Common ADB Commands and Troubleshooting Guide for Android Development

ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is an essential command‑line tool for Android developers and testers that communicates with a background server on TCP port 5037; it enables device inspection, app installation, file transfer, and system diagnostics.

Device listing : adb devices shows connected devices or emulators. Use adb -s <serialNumber> shell <command> to target a specific device.

Common connection problems : If no devices appear, ensure the USB vendor ID is added to adb_usb.ini. If the port is occupied (e.g., by other tools), terminate the conflicting process. If the device is unauthorized, reconnect and authorize the PC.

App installation :

Standard install: adb install <apk_path> Re‑install/overwrite: adb install -r <apk_path> Downgrade install: adb install -d <apk_path> The command returns success or an error such as INSTALL_FAILED_ALREADY_EXISTS.

App removal : adb uninstall [-k] <packageName> (the -k flag keeps data and cache).

Port forwarding : adb forward tcp:5555 tcp:8888 forwards a host port to the device.

File transfer :

Pull from device: adb pull <remote_path> <local_path> Push to device: adb push <local_path> <remote_path> If the device is rooted, files can be moved with adb push followed by adb shell su and cp.

Bug report : adb bugreport bugreport.zip (Android 6.0+) or adb bugreport > bugreport.txt (≤ 6.0) captures detailed logs for analysis.

Device information :

Model: adb shell getprop ro.product.model OS version: adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release CPU/memory: adb shell cat /proc/meminfo Serial number: adb get-serialno Shell access : adb shell opens a remote shell; exit with Ctrl+D or exit.

Package manager (pm) commands :

Clear cache/data: adb shell pm clear <packageName> List all packages: adb shell pm list packages List third‑party packages: adb shell pm list packages -3 Find packages containing a string: adb shell pm list packages *xxx* Uninstall package: adb shell pm uninstall <packageName> Get install location: adb shell pm get-install-location Activity manager (am) commands :

Start activity: adb shell am start [options] <intent> (e.g., adb shell am start -n com.example/.MainActivity)

Get launch time: adb shell am start -W -n <package>/<activity> Force‑stop app: adb shell am force-stop <packageName> Kill process: adb shell am kill <packageName> Broadcast intent: adb shell am broadcast -a <action> Monitor ANR/crash logs: adb shell am monitor Dumpsys utilities :

Memory usage for a package: adb shell dumpsys meminfo <packageName> Activity info: adb shell dumpsys activity <packageName> Battery status: adb shell dumpsys battery Current focused window: adb shell dumpsys window | findstr mCurrentFocus Miscellaneous :

Screenshot: adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screen.png then adb pull /sdcard/screen.png Screen recording: adb shell screenrecord /sdcard/record.mp4 Reboot device: adb reboot Check root status: adb shell then su; prompt # indicates root.