ADB commands

 

ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is a versatile command-line tool for interacting with Android devices, primarily for developers. Here's a breakdown of some commonly used ADB commands:

Basic Commands:

• adb devices: Lists connected devices.
• adb start-server: Starts the ADB server.
• adb kill-server: Kills the ADB server.
• adb reboot: Reboots the device.
• adb reboot recovery: Reboots the device into recovery mode.
adb reboot bootloader: Reboots the device into the bootloader.
adb root: Grants root access to the device.
adb shell: Opens a shell on the device.
adb help: Displays all available ADB commands.File Management:

adb push <local file> <device file>: Copies a file from your computer to the device.
adb pull <device file> <local file>: Copies a file from the device to your computer.




Application Management:

adb install <path_to_apk>: Installs an APK file on the device. 
adb uninstall <package_name>: Uninstalls an application. 
adb shell pm list packages: Lists all installed packages.
adb shell pm list packages -3: Lists all third-party installed packages.
adb shell pm list packages -s: Lists all system packages.Logcat:

adb logcat: Displays logs from the device.
adb logcat -c: Clears the logcat buffer.
adb logcat -d > logfile.txt: Dumps logcat output to a file. 

Other Useful Commands:

adb shell getprop: Displays system properties.
adb shell screencap -p <file_path>: Captures a screenshot.
adb shell screenrecord <file_path>: Records the screen. 

Important Notes:

adb devices: This command is crucial for verifying that your device is properly connected and that ADB is recognizing it. 

adb shell: This command allows you to run commands directly on the device's shell, providing more control. 

The -s <serial_number> flag can be used to specify a specific device when multiple devices are connected. 

adb shell commands often require root access to perform certain operations. 










Note: https://adbshell.com/




ADB commands to connect and list devices:

If anyone has used ADB in the past then they must have used ‘adb devices’ to list all the connected devices. However, it’s not just limited to listing the devices, we can connect devices using wires or wirelessly and even control the ADB server. Here are the few commands which can help to connect and list the devices.

Use	Command
To List all connected devices via adb	adb devices
To List connected devices (-l for long output)	adb devices -l
To list all devices connected via USB or To restart adb device in USB mode	adb usb
To list all forward socket connections	adb forward –list
To set up port forwarding (sets up forwarding of computer port 6123 to Android device port 7123)	adb forward tcp:6123 tcp:7123
To start the ADB server process	adb start-server
To terminates the adb server process	adb kill-server
To Set the target device to listen for a TCP/IP connection on port 5555Connect a device using Wi-Fi network.Confirm that your host computer is also connected to the Android device over Wi-Fi Help Text: disconnect the USB cable from the Android devicefind your Android device IP address at Settings > About phone > Status > IP addressList of devices attached192.xxx.xxx.xx:5555 device	adb tcpip 5555adb connect 192.xxx.xxx.xxadb devices

ADB and shell commands to manage applications and get the application details:

The basic operations which everyone perform using ADB commands are to install and uninstall applications. ADB commands are also used to get the information of the applications installed on the device. Below are some ADB and shell commands to manage and get information about applications on the device.

Use	Command
To push a single application to the device and install.	adb install <apk_name.apk>
To push multiple applications to the device and install.	adb install-multiple <apkname.apk> <apkname2.apk>
To push multiple applications to the device and install it automatically.	adb install-multi-package <apkname.apk> <apkname2.apk>
To replace existing application by keeping its data.	adb install -r <apkname.apk>
To install apk in external storage	adb install -s <apkname.apk>
To allow test packages	adb install -t <apkname.apk>
To uninstall apk by package name	adb uninstall <package_name_of_apk>
To uninstall apk by package name while keeping cache and app data	adb uninstall -k <package_name_of_apk>
To clear application data by package name	adb shell pm clear <package_name_of_apk>
To uninstall system application by package name	adb shell pm uninstall -k –user 0 <package_name_of_apk>
To disable application by package name	adb shell pm disable <package_name_of_apk>
To disable application by package name for system user	adb shell pm disable-user –user 0 <package_name_of_apk>
To disable re-enable disabled application by package name	adb shell pm enable <package_name_of_apk>
To hide application by package name	adb shell pm hide <package_name_of_apk>
To unhide application by package name	adb shell pm unhide <package_name_of_apk>
To suspend any application by package name	adb shell pm suspend <package_name_of_apk>
To re-enable suspended application by package name	adb shell pm unsuspend <package_name_of_apk>
To list package name of all installed apks	adb shell pm list packages
To list package name of all system apps	adb shell pm list packages -s
To list package name of third party apps installed on the device	adb shell pm list packages -3
To list package name of disabled apps on the device	adb shell pm list packages -d
To list package name of only enabled apps on the device	adb shell pm list packages -e
To list package name of uninstalled apps from the device	adb shell pm list packages -u

ADB commands to reboot device:

While debugging an android device, rebooting the device or rebooting in the recovery mode or bootloader mode is required for operations like sideloading any image or application. Below are some commands to achieve the same.

Use	Command
To reboot the device	adb reboot
To reboot device in bootloader or fastboot mode	adb reboot bootloader
To reboot device in recovery mode	adb reboot recovery
To restart ADB device with root permission	adb root
To restart ADB device without root permission	adb unroot
To manually install OTA package using recovery mode	adb sideload ota-updatefile.zip

ADB commands for collecting logs and bug report:

Logs and Bug Reports contain useful information related to application and are important for developers while fixing bugs or making changes in the application. Here are some commands which are useful for taking bug reports and collecting logs.

Use	Command
To display full logcat data on the computer screen	adb logcat
To clear current logcat data	adb logcat -c
To save current logcat data in local file	adb logcat -d <path>
To generate bug report of connected device	adb bugreport <path>
To get the serial number of connected device	adb get-serialno
To wait for android device until the current process is completed	adb wait-for-device
To get the device state in the terminal/command prompt	adb get-state
To list JDWP (Java Debug Wire Protocol) processes of android device	adb jdwp

ADB commands to take backup and restore:

It’s always a good idea to take a backup of your device’s data so that it can be restored later whenever it’s required but if you are unlocking the bootloader or debugging the device then it’s highly recommended to take backup. Here are some commands which can help you  with the same.

Use	Command
To take full backup of android device to computer	adb backup //
To restore backup from computer to device	adb restore //
To take backup of apps and settings	adb backup -apk -all -f backup.ab
To take backup of applications and application settings and shared storage	adb backup -apk -shared -all -f backup.ab
To take backup of only third party applications.	adb backup -apk -nosystem -all -f backup.ab
To connect to device using its ip address	adb connect ip_address_of_device
To restore previously created backup	adb restore backup.ab

ADB and shell commands to perform file operations:

Performing copy-paste using explorer requires a lot of time and also compared to ADB it’s a little slow. You must have used ADB push and ADB pull for file operations but here are some more commands which can help you more with file operations.

Use	Command
To copy or transfer a file from a device’s storage to a computer.	adb pull /system/app/<apkname.apk>
To transmit or push a file from a computer to a device	adb push /local/path/<apkname.apk> /sdcard/apps/
To copy files inside device storage from one folder to another folder.	adb shell<enter>cp /sdcard/<filename.extension> /sdcard/foldername
To move files inside device storage from one folder to another folder.	adb shell<enter>mv /sdcard/<filename.extension> /sdcard/foldername
To move file inside the device storage and rename the file in destination folder	adb shell<enter>mv /sdcard/<filename.extension> /sdcard/apps/<newfilename.extension>

Shell commands to get and change display resolution:

Information like screen resolution, pixel density and refresh rate are usually not getting displayed in the device and to get such information the user has to struggle a lot in Android settings and it’s even difficult to change it. Below are some commands to get the same information and change it using shell.

Use	Command
To start remote shell console	adb shell
To get pixel density, screen resolution, refresh rate and DPI information of android device	adb shell wm density
To change screen resolution of android deviceNote: enter values based on the supported resolution of device	adb shell wm size 1080×2220
To change pixel density of android deviceNote: enter values based on the supported density of device	adb shell wm density 480

Shell commands to change directory to some important file location:

Using ADB, users can only perform 1 operation at a time on device storage but shell gives an advantage here to move inside any directory and then perform any operations on the same folder. Here are some important directories which are really useful.

Use	Command
To start remote shell console	adb shell
To change directory to /system	adb shell<enter>cd /system
To delete file from device	adb shell<enter>rm -f /sdcard/<apkname.apk>
To delete folder from device	adb shell<enter>rm -d /sdcard/test
To create folder in device	adb shell<enter>mkdir /sdcard/test
To check network statistic of android device	adb shell<enter>netstat
To get IP address information of device’s WIFI	adb shell<enter>ip -f inet addr show wlan0
To get the list and monitor all process running on android device	adb shell<enter>top
To get the properties of android build.prop configuration	adb shell<enter>getprop ro.build.version.sdk
To Set/replace the properties of android build.prop configuration	adb shell<enter>setprop net.dns1 4.4.4.0

Shell commands to get the device stats:

Using shell commands users can get the information related to software and hardware for battery, display and battery stat which are useful for building an application. Below are the commands to get them. 

Use	Command
To get display information of device relating to software and hardware configuration	adb shell dumpsys display
To get battery information of device relating to software and hardware configuration	adb shell dumpsys battery
To get battery stats information of device relating to software and hardware configuration	adb shell dumpsys batterystats

Shell commands to send SMS & take screenshot / to record screen:

Screen Record functionality is not available with old android devices but shell scripts are there to overcome that limitation. Also, some users don’t want to even touch the devices while the device is connected for debugging. So, the user needs commands to perform all those operations from the computer. Here are a few commands to perform those operations remotely from the computer.

Use	Command
To send SMS from android device using ADB	adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.SENDTO -d sms:<phonenumber> –es sms_body “<SMS Text>” –ez exit_on_sent true adb shell input keyevent 22adb shell input keyevent 66
To take screenshot using ADB command	adb shell screencap /sdcard/screenshot.png
To start screen recording using ADB command Note: To stop the screen recording press CTRL+C or COMMAND+C	adb shell screenrecord /sdcard/movie.mp4
To start screen recording by defining output resolution using ADB command. Note:1. To stop the screen recording press CTRL+C or COMMAND+C2. Enter resolution values based on the supported resolution of the device.	adb shell screenrecord –size 1440 x 2960 /sdcard/movie.mp4
To start screen recording using ADB command and set recording duration. Note: Replace ‘36’ with desired value in seconds.	adb shell screenrecord –time-limit 36 /sdcard/movie.mp4
To start screen recording using ADB command and set the bitrate of the video output file.	adb shell screenrecord –bit-rate 1500000 /sdcard/movie.mp4

Shell Commands to perform key operations:

Most Android developers and testers want to automate actions on Android devices but it needs a separate setup to achieve it. While ADB provides some inbuilt commands to perform those actions. Below are the key event commands of shell to perform action remotely from computer:

Use	Command
To press HOME button using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 3oradb shell am start -W -c android.intent.category.HOME -a android.intent.action.MAIN
To press BACK button using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 4
To press CALL button using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 5
To press END CALL button using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 6
To to toggle device to ON/OFF	adb shell input keyevent 26
To launch camera using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 27
To launch default browser using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 64
To press enter using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 66
To press delete or backspace using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 67
To launch contacts list using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 207
To turn down brightness level using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 220
To turn up brightness level using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 221
To perform Cut (ctrl+x) operation on selected item using ADB command	adb shell input keyevent 277
To perform Copy (ctrl+c) operation on selected item using ADB command	adb shell input keyevent 278
To perform Paste operation (ctrl+v) on selected item using ADB command	adb shell input keyevent 279
To pass keycode(keyboard value) unknown/0 using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 0
To pass keycode(keyboard value) MENU/SOFT_LEFT using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 1
To pass keycode(keyboard value) SOFT_RIGHT using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 2
To pass keycode(keyboard value) HOME using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 3
To pass keycode(keyboard value) BACK using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 4
To pass keycode(keyboard value) CALL using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 5
To pass keycode(keyboard value) END CALL using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 6
To pass keycode(keyboard value) 0 using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 7
To pass keycode(keyboard value) 1 using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 8
To pass keycode(keyboard value) 2 using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 9
To pass keycode(keyboard value) 3 using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 10
To pass keycode(keyboard value) 4 using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 11
To pass keycode(keyboard value) 5 using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 12
To pass keycode(keyboard value) 6 using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 13
To pass keycode(keyboard value) 7 using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 14
To pass keycode(keyboard value) 8 using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 15
To pass keycode(keyboard value) 9 using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 16
To pass keycode(keyboard value) STAR using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 17
To pass keycode(keyboard value) POUND using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 18
To pass keycode(keyboard value) DPAD_UP using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 19
To pass keycode(keyboard value) DPAD_DOWN using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 20
To pass keycode(keyboard value) DPAD_LEFT using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 21
To pass keycode(keyboard value) DPAD_RIGHT using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 22
To pass keycode(keyboard value) DPAD_CENTER using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 23
To pass keycode(keyboard value) VOLUME_UP using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 24
To pass keycode(keyboard value) VOLUME_DOWN using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 25
To pass keycode(keyboard value) POWER using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 26
To pass keycode(keyboard value) CAMERA using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 27
To pass keycode(keyboard value) CLEAR using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 28
To pass keycode(keyboard value) A using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 29
To pass keycode(keyboard value) B using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 30
To pass keycode(keyboard value) C using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 31
To pass keycode(keyboard value) D using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 32
To pass keycode(keyboard value) E using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 33
To pass keycode(keyboard value) F using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 34
To pass keycode(keyboard value) G using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 35
To pass keycode(keyboard value) H using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 36
To pass keycode(keyboard value) I using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 37
To pass keycode(keyboard value) J using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 38
To pass keycode(keyboard value) K using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 39
To pass keycode(keyboard value) L using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 40
To pass keycode(keyboard value) M using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 41
To pass keycode(keyboard value) N using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 42
To pass keycode(keyboard value) O using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 43
To pass keycode(keyboard value) P using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 44
To pass keycode(keyboard value) Q using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 45
To pass keycode(keyboard value) R using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 46
To pass keycode(keyboard value) S using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 47
To pass keycode(keyboard value) T using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 48
To pass keycode(keyboard value) U using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 49
To pass keycode(keyboard value) V using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 50
To pass keycode(keyboard value) W using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 51
To pass keycode(keyboard value) X using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 52
To pass keycode(keyboard value) Y using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 53
To pass keycode(keyboard value) Z using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 54
To pass keycode(keyboard value) COMMA using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 55
To pass keycode(keyboard value) PERIOD using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 56
To pass keycode(keyboard value) ALT_LEFT using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 57
To pass keycode(keyboard value) ALT_RIGHT using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 58
To pass keycode(keyboard value) SHIFT_LEFT using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 59
To pass keycode(keyboard value) SHIFT_RIGHT using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 60
To pass keycode(keyboard value) TAB using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 61
To pass keycode(keyboard value) SPACE using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 62
To pass keycode(keyboard value) SYM using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 63
To pass keycode(keyboard value) EXPLORER using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 64
To pass keycode(keyboard value) ENVELOPE using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 65
To pass keycode(keyboard value) ENTER using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 66
To pass keycode(keyboard value) DEL using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 67
To pass keycode(keyboard value) GRAVE using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 68
To pass keycode(keyboard value) MINUS using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 69
To pass keycode(keyboard value) EQUALS using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 70
To pass keycode(keyboard value) LEFT_BRACKET using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 71
To pass keycode(keyboard value) RIGHT_BRACKET using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 72
To pass keycode(keyboard value) BACKSLASH using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 73
To pass keycode(keyboard value) SEMICOLON using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 74
To pass keycode(keyboard value) APOSTROPHE using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 75
To pass keycode(keyboard value) SLASH using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 76
To pass keycode(keyboard value) AT using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 77
To pass keycode(keyboard value) NUM using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 78
To pass keycode(keyboard value) HEADSETHOOK using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 79
To pass keycode(keyboard value) FOCUS using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 80
To pass keycode(keyboard value) PLUS using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 81
To pass keycode(keyboard value) MENU using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 82
To pass keycode(keyboard value) NOTIFICATION using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 83
To pass keycode(keyboard value) SEARCH using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 84
To pass keycode(keyboard value) MEDIA_PLAY/PAUSE using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 85
To pass keycode(keyboard value) MEDIA_STOP using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 86
To pass keycode(keyboard value) NEXT using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 87
To pass keycode(keyboard value) PREVIOUS using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 88
To pass keycode(keyboard value) MEDIA_REWIND using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 89
To pass keycode(keyboard value) MEDIA_FAST_FORWARD using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 90
To pass keycode(keyboard value) MUTE using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 91
To pass keycode(keyboard value) PAGE UP using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 92
To pass keycode(keyboard value) PAGE DOWN using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 93
To pass keycode(keyboard value) PICT SYMBOLS using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 94
To pass keycode(keyboard value) MOVE_HOME using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 122
To pass keycode(keyboard value) MOVE_END using ADB	adb shell input keyevent 123

Fastboot commands for flashing:

Fastboot enables options for users to flash custom image and recovery files using fastboot mode. Some useful operations and it’s commands are listed below:

Use	Command
To list all fastboot devices	fastboot devices
To unlock bootloader of connected fastboot device	fastboot oem unlock
To re-lock bootloader of connected fastboot device	fastboot oem lock
To reboot device in fastboot or bootloader mode from fastboot mode	fastboot reboot bootloader
To flash boot image using fastboot mode	fastboot flash boot boot.img
To flash recovery image using fastboot mode	fastboot flash recovery recovery.im
To boot custom Image in device without flashing the image file	fastboot boot filename.img

Shell commands to get the device information:

Device information such as IMEI, Serial Number and also files available in device storage are important for us but at the same time it’s not easy to find some of this information as it’s hidden for users like system storage where firmware files are available. Some of this information are required while debugging the device. Some commands to get this information are given below:

Use	Command
To list directory content	adb shell ls
To print size of each file in selected directory	adb shell ls -s
To print list of subdirectories recursively	adb shell ls -R
To print state of device	adb get-statе
To print IMEI of connected device	adb shell dumpsys iphonesybinfo
To print information related to connectivity like TCP Ip and connections	adb shell netstat
To print information of current working directory	adb shell pwd
To print list of phone features	adb shell pm list features
To print list of all services of device	adb shell service list
To print information of application activity by package and activity name	adb shell dumpsys activity <package>/<activity>
To print process status	adb shell ps
To print current display resolution information	adb shell wm size
To print activity of current opened application	dumpsys window windows | grep -E ‘mCurrentFocus|mFocusedApp’
To list the information of all opened apps	adb shell dumpsys package packages
To get the information of particular application	adb shell dump <name>
To get the path of application by package name	adb shell path <package>
To change battery level of device (emulator)Note: Value can be 0 to 100	adb shell dumpsys battery set level <n>
To change battery status of device (emulator)Note: Value can be 0 to 3 which relates to state unknown, charging, discharging, not charging or full	adb shell dumpsys battery set status<n>
To reset battery status of device (emulator)	adb shell dumpsys battery reset
To change USB status of device (emulator)Note: Value can be 0 or 1	adb shell dumpsys battery set usb <n>