of a package. Example: `adb shell pm clear com.example.myapp`

Screen and Media

`adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screen.png`	Takes a screenshot of the device screen and saves it as a PNG file on the device. Then use `adb pull /sdcard/screen.png` to copy it to your computer.
`adb shell screenrecord /sdcard/screen.mp4`	Records a video of the device screen and saves it as an MP4 file on the device. Press Ctrl+C to stop recording. Then use `adb pull /sdcard/screen.mp4` to copy it to your computer.

Debugging & Logging

Logcat Commands

`adb logcat`	Starts streaming system log messages to your console.
`adb logcat -c`	Clears the current log buffers.
`adb logcat -v <format>`	Specifies the log message format (`brief`, `process`, `tag`, `thread`, `raw`, `time`, `threadtime`, `long`). Example: `adb logcat -v threadtime`
`adb logcat <tag>:<level>`	Filters log messages by tag and priority level (`V` - Verbose, `D` - Debug, `I` - Info, `W` - Warning, `E` - Error, `F` - Fatal, `S` - Silent). Example: `adb logcat MyTag:D *:S` (shows Debug messages from MyTag and suppresses all other tags)
`adb logcat -f <filename>`	Saves the log output to the specified file. Example: `adb logcat -f mylog.txt`
`adb logcat \| grep <search_term>`	Filters logcat output using grep for specific strings. Example: `adb logcat \| grep "MyApp"`

Debugging Applications

`adb jdwp`	Lists the process IDs (PID) of all applications that are enabled for JDWP (Java Debug Wire Protocol) debugging.
`adb forward tcp:<local_port> jdwp:<remote_pid>`	Sets up port forwarding for debugging a specific application process. Example: `adb forward tcp:8000 jdwp:1234` (forwards local port 8000 to process 1234)
`adb shell am start -D -n <package>/<activity>`	Starts an application in debug mode, waiting for a debugger to attach. Example: `adb shell am start -D -n com.example.myapp/.MainActivity`

ADB over Network

`adb tcpip <port>`	Restarts ADB in TCP/IP mode on the specified port (usually 5555). Run on the device itself (via USB connection).
`adb connect <device_ip>:<port>`	Connects to the device over the network. Run on the computer after enabling `adb tcpip` on the device. Example: `adb connect 192.168.1.100:5555`
`adb disconnect <device_ip>:<port>`	Disconnects from a network-connected device. Example: `adb disconnect 192.168.1.100:5555`

Details

Operating Systems Shortcuts / Android

March 10, 2025 21:57

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