ADB Commands List: Essential Commands with Examples

ADB commands follow a simple pattern: the word adb, an optional device selector, then the action you want. Learning a dozen of them covers almost everything people do with Android Debug Bridge, from installing apps to reading logs and rebooting into recovery.

Command Structure Basics

Every command uses the same shape. When only one device is connected, you can skip the selector entirely.

The -d option targets the only USB device, -e targets the only emulator and -s picks a specific serial number from the adb devices list. Global options always come before the command.

Device and Server Commands

These commands manage the connection between your computer and the phone. They are the first place to look when something stops responding.

App Management Commands

Package commands handle installing, removing and inspecting apps. Package names look like com.example.app and are listed with the package manager.

• adb install app.apk installs an APK
• adb install -r app.apk reinstalls and keeps data
• adb uninstall com.example.app removes an app
• adb shell pm list packages lists installed packages
• adb shell pm clear com.example.app clears an app's data

Our APK install article explains flags, split APKs and common install errors in more depth.

File Transfer Commands

Two commands move files in each direction. Paths on the phone usually start with /sdcard/, which points to shared internal storage.

Both commands accept folders as well as single files. Quote any path that contains spaces so the shell passes it as one argument.

Shell Commands

The adb shell command opens a Linux-style shell on the device, or runs a single command when you add it after the word shell. This unlocks many system tools.

• adb shell opens an interactive shell; type exit to leave
• adb shell getprop ro.product.model prints the device model
• adb shell wm size shows the screen resolution
• adb shell dumpsys battery prints battery details
• adb shell input keyevent 26 presses the power button

Screenshots and Screen Recording

ADB can capture the screen without touching the phone. The exec-out form writes the image straight to a file on your computer.

Screen recording stops when you press Ctrl+C or after three minutes by default. Pull the video afterwards with adb pull /sdcard/demo.mp4.

Logs and Debugging

The logcat command streams system and app logs. It is the most useful tool for understanding crashes and odd behaviour.

• adb logcat shows a live log stream
• adb logcat -d > log.txt saves the current buffer to a file
• adb logcat -c clears the log buffer
• adb bugreport collects a full diagnostic report as a ZIP file

Reboot Commands

Reboot commands restart the phone into different modes, which matters for recovery tasks and flashing.

Wireless Commands

After pairing or switching to TCP mode, ADB works over Wi-Fi with these commands. Our wireless ADB article walks through the full process.

Quoting Paths and Special Characters

File names with spaces or symbols need quotes, otherwise the terminal splits them into separate arguments. Double quotes work in Command Prompt, PowerShell and most Unix shells.

When a shell command runs on the phone, quote the whole remote command so special characters such as pipes are processed on the device rather than on your computer.

Using ADB Commands in Scripts

Because every command runs from the terminal, ADB fits naturally into batch files and shell scripts. A short script can wait for a phone, install a build and launch it in one go.

The monkey line above launches the app's main activity by sending a single event. Scripts like this save time when you repeat the same test after every build.

Device Information Commands

Quick information commands help you confirm you are working with the right phone. They are read-only, so they are safe to run at any time.

• adb shell getprop ro.product.model prints the model name
• adb shell getprop ro.build.version.release prints the Android version
• adb shell df -h shows storage usage per partition
• adb shell ip addr show wlan0 shows the Wi-Fi address on many phones
• adb get-serialno prints the serial number of the connected device

Combining these with -s SERIAL lets you check several connected phones one after another without unplugging anything.

Getting Help Inside the Terminal

Built-in help keeps you from guessing option names. Running adb help prints every command with a short description, while many shell tools on the phone accept their own help flags, such as adb shell pm help for the package manager or adb shell am help for the activity manager.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

ADB commands become easy once the pattern clicks: adb, an optional device selector and an action. The device, app, file, shell, log and reboot groups above cover nearly every everyday task.

Bookmark this list, and pair it with our troubleshooting article for the moments when a command cannot find your phone.