Android​ ​Debug​ ​Bridge​ ​or​ ​better​ ​known​ ​as​ ​ADB​ ​is​ ​a​ ​powerful​ ​and​ ​versatile​ ​tool​ ​that

lets​ ​you​ ​do​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​things​ ​like​ ​pulling​ ​out​ ​logs,​ ​installing​ ​and​ ​uninstalling​ ​apps,
transferring​ ​files,​ ​rooting​ ​and​ ​flashing​ ​custom​ ​ROMs,​ ​creating​ ​device​ ​backups,​ ​etc.​ ​In
fact,​ ​most​ ​of​ ​the​ ​advanced​ ​Android​ ​tutorials​ ​and​ ​how-to​ ​guides​ ​tend​ ​to​ ​use​ ​adb
commands​ ​to​ ​get​ ​things​ ​done.​ ​Moreover,​ ​adb​ ​is​ ​also​ ​very​ ​useful​ ​when​ ​your​ ​Android
device​ ​is​ ​not​ ​functioning​ ​as​ ​it​ ​should​ ​or​ ​when​ ​things​ ​get​ ​very​ ​messy​ ​and​ ​unusable.
Though​ ​the​ ​adb​ ​command​ ​shell​ ​looks​ ​intimidating​ ​and​ ​complex,​ ​here​ ​is​ ​a​ ​list​ ​of​ ​adb
commands​ ​to​ ​get​ ​you​ ​started​ ​and​ ​do​ ​some​ ​useful​ ​things​ ​in​ ​the​ ​process.

Install​ ​ADB​ ​on​ ​Windows

Unlike​ ​in​ ​previous​ ​versions,​ ​you​ ​don't​ ​have​ ​to​ ​install​ ​complete​ ​Android​ ​SDK​ ​to​ ​install
ADB.​ ​Simply​ ​download​ ​the​ ​standalone​ ​ADB​ ​zip​ ​file​,​ ​extract​ ​it​ ​to​ ​the​ ​root​ ​of​ ​C​ ​drive
and​ ​you​ ​are​ ​done.​ ​To​ ​access​ ​adb,​ ​open​ ​command​ ​prompt​ ​by​ ​searching​ ​for​ ​it​ ​in​ ​the
start​ ​menu​ ​and​ ​navigate​ ​to​ ​the​ ​adb​ ​folder​ ​using​ ​the​ ​below​ ​command.​ ​If​ ​you've
installed​ ​adb​ ​in​ ​a​ ​different​ ​folder​ ​then​ ​change​ ​the​ ​command​ ​accordingly.
cd​ ​c:\adb

Tip:​​ ​Then​ ​open​ ​up​ ​a​ ​Command​ ​Prompt​ ​from​ ​the​ ​same​ ​directory,​ ​hold​ ​down​ ​your
Shift​ ​key​ ​and​ ​Right-clicking​ ​within​ ​the​ ​folder​ ​then​ ​click​ ​the​ ​“​open​ ​command​ ​prompt
here​”​ ​option
Now,​ ​connect​ ​your​ ​Android​ ​device​ ​via​ ​USB​ ​and​ ​you​ ​can​ ​proceed​ ​to​ ​test​ ​the​ ​below
commands.​ ​For​ ​further​ ​reference,​ ​you​ ​can​ ​check​ ​this​ ​guide​​ ​on​ ​how​ ​to​ ​properly​ ​install
and​ ​test​ ​adb​ ​on​ ​Windows.

List​ ​of​ ​ADB​ ​Commands

1.​ ​Start​ ​or​ ​Stop​ ​ADB​ ​Server

Obviously,​ ​the​ ​first​ ​command​ ​you​ ​should​ ​know​ ​is​ ​how​ ​to​ ​start​ ​and​ ​stop​ ​adb​ ​server.
This​ ​enables​ ​you​ ​to​ ​interact​ ​with​ ​your​ ​connected​ ​Android​ ​device.​ ​To​ ​start​ ​the​ ​adb
server,​ ​use​ ​the​ ​below​ ​command.
adb​ ​start-server
Once​ ​you​ ​are​ ​done​ ​with​ ​your​ ​work,​ ​you​ ​can​ ​use​ ​the​ ​command​ ​below​ ​to​ ​stop​ ​the​ ​adb
server.
adb​ ​kill-server

2.​ ​List​ ​Connected​ ​Android​ ​Devices

This​ ​is​ ​one​ ​of​ ​the​ ​most​ ​famous​ ​commands.​ ​When​ ​you​ ​connect​ ​your​ ​device​ ​to​ ​the
computer​ ​via​ ​USB,​ ​use​ ​this​ ​command​ ​to​ ​verify​ ​if​ ​adb​ ​can​ ​find​ ​the​ ​connected​ ​device.
adb​ ​devices
If​ ​your​ ​device​ ​is​ ​properly​ ​connected​ ​to​ ​your​ ​system,​ ​the​ ​above​ ​command​ ​will​ ​start​ ​the
daemon​ ​service,​ ​scans​ ​the​ ​system​ ​and​ ​lists​ ​all​ ​the​ ​connected​ ​Android​ ​drives.​ ​The
good​ ​thing​ ​about​ ​this​ ​command​ ​is​ ​that​ ​it​ ​lists​ ​both​ ​the​ ​state​ ​of​ ​the​ ​device​ ​and​ ​its
serial​ ​number.

3.​ ​Know​ ​Status​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Device

As​ ​you​ ​can​ ​tell​ ​from​ ​the​ ​name​ ​itself,​ ​this​ ​command​ ​can​ ​be​ ​used​ ​to​ ​know​ ​the​ ​device
state.​ ​When​ ​the​ ​command​ ​is​ ​executed,​ ​it​ ​shows​ ​whether​ ​your​ ​device​ ​state​ ​is​ ​in
offline,​ ​bootloader​ ​or​ ​in​ ​device​ ​mode.​ ​For​ ​a​ ​normal​ ​Android​ ​device,​ ​you​ ​will​ ​see​ ​your
Android​ ​state​ ​as​ ​"device",​ ​just​ ​like​ ​in​ ​the​ ​below​ ​image.
adb​ ​get-state

4.​ ​Get​ ​Device​ ​Serial​ ​Number

This​ ​command​ ​lets​ ​you​ ​know​ ​the​ ​device​ ​serial​ ​number​ ​of​ ​the​ ​connected​ ​device.​ ​On
your​ ​phone​ ​or​ ​tablet,​ ​you​ ​can​ ​see​ ​the​ ​device​ ​serial​ ​number​ ​by​ ​navigating​ ​to​ ​"Settings
>​ ​About​ ​Phone​ ​>​ ​Status".
adb​ ​get-serialno
5.​ ​Copy​ ​Files​ ​from​ ​Computer​ ​to​ ​Phone
If​ ​you​ ​want​ ​to​ ​copy​ ​files​ ​from​ ​your​ ​computer​ ​to​ ​phone​ ​using​ ​adb​ ​then​ ​you​ ​can​ ​use
this​ ​command.​ ​Do​ ​forget​ ​to​ ​replace​ ​[source]​ ​and​ ​[destination]​ ​with​ ​actual​ ​file​ ​paths.
adb​ ​push​ ​[source]​ ​[destination]
Once​ ​you​ ​replace​ ​the​ ​above​ ​command​ ​with​ ​actual​ ​file​ ​paths,​ ​this​ ​is​ ​how​ ​it​ ​looks​ ​like.
adb​ ​push​ ​"E:\Video​ ​Songs\Aankhon​ ​Mein​ ​Teri​ ​-​ ​Om​ ​Shanti​ ​Om.mp4"
"/sdcard/Downloads/video.mp4"

6.​ ​Copy​ ​Files​ ​from​ ​Phone​ ​to​ ​Computer

Just​ ​like​ ​you​ ​can​ ​copy​ ​files​ ​from​ ​your​ ​computer​ ​to​ ​Android​ ​device,​ ​you​ ​can​ ​copy​ ​files
from​ ​your​ ​phone​ ​to​ ​computer.​ ​To​ ​do​ ​that​ ​simply​ ​use​ ​the​ ​below​ ​command.​ ​Replace
[source]​ ​and​ ​[destination]​ ​with​ ​actual​ ​file​ ​paths.
adb​ ​pull​ ​[source]​ ​[destination]
Once​ ​you​ ​replace​ ​the​ ​above​ ​command​ ​with​ ​actual​ ​file​ ​paths,​ ​this​ ​is​ ​how​ ​it​ ​looks​ ​like.
adb​ ​pull​ ​"/sdcard/Downloads/video.mp4"​ ​D:\Downloads

7.​ ​Install/Uninstall​ ​Apps

Besides​ ​from​ ​moving​ ​files​ ​back​ ​and​ ​forth,​ ​you​ ​can​ ​actually​ ​install​ ​apk​ ​files​ ​with​ ​just​ ​a
single​ ​command.​ ​To​ ​install​ ​an​ ​app​ ​you​ ​have​ ​to​ ​specify​ ​the​ ​full​ ​path​ ​of​ ​the​ ​apk​ ​file.​ ​So,
replace​ ​"path/to/file.apk"​ ​with​ ​the​ ​actual​ ​apk​ ​file​ ​path.
adb​ ​install​ ​"path/to/file.apk"
If​ ​you​ ​have​ ​multiple​ ​devices​ ​attached​ ​to​ ​your​ ​computer​ ​and​ ​only​ ​want​ ​to​ ​install​ ​the
apk​ ​file​ ​on​ ​just​ ​one​ ​device​ ​then​ ​use​ ​the​ ​below​ ​command.​ ​Replace​ ​[serial-number]
with​ ​the​ ​actual​ ​device​ ​serial​ ​number.​ ​You​ ​can​ ​get​ ​the​ ​device​ ​serial​ ​number​ ​using​ ​the
fourth​ ​command​ ​above.
adb​ ​-s​ ​[serial-number]​ ​install​ ​"path/to/file.apk"
To​ ​uninstall​ ​an​ ​app,​ ​simply​ ​execute​ ​the​ ​below​ ​command.​ ​Replace​ ​<package-name>
with​ ​the​ ​actual​ ​fully​ ​qualified​ ​package​ ​name​ ​of​ ​the​ ​app.
adb​ ​uninstall​ ​<package-name>

8.​ ​Backup​ ​Android​ ​Device

To​ ​backup​ ​all​ ​the​ ​device​ ​and​ ​app​ ​data​ ​you​ ​can​ ​use​ ​the​ ​below​ ​command.​ ​When
executed,​ ​it​ ​will​ ​trigger​ ​the​ ​backup,​ ​asks​ ​you​ ​to​ ​accept​ ​the​ ​action​ ​on​ ​your​ ​Android
device​ ​and​ ​then​ ​creates​ ​"backup.adb"​ ​file​ ​in​ ​the​ ​current​ ​directory.
adb​ ​backup​ ​-all

9.​ ​Restore​ ​Android​ ​Device

To​ ​restore​ ​a​ ​backup,​ ​use​ ​the​ ​below​ ​command.​ ​Don't​ ​forget​ ​to​ ​replace
"path/to/backup.adb"​ ​with​ ​the​ ​actual​ ​file​ ​path.
adb​ ​restore​ ​"path/to/backup.adb"

10.​ ​Reboot​ ​Android​ ​Device​ ​into​ ​Recovery​ ​Mode

The​ ​recovery​ ​mode​ ​helps​ ​you​ ​repair​ ​or​ ​recovery​ ​the​ ​Android​ ​device​ ​using​ ​the​ ​tools
built​ ​into​ ​it.​ ​Generally,​ ​you​ ​can​ ​boot​ ​into​ ​recovery​ ​mode​ ​using​ ​the​ ​volume​ ​and​ ​power
button​ ​combination.​ ​Alternatively,​ ​you​ ​can​ ​also​ ​connect​ ​your​ ​device​ ​to​ ​the​ ​system
and​ ​use​ ​the​ ​below​ ​command​ ​to​ ​boot​ ​into​ ​recovery​ ​mode.
adb​ ​reboot-recovery

11.​ ​Reboot​ ​Android​ ​Device​ ​into​ ​Bootloader​ ​Mode

The​ ​below​ ​command​ ​lets​ ​you​ ​boot​ ​into​ ​bootloader​ ​mode.​ ​Generally,​ ​the​ ​bootloader
mode​ ​is​ ​very​ ​similar​ ​to​ ​the​ ​fastboot​ ​mode.
adb​ ​reboot-bootloader

12.​ ​Reboot​ ​Android​ ​Device​ ​into​ ​Fastboot​ ​Mode

The​ ​fastboot​ ​mode​ ​is​ ​generally​ ​used​ ​to​ ​flash​ ​custom​ ​ROMs,​ ​bootloader,​ ​and​ ​even
kernels.​ ​Use​ ​the​ ​below​ ​command​ ​to​ ​boot​ ​into​ ​fastboot​ ​mode.
adb​ ​fastboot

13.​ ​Start​ ​Remote​ ​Shell

This​ ​command​ ​starts​ ​the​ ​remote​ ​shell​ ​and​ ​lets​ ​you​ ​control​ ​and​ ​configure​ ​your​ ​device
using​ ​the​ ​shell​ ​commands.
adb​ ​shell

14.​ ​Take​ ​Screenshots

It​ ​is​ ​nothing​ ​hard​ ​to​ ​take​ ​a​ ​screenshot​ ​on​ ​and​ ​Android.​ ​All​ ​you​ ​have​ ​to​ ​do​ ​is​ ​press​ ​the
Power​ ​button​ ​and​ ​Volume​ ​Down​ ​button​ ​at​ ​the​ ​same​ ​time.​ ​Alternatively,​ ​you​ ​can​ ​also
use​ ​this​ ​command​ ​to​ ​take​ ​a​ ​quick​ ​screenshot.​ ​Replace​ ​"/path/to/screenshot.png"
with​ ​the​ ​actual​ ​destination​ ​path.​ ​If​ ​you​ ​want​ ​to,​ ​you​ ​can​ ​customize​ ​the​ ​file​ ​name​ ​by
changing​ ​"screenshot"​ ​with​ ​whatever​ ​name​ ​you​ ​want.
adb​ ​shell​ ​screencap​ ​-p​ ​"/path/to/screenshot.png"
Once​ ​you​ ​replace​ ​the​ ​destination​ ​path,​ ​this​ ​is​ ​how​ ​the​ ​command​ ​looks​ ​like.
adb​ ​shell​ ​screencap​ ​-p​ ​"/sdcard/screenshot.png"
15.​ ​Record​ ​Android​ ​Screen
Apart​ ​from​ ​screenshots,​ ​you​ ​can​ ​record​ ​the​ ​Android​ ​device​ ​screen​ ​using​ ​the​ ​below
command.​ ​Again,​ ​replace​ ​"/path/to/record.mp4"​ ​with​ ​the​ ​actual​ ​destination​ ​path.​ ​Of
course,​ ​you​ ​can​ ​customize​ ​the​ ​file​ ​name​ ​by​ ​changing​ ​"record"​ ​with​ ​whatever​ ​name
you​ ​want.
adb​ ​shell​ ​screenrecord​ ​"/path/to/record.mp4"

That's​ ​all​ ​for​ ​now.​ ​Comment​ ​below​ ​sharing​ ​your​ ​thoughts​ ​and​ ​experiences​ ​about
using​ ​the​ ​above​ ​adb​ ​commands​ ​on​ ​your​ ​Android​ ​device.

Link:​ ​https://techwiser.com/list-adb-commands/