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In today's video, I want to show you how to install the APK file of an Android app via command line using ADB.
ADB is a great tool that allows you to customize Android in many ways. If there is a user-facing feature on Android, there is almost always a way to reproduce it via the command line.
I've found this can be useful when the operating system tries to limit you in other ways. For example, I had difficulty downloading an app on the Chinese version of MIUI in the past, but I was able to get around this limitation by using the ADB install command.
To get started, we first need to enable USB debugging mode. I'll link to a dedicated tutorial that I've already uploaded to the channel that shows you how to enable this on various Android devices, to keep this video from being longer than it needs to be. But if you face any issues, let me know in the comments section below.
If you're using a recent Xiaomi device with MIUI, you'll also need to enable something called Install via USB. This is also found in the Developer Options menu and requires you to log into your Xiaomi Mi account while also having a SIM card installed.
We will also need to install ADB and Fastboot tools on a desktop or laptop. There are several ways to do this, and I'll link to a video I've already made that highlights a tool called Tiny ADB & Fastboot tools. It is easy to install and will only place the files on your PC necessary to use ADB and Fastboot commands.
That done, you then need to download the APK file of the app or game you want to install manually, and it should be stored on your PC. Not only that, but you also need to place this APK file in the same folder as your ADB and Fastboot tools. You could avoid placing it in the same folder if you type the full path of the directory where this APK file is stored. But putting it in the same folder is the easiest option for most people.
I'll be using a free game called Galaxiga in today's example, just make sure you download these APK files from a trusted source.
Let's open a command prompt, Windows PowerShell, or terminal window in the same folder as our ADB and Fastboot tools.
Next, we will start by typing the command. . .
adb install [filename]
When you finish typing it, we just need to press Enter on the keyboard to execute the command and let ADB install this APK file for us. Look for the success message to know it was done correctly. . .
. . .then look in your app drawer for the icon of the newly installed app or game.
There are other arguments we can add to this command if you want to do special things when installing this APK file.
For example, we can install multiple APK files at the same time by typing. . .
adb install-multiple [filename] [filename]
or you can use this command to replace an existing app already installed on your device while keeping your app data intact.
adb install -r [filename]
If you want to downgrade an app you already have installed to an older version, use the following command. . .
adb install -d [filename]
You can even install an app on your SD card using the command. . .
adb install -s [filename]
There are many ways to manage applications and games on our device using ADB. I already made a video showing you how to remove a system application from the default user account using a simple ADB command. You can also find it linked below.
Links mentioned
Developer Mode – https://www.youtube.com/watch?vuwR2HIstT-c
USB debugging mode – https://www.youtube.com/watch?vIdaNab8iVXA
Small ADB and Fastboot tools – https://www.youtube.com/watch?vic5HIG4r8cE
Step by step tutorial
1. Introduction [00:00]
2. Prepare the file [02:34]
3. Run ADB install command [04:05]
4. Various installation options [06:12]
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