Installing ADB on Windows, macOS and Linux

There is a persistent idea that using ADB means installing Android Studio. It does not: what you need is the Platform Tools, a package of a few megabytes published by Google.

Always download it from the official source: https://developer.android.com/tools/releases/platform-tools

Never from a blog, a forum or a shortened link. A tampered ADB has access to any device you connect.

Windows

1. Download the Windows ZIP and extract it, say to C:\platform-tools.
2. Open that folder.
3. Click the address bar, type cmd and press Enter. A console opens already in the right place.
4. Check: adb version

To call it from anywhere, add that folder to your PATH: Settings → System → About → Advanced system settings → Environment variables → Path → New.

macOS

With Homebrew it is one line:

brew install android-platform-tools

Without Homebrew, download the Mac ZIP, extract it and run ./adb from that folder. The first time, macOS may block it: go to Settings → Privacy and Security and click "Open anyway".

Linux

On Debian, Ubuntu and derivatives:

sudo apt install adb

On Fedora:

sudo dnf install android-tools

On Arch:

sudo pacman -S android-tools

Distribution packages are sometimes a version behind. For what we are doing that makes no difference whatsoever.

Check it works

On any system:

adb version

It should answer with something like Android Debug Bridge version 1.0.41. If it says the command is not found, it is not on your PATH: change into the folder and use ./adb on Linux and macOS, or plain adb on Windows inside that folder.

One tip that saves time

Keep the Platform Tools somewhere stable and make a note of where. You will use them again in six months, when you buy another device or want to revisit the television, and you will not want to repeat the search.