Download and install the latest ADB and Fastboot lib for Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Chrome OS.

ADB stands for Android Debug Bridge, which allows users to control their Android device via a command-line interface. ADB is supported on desktop platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and ChromeOS. ADB commands help users install apps, perform software updates, and control their Android smartphone from a computer.

Since ADB and Fastboot commands are the only way to communicate with your device, there is a demand for this software on every platform. However, the latest version of these software libraries can be accessed on the web. But many newbies need help knowing where to get the latest software and how to install it. Many users raise their hands to ask questions, particularly regarding multiple platforms.

The reason is that there are plenty of ways to download and install the latest ADB and fastboot libraries for Android devices. Windows, ChromeOS, and Linux-like operating systems require a different approach. They have their way of doing so whenever they download and install software. As a result, we began a research study on this concern, and here, we will discuss how to install ADB and Fastboot on multiple platforms.

The ADB pull command helps users save files to the platform-tools or adb folder if no specific destination is specified. You can also specify where to save the file or add a path to your computer at the end of the command. For example, on Windows: adb pull /sdcard/pic.jpg %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\.

How does ADB work?

The primary use of ADB is to help developers debug apps and perform other tasks. With ADB, you can sideload APK files, delete system apps, install software updates, factory reset your device, unlock the bootloader, and more.

Regarding ADB Sideload commands, they allow you to manually install OTA updates or custom ROMs on your device from a computer. ADB commands help you install software updates or a custom operating system without booting into Android.

How to download and install the latest ADB and Fastboot libraries for Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and Chrome OS

In our previous post, we discussed many aspects of ADB and Fastboot. ADB commands are the only thing that facilitates debugging any app. ADB is an Android debug bridge that helps you debug apps and communicate directly with a phone’s OS. At the same time, Fastboot is another complementary feature of ADB. After debugging, Fastboot allows you to boot from a custom recovery image. To do any technical customization on a phone or for any other purpose, both are extremely helpful.

When installing a custom recovery image, we installed ADB and fast boot. We can then give commands through the command prompt from there. On the technical side, however, developers usually update such software very quickly. Here, we need to install the latest versions of ADB and Fastboot. Here are instructions for installing them on different platforms, including Windows, MacOS, Linux, and ChromeOS.

Note: Before starting, enable USB debugging on your phone through the developer option under settings.

Enable USB Debugging on Android for ADB Connection

Before proceeding, you can start by enabling USB debugging.

• Open the device settings on your device, and then go to the system section by scrolling to the bottom.
•  Then, tap “About Phone,” and you will find the build number there.
•  Next, tap on the build number seven times to enable developer options on your device.
•  Return to the previous settings and then the Developer Options menu to enable USB debugging.
•  Once you have enabled USB debugging, tap “OK” to continue.

You can enable USB debugging to continue setting up ADB on your Android device. You can then start by connecting your mobile device to the Android device.

How do I set up ADB on an Android device?

Users first need to enable USB Debugging on Android, and for this, users require the command-line utility on their computer. There are two primary ways to set up the ADB command line on a computer.

Android Studio: This is one of the easiest ways to set up a development environment for Android. However, it is unnecessary since you do not need this tiny ADB utility. You can download the portion separately by following these steps.

• Start by downloading the Android SDK Platform tools.
•  After that, you need to extract the package into a new folder.
•  Next, launch CMD as an administration or terminal on macOS.
•  On the command line or terminal, enter the exact path of the folder where you have extracted the ADB package tool.
•  Now, you can start executing ADB commands; however, it may still ask you to accept the ADB connection from your computer.

How to Use ADB to Connect, Commands, and More

Once everything is set up, you can start by returning to the command line and executing the “adb devices” command. After executing the “adb devices” command, it will ask for permission. Tap on “Allow” to proceed, and optionally check the “Always allow from this computer” box.

After authentication, you can use the “adb devices” command and connect your device without errors. If you encounter any errors, check the connection between your computer and the Android device and try using a different cable if necessary.

Note: You may also need to download and install the USB driver for your device, especially for Samsung devices.

For Windows

The most important thing about Windows is its acceptance. In the same way, we have Android on our phones, and we have Windows on our computers. Installing the latest version of any software is easy with Windows. The installer usually supports this. We will begin with Windows and learn how to install and set up ADB and Fastboot.

1. Download the Android SDK Platform Tools ZIP file for Windows to get started.
2.  You can then extract the contents of this ZIP file into an easily accessible folder.
3.  Now open Windows Explorer and browse to the folder where you extracted the contents of this ZIP file.
4.  Next, open up a command prompt from the same directory as this ADB binary.
5.  Connect your smartphone to your PC with a USB cable and choose the file transfer option in the pop-up.
6.  Enter the “adb devices” command to launch the ADB daemon cmd.
7.  Now allow USB debugging access to your phone (if prompted).
8.  Congratulations! You can now use ADB commands.

For MacOS

MacOS is already a restricted and rigid operating system. That is the reason why setting up the adb is different from Windows. Sometimes, it is so complicated that a typical user cannot do it. Nevertheless, do not worry; we have a tweak to make it possible to install adb on it. So, let us learn how to do that.

Note: In step 3, a command can be different; here, we use this command because we stored the extracted file in cd /Users/Doug/Desktop/platform-tools/.

1. Download the Android SDK Platform ZIP file for MacOS.
2.  You should then extract the ZIP file into an easily accessible folder.
3.  Open Terminal and enter the command “cd /path/to/extracted/folder/” to reach the folder where you extracted the ZIP file.
4.  Connect your smartphone to your Mac with a USB cable and choose the file transfer option in the pop-up.
5.  Next, open a command prompt in the same folder where you extracted the ZIP file.
6.  Enter the “adb devices” command to launch the ADB daemon cmd.
7.  Now allow USB debugging access to your phone (if prompted).
8.  Congratulations! ADB is successfully set up to run on your MacOS.

For Linux 

I agree that Linux is an older operating system that only some people use. However, some users still use it since it provides high security and does not need any antivirus to be effective. The best part about Linux is that you need to follow the exact instructions as you did for MacOS. Let us have a brief overview.

1. Firstly, download the Android SDK Platform ZIP file for macOS.
2.  You should then extract the ZIP file into an easily accessible folder.
3.  Open Terminal and enter the command “cd /path/to/extracted/folder/” to reach the folder where you extracted the ZIP file.
4.  Connect your smartphone to your Mac with a USB cable and choose the file transfer option in the pop-up.
5.  Next, open a command prompt in the same folder where you extracted the ZIP file.
6.  Enter the “adb devices” command to launch the ADB daemon cmd.
7.  Now allow USB debugging access to your phone (if prompted).
8.  Congratulations! Your device serial number is displayed, so ADB is set up successfully.

Alternatively, if you want to avoid taking you through the above steps, there is Nexus Tools software. With this, you can easily install ADB on your PC. Either way, you can download Nexus tools here. Or you can install it through the given command on your cmd. 

ex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient)) DownloadString(‘https://raw.githubusercontent.com/corbindavenport/nexus-tools/master/install.ps1’))

Besides that, if you want to install ADB on ChromeOS, follow the exact instructions you did for Linux. The reason is that ChromeOS is a Linux-based operating system designed to provide more expertise for collaborating with Chrome. 

List of ADB commands.

There are a few ADB commands that you can try:

• “adb install app.apk”: You can start by sideloading apps on your device. You can also copy the APK file link to the platform-tools or a specific path in the command.
•  “adb uninstall x”: Replace the “x” in the command with the package name of your choice. There are some popular commands that you can use to remove manufacturer apps and other bloatware that often cannot be uninstalled from within the Android Settings menu.
•  “adb logcat”: It generates a device log file that allows you to find error messages and debug information.
•  “adb reboot”: This allows you to reboot your device. You can specify “adb reboot fastboot” or “adb reboot” to enter the bootloader and recovery menu instead.

ADB, or Android Debug Bridge, is a command-line tool that allows developers to find errors or other issues on the platform while testing an app or software update. The “adb logcat” command further adds examples of how to output log files or perform debugging.

Now that you have the latest ADB and have set it up on your platform, some of you might ask what we can do afterward. 

The simple answer for them is that now you can debug your Android apps and communicate with your PC via the related command. I hope you have the latest ADB installed and set up on your PC, even after reading these instructions. If any user has any questions, please ask them all below.

Frequently Asked Questions