Setting Up Android Emulator Without Android Studio (Windows, macOS, Linux)

This guide walks you through installing and running an Android emulator without Android Studio, using only the Android Command Line Tools.

1. Download Required Tools

Visit the Android Command Line Tools download page and download the "Command line tools only" package for your operating system:

• Windows: commandlinetools-win-*.zip
• macOS: commandlinetools-mac-*.zip
• Linux: commandlinetools-linux-*.zip

Alternative for Windows: If you prefer using Windows Package Manager, you can install Android Studio (which includes the command-line tools) using:

winget install --id=Google.AndroidStudio -e

However, this guide focuses on installing only the command-line tools without the full IDE.

2. Create Directory Structure and Extract Files

The Android SDK tools require a specific directory structure. Follow the steps below for your operating system.

Windows:

1. Create the directory structure:

   C:\Android\
   └── cmdline-tools\
       └── latest\
   

2. Extract the downloaded zip file. The archive contains a cmdline-tools folder with bin, lib, and other files.

3. Move all contents from the extracted cmdline-tools folder into C:\Android\cmdline-tools\latest\

   Your final directory structure should look like this:

   C:\Android\
   └── cmdline-tools\
       └── latest\
           ├── bin\
           ├── lib\
           └── [other files]
   

macOS / Linux:

1. Create the directory structure:

   mkdir -p ~/Android/cmdline-tools
   

2. Extract the downloaded zip file:

   cd ~/Downloads
   unzip commandlinetools-*.zip
   

3. Move the extracted folder to the correct location:

   mv cmdline-tools ~/Android/cmdline-tools/latest
   

   Your final directory structure should look like this:

   ~/Android/
   └── cmdline-tools/
       └── latest/
           ├── bin/
           ├── lib/
           └── [other files]
   

Important: The latest folder must be created manually (Windows) or by renaming the extracted folder (macOS/Linux). The Android SDK tools require this exact directory structure to function properly.

3. Configure Environment Variables

Set up environment variables so your system can locate the Android SDK tools.

Windows (PowerShell - permanent):

Run these commands in PowerShell to set environment variables permanently:

[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('ANDROID_HOME', 'C:\Android', 'User')
$currentPath = [System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('Path', 'User')
[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('Path', "$currentPath;C:\Android\cmdline-tools\latest\bin;C:\Android\platform-tools;C:\Android\emulator", 'User')

Note: You may need to restart your terminal or PowerShell session for the changes to take effect.

Windows (CMD - temporary for current session):

If you only need the environment variables for the current session, use these commands:

set ANDROID_HOME=C:\Android
set PATH=%PATH%;C:\Android\cmdline-tools\latest\bin;C:\Android\platform-tools;C:\Android\emulator

Note: These settings will be lost when you close the command prompt window.

macOS / Linux:

Add the following environment variables to your shell configuration file (.bashrc, .zshrc, or .bash_profile):

export ANDROID_HOME=$HOME/Android
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools/latest/bin
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/emulator

After saving the file, reload your shell configuration:

source ~/.zshrc  # or ~/.bashrc if you're using bash

Verify Environment Variables:

After reloading, verify the variables are set correctly:

echo $ANDROID_HOME
which sdkmanager

4. Accept Android SDK Licenses (macOS/Linux)

macOS / Linux users only: Before installing SDK components, you must accept the Android SDK licenses:

yes | sdkmanager --licenses

This command automatically accepts all licenses. Without this step, the installation will fail.

Note: Windows users will be prompted to accept licenses during the installation in the next step.

5. Install SDK Components

Use sdkmanager to install the required Android SDK components: platform tools, an Android platform, a system image, and the emulator.

Windows:

sdkmanager --sdk_root=C:\Android "platform-tools" "platforms;android-35" "system-images;android-35;google_apis;x86_64" "emulator"

macOS / Linux:

For Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2/M3/M4):

sdkmanager "platform-tools" "platforms;android-35" "system-images;android-35;google_apis;arm64-v8a" "emulator"

For Intel-based Macs and Linux:

sdkmanager "platform-tools" "platforms;android-35" "system-images;android-35;google_apis;x86_64" "emulator"

Note:

• This command installs Android 15 (API level 35), which is the current stable version required by Google Play as of 2025.
• To see all available versions, run sdkmanager --list and replace android-35 with your preferred API level if needed.
• Use arm64-v8a for Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2/M3/M4) and x86_64 for Intel-based Macs, Windows, and most Linux systems. The architecture must match your system's processor.

6. Create an Android Virtual Device (AVD)

An AVD is a device configuration that defines the characteristics of an Android device you want to simulate.

List Available Device Profiles (Optional):

Before creating an AVD, you can view all available device profiles (e.g., Pixel, Nexus) to choose from:

avdmanager list devices

Create Your AVD:

Create a new AVD with the following command:

Windows:

avdmanager create avd -n myEmu -k "system-images;android-35;google_apis;x86_64" --device "pixel_8"

macOS / Linux (Apple Silicon):

avdmanager create avd -n myEmu -k "system-images;android-35;google_apis;arm64-v8a" --device "pixel_8"

macOS / Linux (Intel-based):

avdmanager create avd -n myEmu -k "system-images;android-35;google_apis;x86_64" --device "pixel_8"

When prompted "Do you wish to create a custom hardware profile?" type no and press Enter.

Note:

• Replace myEmu with your preferred AVD name
• Replace pixel_8 with a device profile from the list above if you want a different device configuration
• The -k parameter specifies the system image you installed in the previous step. Make sure it matches the architecture you installed (x86_64 for Windows and Intel-based systems, arm64-v8a for Apple Silicon Macs)

7. Start the Emulator

Launch your emulator using the AVD name you created:

emulator -avd myEmu

Replace myEmu with the name you used when creating your AVD. The emulator window should open and boot up the Android system.

Common Startup Issues (macOS/Linux):

If you get "command not found":

$ANDROID_HOME/emulator/emulator -avd myEmu

For better performance on Apple Silicon:

emulator -avd myEmu -gpu host

For headless mode (no GUI window):

emulator -avd myEmu -no-window

8. Additional Tools and Commands

List All AVDs:

View all created virtual devices:

avdmanager list avd

List Connected Devices:

Use ADB (Android Debug Bridge) to view all connected Android devices and running emulators:

adb devices

This is useful for verifying that your emulator is running and properly connected.

Install an APK:

Install an Android application package (APK) to your emulator or connected device:

adb install myApp.apk

Replace myApp.apk with the path to your APK file.

Delete an AVD:

Remove a virtual device you no longer need:

avdmanager delete avd -n myEmu

9. Troubleshooting

Common issues and their solutions:

Enable Hardware Acceleration (Linux):

For better performance on Linux, install and enable KVM:

sudo apt install qemu-kvm libvirt-daemon-system libvirt-clients bridge-utils
sudo adduser $USER kvm

Log out and log back in for group changes to take effect.

10. Summary

You've successfully set up an Android emulator without installing Android Studio, using only the command-line tools. This emulator can be used for React Native development or any other mobile development framework that requires Android emulation.

The emulator is now ready to use. You can start it anytime with emulator -avd myEmu (using your AVD name) and begin developing and testing your Android applications.

Quick Reference Commands:

Start the emulator:

emulator -avd myEmu

List running devices:

adb devices

Install an app:

adb install myApp.apk

List all AVDs:

avdmanager list avd

Additional Notes

• Android API Updates: As of January 2026, Android 15 (API 35) is the current requirement for Google Play Store submissions. This guide uses API 35, but you can install older versions if needed for legacy app testing.
• Storage Location: All Android SDK files are stored in C:\Android\ (Windows) or ~/Android/ (macOS/Linux) and can consume several GB of disk space.
• Updating SDK Components: Run sdkmanager --update periodically to keep your SDK tools up to date.