Comprehensive Guide to Android Debug Bridge (ADB) Commands and Their Practical Uses

ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is a three‑part client‑server‑daemon system that enables communication between a PC and Android devices or emulators, allowing installation, debugging, and control of apps.

ADB Components

The client runs on the PC and checks if the ADB server is active; if not, it starts the server on port 5037. The server manages connections to device‑side daemons, and the daemon runs on the Android device.

Common adb shell am Commands

Use adb shell am start to launch an activity, adb shell am startservice to start a service, adb shell am stopservice to stop a service, and adb shell am force-stop or adb shell am kill to terminate an app.

Package Manager (adb shell pm)

Commands such as adb shell pm list package, adb shell pm install, adb shell pm uninstall, and adb shell pm clear manage app installation, removal, and data clearing, with various flags (e.g., -r, -s, -f) to control behavior.

AppOps (adb shell appops)

Use adb shell appops get to view permission usage, adb shell appops set to modify permission state (allow, deny, ignore, default), and adb shell appops reset to restore original permissions.

Window Management (adb shell wm)

Commands like adb shell wm size, adb shell wm density, and adb shell wm overscan adjust screen resolution, density, and display area temporarily.

System Settings (adb shell settings)

Retrieve or modify system parameters with adb shell settings get/put/delete across the system, secure, and global namespaces.

Input Simulation (adb shell input)

Simulate text entry ( adb shell input text 'HelloADB'), key events ( adb shell input keyevent KEYCODE_MENU), taps, swipes, and other gestures to automate UI interactions.

Dumpsys (adb shell dumpsys)

Extract system diagnostics such as CPU usage ( adb shell dumpsys cpuinfo), battery status, package info, and activity stack ( adb shell dumpsys activity top) for performance analysis.

Logcat (adb logcat)

View runtime logs with filtering options; control output format using -v parameters (e.g., adb logcat -v brief) and filter by tag or PID.

File Transfer (adb push/pull)

Transfer files between host and device using adb push sourceFile /sdcard/ and adb pull /sdcard/file localFile, optionally renaming during transfer.

Screen Capture and Recording

Capture screenshots with adb shell screencap /sdcard/Test.png and record video with adb shell screenrecord /sdcard/Test.mp4, then retrieve the media via adb pull.

Server Control

Restart the ADB server using adb kill-server followed by adb start-server to apply configuration changes or recover from connection issues.

Mastering these ADB commands enables efficient Android testing, debugging, and automation.