Android smartphone and tablet devices are well-known for its power of modding and rooting which allow users to gain access of root files and folders of a device. In other words if you want to get that power than setup and configure of Android ‘ADB’ i.e. Android Debug Bridge and Android ‘Fastboot’ on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux operating systems is the best and easiest way. In this post we will show you How to Setup, Config and Install Android ADB & Fastboot on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
‘ADB’ which is abbreviation of Android Debug Bridge allow Android users to modding a device, customization and modification of custom firmware, unlocking and controlling device’s bootloader, Android app developers can also tamper the internal components of the operating system. Actually ADB is a part of the platform tools available in Android Software Development Kit (SDK) which provides a terminal/command-line-based interface to connect a Computer/Laptop with Linux-based Android device. Now a day with every new Android device ADB and Fastboot configuration is must to make any advanced-level changes in 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, Mac OS X and Linux operating systems i.e. Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, OS X Yosemite 10.10, OS X Mavericks etc.
How to Set Up and Access Android Debug Bridge & Fastboot on Windows?
Step 1: First download the latest standard Android SDK version from HERE.
Step 2: Now you need to extract the files components which 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 a another location of your PC i.e. root of C:\ after that rename the folder to something like C:\Android-adb.
Step 4: After that, Right-click on your ‘My Computer’ icon of your desktop, and move to ‘Properties’.
Step 5: Within System Properties, you may go to ‘Advanced’ tab, and click ‘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 windows command prompt. Now you can also follow our below guide to unlock bootloader or to boot the device in bootloader mode.
How to Unlock Bootloader of Nexus Device on Windows
Step 1: First Setup & Config Android ADB and Fastboot on Windows. (Follow above guide first)
Step 2: Now, Secondly, Power down your Nexus device completely and plug it to 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 on-screen instructions on your Nexus device! Your bootloader is unlocked successfully.
How to Unlock 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 on-screen instructions on your Nexus device! Your bootloader is unlocked successfully.
How to Check and Verify if ADB and Fastboot is Set Up and Configure on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux?
Connect your respective Android smartphone or tablet device to 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.
