Run apps on the Android Emulator

developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator.html

The Android Emulator simulates Android devices on your computer so that you can test
your application on a variety of devices and Android API levels without needing to have
each physical device.

The emulator provides almost all of the capabilities of a real Android device. You can
simulate incoming phone calls and text messages, specify the location of the device,
simulate different network speeds, simulate rotation and other hardware sensors, access
the Google Play Store, and much more.

Testing your app on the emulator is in some ways faster and easier than doing so on a
physical device. For example, you can transfer data faster to the emulator than to a
device connected over USB.

The emulator comes with predefined configurations for various Android phone, tablet,
Wear OS, and Android TV devices.

Watch the following video for an overview of some emulator features.

You can use the emulator manually through its graphical user interface and
programmatically through the command line and the emulator console. For a
comparison of the features available through each interface, see Comparison of Android
Emulator tools.

Requirements and recommendations

The Android Emulator has additional requirements beyond the basic system
requirements for Android Studio:

SDK Tools 26.1.1 or higher

64-bit processor
Windows: CPU with UG (unrestricted guest) support
HAXM 6.2.1 or later (HAXM 7.2.0 or later recommended)

The use of hardware acceleration has additional requirements on Windows and Linux:

Intel processor on Windows or Linux: Intel processor with support for Intel VT-x,
Intel EM64T (Intel 64), and Execute Disable (XD) Bit functionality
AMD processor on Linux: AMD processor with support for AMD Virtualization
(AMD-V) and Supplemental Streaming SIMD Extensions 3 (SSSE3)
AMD processor on Windows: Android Studio 3.2 or higher and Windows 10 April
2018 release or higher for Windows Hypervisor Platform (WHPX) functionality

1/19
To work with Android 8.1 (API level 27) and higher system images, an attached webcam
must have the capability to capture 720p frames.

Deprecation for 32-bit Windows systems

Starting in June 2019, the Android Emulator will be deprecated on 32-bit Windows
systems. Support for the 32-bit Windows emulator will continue until June 2020,
including critical bug fixes, but no new features will be added. If you are using the
emulator on a 32-bit Windows system, you should plan to migrate to a 64-bit Windows
system.

If you are using the emulator on a 32-bit Windows system, you can use the SDK Manager
to install the latest version of the emulator for 32-bit Windows.

Install the emulator

To install the Android Emulator, select the Android Emulator component in the SDK
Tools tab of the SDK Manager. For instructions, see Update your tools using the SDK
Manager.

Android virtual devices

Each instance of the Android Emulator uses an Android virtual device (AVD) to specify the
Android version and hardware characteristics of the simulated device. To effectively test
your app, you should create an AVD that models each device on which your app is
designed to run. To create and manage AVDs, use the AVD Manager.

Each AVD functions as an independent device, with its own private storage for user data,
SD card, and so on. By default, the emulator stores the user data, SD card data, and
cache in a directory specific to that AVD. When you launch the emulator, it loads the user
data and SD card data from the AVD directory.

Run an app on the Android Emulator

You can run an app from an Android Studio project, or you can run an app that's been
installed on the Android Emulator as you would run any app on a device.

To start the Android Emulator and run an app in your project:

1. In Android Studio, create an Android Virtual Device (AVD) that the emulator can use
to install and run your app.
2. In the toolbar, select the AVD that you want to run your app on from the target
device drop-down menu.

2/19
 3. Click Run .

If you receive an error or warning message at the top of the dialog, click the link to
correct the problem or to get more information.

Some errors you must fix before you can continue, such as certain Hardware
Accelerated Execution Manager (Intel HAXM) errors.

For macOS, if you see a Warning: No DNS servers found error when starting the
emulator, check to see whether you have an /etc/resolv.conf file. If you don't have
this file, enter the following command in a terminal window:

ln -s /private/var/run/resolv.conf /etc/resolv.conf

Launch the Android Emulator without first running an app

To start the emulator:

1. Open the AVD Manager.

2. Double-click an AVD, or click Run .
The Android Emulator appears.

While the emulator is running, you can run Android Studio projects and choose the
emulator as the target device. You can also drag one or more APKs onto the emulator to
install them, and then run them.

Install and add files

To install an APK file on the emulated device, drag an APK file onto the emulator screen.
An APK Installer dialog appears. When the installation completes, you can view the app
in your apps list.

3/19
To add a file to the emulated device, drag the file onto the emulator screen. The file is
placed in the /sdcard/Download/ directory. You can view the file from Android Studio
using the Device File Explorer, or find it from the device using the Downloads or Files
app, depending on the device version.

Snapshots
A snapshot is a stored image of an AVD (Android Virtual Device) that preserves the entire
state of the device at the time that it was saved – including OS settings, application state,
and user data. You can return to a saved system state by loading a snapshot whenever
you choose, saving you the time of waiting for the operating system and applications on
the virtual device to restart, as well as saving you the effort of bringing your app back to
the state at which you want to resume your testing. Starting a virtual device by loading a
snapshot is much like waking a physical device from a sleep state, as opposed to booting
it from a powered-off state.

For each AVD, you can have one quick-boot snapshot and any number of general
snapshots.

The simplest way to take advantage of snapshots is to use quick-boot snapshots: By

default, each AVD is set to automatically save a quick-boot snapshot on exit and load
from a quick-boot snapshot on start.

The first time that an AVD starts, it must perform a cold boot, just like powering on a
device. If Quick Boot is enabled, all subsequent starts load from the specified snapshot,
and the system is restored to the state saved in that snapshot.

Snapshots are valid for the system image, AVD configuration, and emulator features with
which they are saved. When you make a change in any of these areas, all snapshots of
the affected AVD become invalid. Any update to the Android Emulator, system image, or
AVD settings resets the AVD's saved state, so the next time you start the AVD, it must
perform a cold boot.

Most controls for saving, loading, and managing snapshots are in the Snapshots pane in
the emulator's Extended controls window.

4/19
You can also control the Quick Boot options when starting the emulator from the
command line.

Save quick-boot snapshots

To control whether the emulator automatically saves a snapshot for the currently open
AVD when exiting, use the Save quick-boot state on exit menu in the Settings tab of
the Snapshots category in the emulator's Extended controls window:

Yes: Always save an AVD snapshot when you close the emulator. This is the default.
No: Don't save an AVD snapshot when you close the emulator.
Ask: Prompt for whether to save an AVD snapshot when you close the emulator.

Your selection applies only to the currently open AVD.

If you don't choose Yes in the Save quick-boot state on exit menu to automatically
save a snapshot on exit, you can use the Save Now button below this menu to save a
quick-boot snapshot at any time.

You cannot save snapshots while ADB is offline (such as while Android is still booting).

Save general snapshots

5/19
Whereas you can only have one quick-boot snapshot for each AVD, you can have
multiple general snapshots for each AVD.

To save a general snapshot, open the emulator's Extended controls window, select the
Snapshots category, and click the Take snapshot button in the lower-right corner of the
window.

To edit the name and description of the selected snapshot, click the edit button at
the bottom of the window.

Delete a snapshot
To manually delete a snapshot, open the emulator's Extended controls window, select
the Snapshots category, select the snapshot, and click the delete button at the
bottom of the window.

You can also specify whether you would like the emulator to automatically delete
snapshots when they become invalid, such as when the AVD settings or emulator version
change. By default, the emulator will ask you if you'd like for it to delete invalid
snapshots. You can change this setting with the Delete invalid snapshots menu in the
Settings tab of the Snapshots pane.

Load a snapshot
To load a snapshot at any time, open the emulator's Extended controls window, select
the Snapshots category, choose a snapshot, and click the load button at the bottom
of the window.

In Android Studio 3.2 and higher, each device configuration includes a Boot option
control in the advanced settings in the Virtual Device Configuration dialog with which you
can specify which snapshot to load when starting that AVD.

Disable Quick Boot

If you want to disable Quick Boot so your AVD always performs a cold boot, do the
following:

1. Select Tools > AVD Manager and click Edit this AVD .
2. Click Show Advanced Settings and scroll down to Emulated Performance.
3. Select Cold boot.

Cold boot once

Instead of disabling Quick Boot completely, you can cold boot just once by clicking Cold
Boot Now from the AVD's drop-down menu in the AVD Manager.

6/19
Snapshot requirements and troubleshooting
Snapshots do not work with Android 4.0.4 (API level 15) or lower.
Snapshots do not work with ARM system images for Android 8.0 (API level 26).
If the emulator fails to boot from a snapshot, select Cold Boot Now for the AVD in
the AVD Manager and submit a bug report.
Snapshots are not reliable when software rendering is enabled. If snapshots do not
work, click Edit this AVD in the AVD Manager and change Graphics to either
Hardware or Automatic.
Loading or saving a snapshot is a memory-intensive operation. If you do not have
enough RAM free when a load or save operation begins, the operating system may
swap the contents of RAM to the hard disk, which can greatly slow the operation. If
you experience very slow snapshot loads or saves, you may be able to speed these
operations by freeing RAM. Closing applications that are not essential for your
work is a good way to free RAM.

Navigate the emulator screen

Use your computer mouse pointer to mimic your finger on the touchscreen; select menu
items and input fields; and click buttons and controls. Use your computer keyboard to
type characters and enter emulator shortcuts.

Table 1. Gestures for navigating the emulator screen

Feature Description

Swipe the screen Point to the screen, press and hold the primary mouse button, swipe
across the screen, and then release.

Drag an item Point to an item on the screen, press and hold the primary mouse
button, move the item, and then release.

7/19
 Tap Point to the screen, press the primary mouse button, and then release.
(touch) For example, you could click a text field to start typing in it, select an app,
or press a button.

Double tap Point to the screen, press the primary mouse button quickly twice, and
then release.

Touch and hold Point to an item on the screen, press the primary mouse button, hold,
and then release. For example, you could open options for an item.

Type You can type in the emulator by using your computer keyboard, or using
a keyboard that pops up on the emulator screen. For example, you could
type in a text field after you selected it.

Pinch and spread Pressing Control (Command on Mac) brings up a pinch gesture multi-
touch interface. The mouse acts as the first finger, and across the anchor
point is the second finger. Drag the cursor to move the first point.

Clicking the left mouse button acts like touching down both points, and
releasing acts like picking both up.

Vertical swipe Open a vertical menu on the screen and use the scroll wheel (mouse
wheel) to scroll through the menu items until you see the one you want.
Click the menu item to select it.

Perform common actions in the emulator

To perform common actions with the emulator, use the panel on the right side, as
described in table 2.

You can use keyboard shortcuts to perform many common actions in the emulator. For
a complete list of shortcuts in the emulator, press F1 (Command+/ on Mac) to open the
Help pane in the Extended controls window.

Table 2. Common actions in the emulator

Feature Description

Close Close the emulator.

Minimize Minimize the emulator window.

Resize Resize the emulator as you would any other operating system window.
The emulator maintains an aspect ratio appropriate for your device.

Power Click to turn the screen on or off.

Click and hold to turn the device on or off.

8/19
Volume up Click to view a slider control and turn the volume up. Click again to turn
it up more, or use the slider control to change the volume.

Volume down Click to view a slider control and turn the volume down. Click again to
turn it down more, or use the slider control to change the volume.

Rotate left Rotate the device 90 degrees counterclockwise.

Rotate right Rotate the device 90 degrees clockwise.

Take screenshot Click to take a screenshot of the device. For details, see Screenshots.

Enter zoom mode Click so the cursor changes to the zoom icon. To exit zoom mode, click
the button again.

Zoom in and out in zoom mode:

Left-click the screen to zoom in by 25%, up to a maximum of

about twice the screen resolution of the virtual device.
Right-click to zoom out.
Left-click and drag to select a box-shaped area to zoom in on.
Right-click and drag a selection box to reset to default zoom.

To pan in zoom mode, hold Control (Command on Mac) while pressing

the arrow keys on the keyboard.

To tap the device screen in zoom mode, Control-click (Command-click

on Mac).

Back Return to the previous screen, or close a dialog box, an options menu,
the Notifications panel, or the onscreen keyboard.

Home Return to the Home screen.

Overview Tap to open a list of thumbnail images of apps you’ve worked with
recently. To open an app, tap it. To remove a thumbnail from the list,
(Recent Apps) swipe it left or right. This button isn't supported for Wear OS.

Fold For foldable devices, fold the device to display its smaller screen
configuration.

Unfold For foldable devices, unfold the device to display its larger screen
configuration.

Menu Press Control+M (Command+M on Mac) to simulate the Menu button.

More Click to access other features and settings, described in the next table.

9/19
Screen recording
You can record video and audio from the Android Emulator and save the recording to a
WebM or animated GIF file.

The screen recording controls are in the Screen record tab of the Extended Controls
window.

Tip: You can also open the screen recording controls by pressing Control + Shift + R
(Command + Shift + R on Mac).

To begin screen recording, click the Start recording button in the Screen record tab. To
stop recording, click Stop recording.

Controls for playing and saving the recorded video are at the bottom of the Screen
record tab. To save the video, choose WebM or GIF from the menu at the bottom of the
tab and click Save.

You can also record and save a screen recording from the emulator using the following
command on the command line:

adb emu screenrecord start --time-limit 10 [path to save video]/sample_video.webm

Screenshots
To take a screenshot of the virtual device, click the Take screenshot button.

The emulator creates a PNG file with the name Screenshot_yyyymmdd-hhmmss.png

using the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second of the capture. For example,
Screenshot_20160219-145848.png .

By default, the screenshot is saved on your comupter desktop. To change the location to
which screenshots are saved, use the Screenshot save location control in the Settings
category in the emulator's Extended controls window.

You can also take screenshots from the command line with either of the following
commands:

screenrecord screenshot [destination-directory]

adb emu screenrecord screenshot [destination-directory]

Virtual scene camera and ARCore

You can use the virtual scene camera in a virtual environment to experiment with
augmented reality (AR) apps made with ARCore.

For information on using the virtual scene camera in the emulator, see Run AR apps in
Android Emulator.
10/19
When using the emulator with a camera app, you can import an image in PNG or JPEG
format to be used within a virtual scene. To choose an image for use in a virtual scene,
click Add image in the Camera > Virtual scene images tab in the Extended controls
window. This feature can be used to import custom images such as QR codes for use
with any camera-based app. For more information, see Add Augmented Images to the
scene.

Test common AR actions with macros

You can greatly reduce the time it takes to test common AR actions by using the preset
macros in the emulator. For example, you can use a macro to reset all the device's
sensors to their default state.

Before using macros, follow the steps in Run AR apps in Android Emulator to set up the
virtual scene camera for your app, run your app on the emulator, and update ARCore.
Then, follow these steps to use emulator macros:

1. With the emulator running and your app connected to ARCore, click More in
the emulator panel.
2. Select Record and Playback > Macro Playback.
3. Choose a macro that you want to use, then click Play.

During playback, you can interrupt a macro by clicking Stop.

Extended controls, settings, and help

Use the extended controls to send data, change device properties, control apps, and
more. To open the Extended controls window, click More in the emulator panel.

You can use keyboard shortcuts to perform many of these tasks. For a complete list of
shortcuts in the emulator, press F1 (Command+/ on Mac) to open the Help pane.

Table 3. Extended controls details

Feature Description

11/19
Location The emulator lets you simulate "my location" information: the location
where the emulated device is currently located. For example, if you click My
Location in Google Maps and then send a location, the map shows it.

To send a GPS location:

1. Select Decimal or Sexagesimal.

2. Specify the location.
In decimal mode, enter a Latitude value in the range -90.0 to +90.0
degrees and a Longitude value in the range -180.0 to +180.0 degrees.

In sexigesimal mode, enter a three-part Latitude value in the range -

90 to +90 degrees, 0 to 59 minutes, and 0.0 to 60.0 seconds. Enter a
Longitude value in the range -180 to +180 degrees, 0 to 59 minutes,
and 0.0 to 60.0 seconds.

For the latitude, - indicates south and + indicates north; for the
longitude, - indicates west and + indicates east. The + is optional.

Optionally specify an Altitude value in the range -1,000.0 to

+10,000.0 meters.

3. Click Send.

To use geographic data from a GPS exchange format (GPX) or Keyhole

Markup Language (KML) file:

1. Click Load GPX/KML.

2. In the file dialog, select a file on your computer and click Open.
3. Optionally select a Speed.
The speed defaults to the Delay value (Speed 1X). You can increase
the speed by double (Speed 2X), triple (Speed 3X), and so on.

4. Click Run .

12/19
Cellular The emulator lets you simulate various network conditions. You can
approximate the network speed for different network protocols, or you can
specify Full, which transfers data as quickly as your computer allows.
Specifying a network protocol is always slower than Full. You can also
specify the voice and data network status, such as roaming. The defaults
are set in the AVD.

Select a Network type:

GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications

HSCSD: High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data
GPRS: Generic Packet Radio Service
EDGE: Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution
UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
HSPDA: High-Speed Downlink Packet Access
LTE: Long-Term Evolution
Full (default): Use the network as provided by your computer

Select a Signal strength:

None
Poor
Moderate (default)
Good
Great

Select a Voice status, Data status, or both:

Home (default)
Roaming
Searching
Denied (emergency calls only)
Unregistered (off)

13/19
Battery You can simulate the battery properties of a device to see how your app
performs under different conditions. To select a Charge level, use the
slider control.

Select a Charger connection value:

None
AC charger

Select a Battery health value:

Good (default)
Failed
Dead
Overvoltage
Overheated
Unknown

Select a Battery status value:

Unknown
Charging (default)
Discharging
Not charging
Full

Phone The emulator lets you simulate incoming phone calls and text messages.

To initiate a call to the emulator:

1. Select or type a phone number in the From field.

2. Click Call Device.
3. Optionally click Hold Call to put the call on hold.
4. To end the call, click End Call.

To send a text message to the emulator:

1. Select or type a phone number in the From field.

2. Type a message in the SMS message field.
3. Click Send Message.

14/19
Directional If the AVD has the directional pad enabled in the hardware profile, you can
Pad use the directional pad controls with the emulator. However, not all devices
can support the directional pad; for example, an Android watch. The
buttons simulate the following actions:

Fingerprint This control can simulate 10 different fingerprint scans. You can use it to
test fingerprint integration in your app. This feature is disabled for Android
5.1 (API level 22) and lower, and for Wear OS.

To simulate a fingerprint scan on the virtual device:

1. Prepare an app to receive a fingerprint.

2. Select a Fingerprint value.
3. Click Touch Sensor.

Virtual This control lets you test your app against changes in device position,
sensors > orientation, or both. For example, you can simulate gestures such as tilt
Accelerometer and rotation. The accelerometer doesn't track the absolute position of the
device: it just detects when a change is occurring. The control simulates the
way accelerometer and magnetometer sensors would respond when you
move or rotate a real device.

You must enable the accelerometer sensor in your AVD to use this control.

The control reports TYPE_ACCELEROMETER events on the x, y, and z axis.

15/19
These values include gravity. For example, if the device is suspended in
outer space, it would experience zero acceleration (all of x, y, and z will be
0). When the device is on Earth and laying screen-up on top of a table, the
acceleration is 0, 0, and 9.8 because of gravity.

The control also reports TYPE_MAGNETIC_FIELD events, which measure the

ambient magnetic field on the x, y and z axis in microteslas (μT).

To rotate the device around the x, y, and z axes, select Rotate and do one
of the following:

Adjust the Yaw, Pitch, and Roll sliders and observe the position in
the upper pane.
Move the device representation in the upper pane and observe the
Yaw, Pitch, and Roll and how the resulting accelerometer values
change.

See Computing the device's orientation for more information about how
yaw, pitch, and roll are calculated.

To move the device horizontally (x) or vertically (y), select Move and do one
of the following:

Adjust the X and Y sliders and observe the position in the upper
pane.
Move the device representation in the upper pane and observe the X
and Y slider values and how the resulting accelerometer values
change.

To position the device at 0, 90, 180, or 270 degrees:

In the Device rotation area, select a button to change the rotation.

As you adjust the device, the Resulting values fields change accordingly.
These are the values that an app can access.

For more information about these sensors, see Sensors overview, Motion
sensors, and Position sensors.

You can import the AccelerometerPlay app to try out the Accelerometer
control. Select File > New > Import Sample and select the app in the
dialog. This app is showcased in the emulator video on this page.

16/19
Virtual The emulator can simulate various position and environment sensors. It
sensors > lets you adjust the following sensors so you can test them with your app:
Additional
sensors Ambient temperature: This environmental sensor measures
ambient air temperature.
Magnetic field: This position sensor measures the ambient magnetic
field on the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively. The values are in
microteslas (μT).
Proximity: This position sensor measures the distance from an
object; for example, it can notify a phone that a face is close to it to
make a call. The proximity sensor must be enabled in your AVD to
use this control.
Light: This environmental sensor measures illuminance. The values
are in lux units.
Pressure: This environmental sensor measures ambient air pressure.
The values are in millibar (hPa) units.
Relative Humidity: This environmental sensor measures ambient
relative humidity.

For more information about these sensors, see Sensors overview, Position
sensors, and Environment sensors.

Snapshots See Snapshots.

Screen record See Screen recording.

Settings > Emulator window theme : Select Light or Dark.

General Send keyboard shortcuts to: By default, some keyboard
combinations will trigger emulator control shortcuts. If you’re
developing an app that includes keyboard shortcuts, such as one
targeted at devices with Bluetooth keyboards, you can change this
setting to send all keyboard input to the virtual device, including
input that would be a shortcut in the emulator.
Screenshot save location : Click the folder icon to specify a location
to save screenshots of the emulator screen.
Use detected ADB location : If you're running the emulator from
Android Studio, you should select this setting (the default). If you run
the emulator from outside Android Studio and want it to use a
specific adb executable, deselect this option and specify the SDK
Tools location. If this setting is incorrect, features such as screenshot
capture and drag-and-drop app installation won't work.
When to send crash reports: Select Always, Never, or Ask.
Show window frame around device : By default, emulators with
device skin files are shown without a surrounding window frame.

Settings > By default, the emulator uses the Android Studio HTTP proxy settings, but
Proxy this screen allows you to manually define an HTTP proxy configuration for
the emulator. For more information, see Using the emulator with a proxy.

17/19
 Settings > OpenGL ES renderer: Select the graphics acceleration type. (This is
Advanced equivalant to the -gpu command line option).
Autodetect based on host: Let the emulator choose hardware
or software graphics acceleration based on your computer
setup. It checks if your GPU driver matches a list of known
faulty GPU drivers, and if it does, the emulator disables
graphics hardware emulation and instead uses the CPU.
ANGLE: (Windows only.) Use ANGLE Direct3D to render
graphics in software.
SwiftShader: Use SwiftShader to render graphics in software.
Desktop native OpenGL: Use the GPU on your host computer.
This option is typically the fastest. However, some drivers have
issues with rendering OpenGL graphics, so it might not be a
reliable option.
OpenGL ES API level: Select the maximum version of OpenGL ES to
use in the emulator.
Autoselect: Let the emulator choose the OpenGL ES version
based on the host and guest support.
Renderer maximum (up to OpenGL ES 3.1) : Attempt to use
the maximum version of OpenGL ES.
Compatibility (OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0): Use the version of OpenGL
ES that is compatible with most environments.

Help > This pane provides a complete list of keyboard shortcuts for the emulator.
Keyboard To open this pane while working in the emulator, press F1 (Command+/ on
Shortcuts Mac).

For the shortcuts to work, the Send keyboard shortcuts option in the
General settings pane must be set to Emulator controls (default).

Help > To go to the online documentation for the emulator, click Documentation.
Emulator Help
To file a bug against the emulator, click Send feedback. For more
information, see how to report emulator bugs.

Help > About See which adb port the emulator uses, as well as the Android and emulator
version numbers. Compare the latest available emulator version with your
version to determine if you have the latest software installed.

The emulator serial number is emulator-adb_port, which you can specify as

an adb command line option, for example.

Wi-Fi
When using an AVD with API level 25 or higher, the emulator provides a simulated Wi-Fi
access point ("AndroidWifi"), and Android automatically connects to it.

18/19
You can disable Wi-Fi in the emulator by running the emulator with the command-line
parameter -feature -Wifi .

Limitations
The Android Emulator doesn't include virtual hardware for the following:

Bluetooth
NFC
SD card insert/eject
Device-attached headphones
USB

The watch emulator for Wear OS doesn't provide the Overview (Recent Apps) button, D-
pad, and fingerprint sensor.

Was this page helpful?

19/19