How to Setup, Install & Access Android ADB & Fastboot On PC

Android smartphone and tablet devices are well-known for their power of modding and rooting which allow users to gain access to root files ...

Android smartphone and tablet devices are well-known for their power of modding and rooting which allow users to gain access to root files and folders of a device. In other words, if you want to get that power then setup and configuring of Android 'ADB' i.e. Android Debug Bridge and Android 'Fastboot' on Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems is the best and easiest way. In this post, we will show you How to Setup and Install Android ADB & Fastboot on Windows, macOS, and Linux computers.

'ADB' which is an abbreviation of Android Debug Bridge allows Android users to modding a device, customization, and modification of custom firmware, unlocking and control the device’s bootloader, Android app developers can also tamper with the internal components of the operating system. Actually, ADB is a part of the platform tools available in the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) which provides a terminal/command-line-based interface to connect a Computer/Laptop with a Linux-based Android device. Now a day with every new Android device ADB and Fastboot configuration is a must to make any advanced-level changes in the Android mobile operating system. So let's start the Tutorial and Guide on How to Setup, Install, and Access Android Debug Bridge and Fastboot On Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems i.e. Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, macOS, etc.

How to Set Up and Access Android Debug Bridge & Fastboot on Windows?

Step 1: First download the latest standard Android Studio version.

Step 2: Now you need to extract the components of the file that you have downloaded above. Within the unzipped 'SDK' folder, you will get another folder called ‘platform-tools’. Hence we are only interested in ADB and Fastboot; this is the one that we’re looking for.

Step 3: You will need to move that 'platform-tools' folder to another location of your PC i.e. the root of C:\ after that rename the folder to something like C:\Android-ADB.

Step 4: After that, Right-click on the 'My Computer' icon of your desktop, and move to 'Properties'.

Step 5: Within System Properties, you may go to the 'Advanced' tab, and click the 'Environment Variables' button.

Step 6: The system variables are contained within the lower pane. Locate 'Path' here, highlight it, and click the 'Edit' button.

Step 7: After that, there will already be a string of locations here; navigate to the very end, and add the following text (if you have chosen C:\Android-adb as the folder)

;C:\Android-adb

Step 8: Now, 'Click OK', Congratulations!! Your Android Debug Bridge (ADB) folder is configured successfully and now you can run both ADB and Fastboot commands from the windows command prompt. Now you can also follow our below guide to unlock the bootloader or to boot the device in bootloader mode.

How to Unlock the Bootloader of Nexus Device on Windows

Step 1: First Setup & Config Android ADB and Fastboot on Windows. (Follow the above guide first)

Step 2: Now, Secondly, Power down your Nexus device completely and plug it into the PC via USB.

Step 3: Open Command Prompt and navigate to the platform-tools folder of the Android SDK and type:

adb reboot bootloader

Step 4: Once the device boots into bootloader mode, enter the following command:

fastboot oem unlock

Step 5: Now, follow the on-screen instructions on your Nexus device! Your bootloader is unlocked successfully.

How to Unlock the Bootloader of Nexus Device on Mac OS X

Step 1: Launch Terminal and type the following command to set up ADB and Fastboot automatically:

bash <(curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/corbindavenport/nexus-tools/master/install.sh)

Step 2: Navigate to System Preferences > Keyboard – Shortcuts then click on Services. Find the New Terminal at Folder option and click to enable it.

Step 3: Connect your Nexus device to your Mac via USB.

Step 4: Extract the contents of the firmware factory image on the desktop inside a folder. Right-click on the folder, then float the mouse pointer to the New Terminal at Folder.

Step 5: Enter the following command in the Terminal window to reboot the device into bootloader mode:

adb reboot bootloader

Now enter the following command to unlock the bootloader.

fastboot oem unlock

Step 6: Now, follow the on-screen instructions on your Nexus device! Your bootloader is unlocked successfully.

How to Check and Verify if ADB and Fastboot are Set Up and Configure on Windows, macOS, and Linux?

Connect your respective Android smartphone or tablet device to your Laptop/PC with USB Debugging Enabled and open up your windows command prompt or os x terminal app screen and type 'adb devices' (without quotes). You will see a list of all connected devices.