List of commonly used ADB commands for .net Maui developers

1. ADB Basic Commands

• adb devices
  Lists all connected devices (physical or emulators).
  Example:

  adb devices

• adb start-server
  Starts the ADB server (if it is not already running).
  Example:

  adb start-server

• adb kill-server
  Stops the ADB server.
  Example:

  adb kill-server

• adb version
  Displays the current ADB version installed on your system.
  Example:

  adb version

• adb help
  Lists all available ADB commands and options.
  Example:

  adb help

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2. Device Management

• adb devices -l
  Lists connected devices with additional information like model, serial number, and more.
  Example:

  adb devices -l

• adb connect <device-ip>
  Connect to a device over Wi-Fi using its IP address.
  Example:

  adb connect 192.168.1.100

• adb disconnect
  Disconnects the current device or emulator from ADB.
  Example:

  adb disconnect

• adb -s <serial-number> <command>
  Executes a command on a specific device (useful when multiple devices are connected).
  Example:

  adb -s emulator-5554 logcat

• adb reboot
  Reboots the connected Android device.
  Example:

  adb reboot

• adb reboot bootloader
  Reboots the device into the bootloader (useful for tasks like flashing custom ROMs).
  Example:

  adb reboot bootloader

• adb root
  Restarts the ADB daemon with root privileges (for rooted devices).
  Example:

  adb root

• adb unroot
  Restarts the ADB daemon with normal user privileges (for rooted devices).
  Example:

  adb unroot

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3. App Management

• adb install <path-to-apk>
  Installs an APK on the connected device.
  Example:

  adb install path/to/your/app.apk

• adb install -r <path-to-apk>
  Reinstalls an APK, keeping the app data (useful for updating an app).
  Example:

  adb install -r path/to/your/app.apk

• adb uninstall <package-name>
  Uninstalls the app identified by the given package name.
  Example:

  adb uninstall com.example.myapp

• adb shell pm list packages
  Lists all installed packages on the device.
  Example:

  adb shell pm list packages

• adb shell pm clear <package-name>
  Clears the app data for the given package name.
  Example:

  adb shell pm clear com.example.myapp

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4. Logcat (Log Management)

• adb logcat
  Displays the log output from the device (default is system and app logs).
  Example:

  adb logcat

• adb logcat -d
  Dumps the current log and exits (useful for saving logs).
  Example:

  adb logcat -d > log.txt

• adb logcat -s <tag>
  Filters log output by a specific tag (useful for narrowing down specific logs).
  Example:

  adb logcat -s MyAppTag

• adb logcat *:E
  Filters to show only error messages.
  Example:

  adb logcat *:E

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5. File Transfer & Management

• adb push <local-path> <remote-path>
  Pushes a file or directory from your local machine to the device.
  Example:

  adb push myfile.txt /sdcard/

• adb pull <remote-path> <local-path>
  Pulls a file or directory from the device to your local machine.
  Example:

  adb pull /sdcard/myfile.txt .

• adb shell
  Starts a shell on the connected device for running system commands.
  Example:

  adb shell

• adb shell ls <directory-path>
  Lists files in a specific directory on the device.
  Example:

  adb shell ls /sdcard/

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6. Emulator Commands

• adb emu <command>
  Sends commands to an emulator instance (for advanced use).
  Example:

  adb emu kill

• adb -s emulator-5554 emu kill
  Terminates the running emulator instance.
  Example:

  adb -s emulator-5554 emu kill

• adb -s emulator-5554 emu avd
  Starts the AVD (Android Virtual Device) emulator.
  Example:

  adb -s emulator-5554 emu avd

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7. Backup and Restore

• adb backup -apk -shared -all -f <backup-file>
  Backs up the device data, including APKs and shared data.
  Example:

  adb backup -apk -shared -all -f mybackup.ab

• adb restore <backup-file>
  Restores data from a previously created backup.
  Example:

  adb restore mybackup.ab

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8. Advanced Commands

• adb shell am start <activity>
  Starts an Android activity (this can be useful for launching your app or specific parts of it).
  Example:

  adb shell am start -n com.example/.MainActivity

• adb shell pm enable <package-name>
  Enables a previously disabled app or package.
  Example:

  adb shell pm enable com.example.myapp

• adb shell pm disable <package-name>
  Disables a package or app on the device.
  Example:

  adb shell pm disable com.example.myapp

• adb shell screencap -p <filename>
  Takes a screenshot of the device and saves it as a PNG file.
  Example:

  adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screenshot.png

• adb shell screenrecord <filename>
  Records the device’s screen into a video file.
  Example:

  adb shell screenrecord /sdcard/demo.mp4

• adb tcpip 5555
  Restarts the ADB daemon in TCP/IP mode to allow wireless communication over a specific port.
  Example:

  adb tcpip 5555

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Summary

These ADB commands cover a wide range of functionality for installing apps, debugging, transferring files, and device management. As a .NET MAUI developer, you’ll likely use a subset of these commands most often, but knowing them can help you troubleshoot, manage devices, and test Android-specific functionality more effectively.