Android Studio

Start the emulator from the command line

The Android SDK includes an Android device emulator—a virtual device that runs on your computer. The Android Emulator lets you develop and test Android apps without using a physical device.

This page describes command-line features that you can use with the Android Emulator. For information about using the Android Emulator UI, see Run apps on the Android Emulator.

Start the emulator

Use the emulator command to start the emulator, as an alternative to running your project or starting it through the AVD Manager.

Here's the basic command-line syntax for starting a virtual device from a terminal prompt: 

emulator -avd avd_name [ {-option [value]} … ]

Or 

emulator @avd_name [ {-option [value]} … ]

For example, if you launch the emulator from within Android Studio running on a Mac, the default command line will be similar to the following: 

/Users/janedoe/Library/Android/sdk/emulator/emulator -avd Pixel8_API_34 -netdelay none -netspeed full -qt-hide-window -grpc-use-token -idle-grpc-timeout 300

Please note that the arguments -qt-hide-window -grpc-use-token -idle-grpc-timeout 300 are only used to run the emulator window within Android Studio. If you want to run the emulator on its own window, you should not use those extra parameters.

You can specify startup options when you start the emulator, but not after it has started.

For a list of AVD names, enter the following command: 

emulator -list-avds

Use this option to display a list of AVD names from your Android home directory. You can override the default home directory by setting the ANDROID_SDK_HOME environment variable that specifies the root of the user-specific directory where all configuration and AVD content is stored.

You can set the environment variable in the terminal window before launching a virtual device or through your user settings in the operating system. For example, in your .bashrc file on Linux.

To stop the Android Emulator, close the emulator window.

Install an app

In addition to installing an app through Android Studio or the emulator UI, you can install your app on a virtual device by using the adb utility.

To use adb to install, run, and test your app, follow these general steps:

  1. Build and package your app into an APK, as described in Build and run your app.
  2. Start the emulator from the command line, as described in the previous section, using any startup options necessary.
  3. Install your app using adb.
  4. Run and test your app on the emulator.
    While the emulator is running, you can use the Emulator console to issue commands as needed.

To uninstall an app, do so as you would on an Android device.

The virtual device preserves the app and its state data across restarts in a user data disk partition (userdata-qemu.img). To clear this data, start the emulator with the -wipe-data option or wipe the data in the AVD Manager. For more information about the user data partition and other storage, see the following section.

Note: The adb utility views the virtual device as an actual physical device. For this reason, you might have to use the -d flag with some common adb commands, such as install. The -d flag lets you specify which of several connected devices to use as the target of a command. If you don't specify -d, the emulator targets the first device in its list.

Understand the default directories and files

The emulator uses associated files, of which the AVD system and data directories are the most important. It's helpful to understand the emulator directory structure and files when specifying command-line options, although you typically don't need to modify the default directories or files.

The Android Emulator uses the (QEMU) hypervisor.

AVD system directory

The system directory contains the Android system images that the emulator uses to simulate the operating system. This directory has platform-specific, read-only files shared by all AVDs of the same type, including API level, CPU architecture, and Android variant. The default locations are the following:

Where:

Use the -sysdir option to specify a different system directory for the AVD.

The emulator reads the following files from the system directory:

Table 1. System directory files read by the Android Emulator

File Description Option to specify a different file
kernel-qemu or kernel-ranchu The binary kernel image for the AVD. kernel-ranchu is based on the QEMU emulator. -kernel
ramdisk.img The boot partition image. This is a subset of system.img loaded by the kernel initially before the system image is mounted. It typically contains just a few binaries and initialization scripts. -ramdisk
system.img The read-only, initial version of the system image. Specifically, the partition containing the system libraries and data corresponding to the API level and variant. -system
userdata.img The initial version of the data partition, which appears as data/ in the emulated system and contains all writable data for the AVD. The emulator uses this file when you create a new AVD or use the ‑wipe-data option. For more information, see the userdata-qemu.img file description in the following section. -initdata
-init-data

AVD data directory

The AVD data directory, also called the content directory, is specific to a single AVD instance and contains all modifiable data for the AVD.

The default location is the following, where name is the AVD name:

Use the -datadir option to specify a different AVD data directory.

The following table lists the most important files contained in this directory:

Table 2. Important files in the AVD data directory

File Description Option to specify a different file
userdata-qemu.img

The content of the data partition, which appears as data/ in the emulated system. When you create a new AVD or when you use the -wipe-data option to reset the AVD to the factory defaults, the emulator copies the userdata.img file in the system directory to create this file.

Each virtual device instance uses a writable user-data image to store user and session-specific data. For example, it uses the image to store a unique user's installed app data, settings, databases, and files. Each user has a different ANDROID_SDK_HOME directory that stores the data directories for the AVDs created by that user. Each AVD has a single userdata-qemu.img file.

 -data
cache.img The cache partition image, which appears as cache/ in the emulated system. It's empty when you first create an AVD or use the -wipe-data option. It stores temporary download files and is populated by the download manager and sometimes the system. For example, the browser uses it to cache downloaded web pages and images while the emulator is running. When you power off the virtual device, the file is deleted. You can persist the file by using the -cache option. -cache
sdcard.img

(Optional) An SD card partition image that lets you simulate an SD card on a virtual device. You can create an SD card image file in the AVD Manager or using the mksdcard tool. The file is stored on your development computer and must be loaded at startup.

When defining an AVD in the AVD Manager, you can choose to use an automatically managed SD card file or a file that you created with the mksdcard tool. You can view the sdcard.img file associated with an AVD in the AVD Manager. The -sdcard option overrides the SD card file specified in the AVD. Note that this SD Card option will not work on Mac with Apple Silicon.

You can browse, send files to, and copy and remove files from a simulated SD card by using the emulator UI or the adb utility while the virtual device is running. You can't remove a simulated SD card from a running virtual device.

To copy files to the SD card file before loading it, mount the image file as a loop device and then copy the files. Or, use a utility, such as the mtools package, to copy the files directly to the image.

The emulator treats the file as a pool of bytes, so the SD card format doesn't matter.

The -wipe-data option doesn't affect this file. If you want to clear the file, delete the file and then re-create it using the AVD Manager or the mksdcard tool. Changing the size of the file also deletes the file and creates a new file.

 -sdcard

List directories and files used by the emulator

You can discover where files are located in two ways:

Command-line startup options

This section lists options you can supply on the command line when you start the emulator.

Note: The Android Emulator is continually under development to make it more reliable. For status on the issues reported against various command-line options and to report bugs, see the Android Issue Tracker.

Commonly used options

The following table lists command-line startup options that you might use more often:

Table 3. Commonly used command-line options

Command-line option Description Quick Boot -no-snapshot-load Performs a cold boot and saves the emulator state on exit. -no-snapshot-save Performs a quick boot if possible, but does not save the emulator state on exit. -no-snapshot Disables the Quick Boot feature completely and doesn't load or save the emulator state. Device Hardware -camera-back mode
-camera-front mode Sets the emulation mode for a camera facing back or front. This overrides any camera setting in the AVD.

mode can be any of the following values:

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -camera-back webcam0
 -webcam-list Lists the webcams on your development computer that are available for emulation. For example:
emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -webcam-list
        List of web cameras connected to the computer:
        Camera 'webcam0' is connected to device 'webcam0'
        on channel 0 using pixel format 'UYVY'

In the example, the first webcam0 is the name you use on the command line. The second webcam0 is the name used by the OS on the development computer. The second name varies depending on the OS.

As of SDK Tools 25.2.4, the AVD name is required.

Disk images and memory -memory size

Specifies the physical RAM size, from 1536 to 8192 MBs. For example:

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -memory 2048

This value overrides the AVD setting.

-sdcard filepath Specifies the filename and path to an SD card partition image file. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -sdcard C:/sd/sdcard.img

If the file isn't found, the emulator still launches, but without an SD card. The command returns a No SD Card Image warning.

If you don't specify this option, the default is sdcard.img in the data directory unless the AVD specifies something different. For details about emulated SD cards, see AVD data directory. -wipe-data Deletes user data and copies data from the initial data file. This option clears the data for the virtual device and returns it to the same state as when it was first defined. All installed apps and settings are removed. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -wipe-data
 By default, the user data file is userdata-qemu.img and the initial data file is userdata.img. Both of these files reside in the data directory. The -wipe-data option doesn't affect the sdcard.img file. For more information about user data, see the section called Understand the default directories and files. Debug -debug tags Enables or disables the display of debug messages for one or more tags. Separate multiple tags by a space, comma, or column. For example: 

$ emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -debug init,metrics

To disable a tag, place a dash (-) in front of it. For example, the following option displays all debug messages, except the ones related to network sockets and metrics:

-debug all,-socket,-metrics

For a list of tags and descriptions, use the -help-debug-tags option. For example: 

emulator -help-debug-tags

You can define the default debug tags in the ANDROID_VERBOSE environment variable. Define the tags you want to use in a comma-delimited list. Here's an example that shows how to specify the socket and gles tags: 

ANDROID_VERBOSE=socket,gles

It's equivalent to using:

-debug-socket -debug-gles

or

-debug socket,gles

-debug-tag
-debug-no-tag Enables a specific debug message type. Use the no form to disable a debug message type. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -debug-all -debug-no-metrics
 For a list of tags, use the emulator -help-debug-tags command. -logcat logtags Enables the display of Logcat messages for one or more tags and writes them to the terminal window. For example, the following command enables error messages from all components: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -logcat *:e

logtags uses the same format as the adb logcat logtags command. Enter adb logcat -help for more information. It's a list of space- or comma-separated log filters of the format componentName:logLevel. componentName is either a wildcard asterisk (*) or a component name, such as ActivityManager, SystemServer, InputManager, or WindowManager.

logLevel is one of these values:

The following example displays GSM component messages at the informative log level: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -logcat '*:s GSM:i'

If you don't supply the -logcat option on the command line, the emulator looks for the ANDROID_LOG_TAGS environment variable. If ANDROID_LOG_TAGS is defined with a valid logtags value and isn't empty, the emulator uses its value to enable Logcat output to the terminal by default. You can also redirect the same or other log messages to the terminal through adb.

For more information about Logcat and adb, see Logcat command-line tool, View and write logs with Logcat, Log class, and Issue adb commands.

-show-kernel Displays kernel debug messages in the terminal window. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -show-kernel
 One use of this option is to check that the boot process works correctly. -verbose Prints emulator initialization messages to the terminal window. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -verbose
 It displays which files and settings are actually selected when starting a virtual device defined in an AVD. This option is the same as specifying -debug-init. Network -dns-server servers Uses the specified DNS servers. servers is a comma-separated list of up to four DNS server names or IP addresses. For example: 
emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -dns-server 192.0.2.0,
192.0.2.255
 By default, the emulator tries to detect the DNS servers you're using and sets up special aliases in the emulated firewall network to allow the Android system to connect directly to the servers. Use the -dns-server option to specify a different list of DNS servers. -http-proxy proxy Makes all TCP connections through a specified HTTP/HTTPS proxy. If your emulator must access the internet through a proxy server, you can use this option or the http_proxy environment variable to set up the appropriate redirection. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -http-proxy myserver:1981

proxy can be one of the following:

http://server:port
http://username:password@server:port

The http:// prefix can be omitted.

If this option isn't supplied, the emulator looks up the http_proxy environment variable and automatically uses any value matching the proxy format. For more information, see Using the emulator with a proxy.

Note: When running multiple emulators, this flag should be set on the first launch. -netdelay delay

Sets network latency emulation to one of the following delay values in milliseconds:

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -netdelay gsm

The emulator supports network throttling as well as higher connection latencies. You can define it either through the skin configuration or with the ‑netspeed and -netdelay options.

Note: This setting applies to Ethernet and Cellular. -netfast Disables network throttling. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -netfast

This option is the same as specifying -netspeed full -netdelay none. These are the default values for these options.

Note: This setting applies to Ethernet and Cellular. -netspeed speed

Sets the network speed emulation. Specifies the maximum network upload and download speeds with one of the following speed values in kbps:

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -netspeed edge

The emulator supports network throttling as well as higher connection latencies. You can define it either through the skin configuration or with the ‑netspeed and -netdelay options.

Note: This setting applies to Ethernet and Cellular. -netsim-args arguments Passes additional arguments to the network simulator (netsim). arguments is a space-separated list of flags.

For example to enable packet capture and redirect logging to stderr: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -netsim-args="--pcap --logtostderr"
 For more information, see Advanced emulator networking features. -port port Sets the TCP port number that's used for the console and adb. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -port 5556

The default value is 5554 for the first virtual device instance running on the your machine. A virtual device normally occupies a pair of adjacent ports: a console port and an adb port. The console of the first virtual device running on a particular machine uses console port 5554 and adb port 5555. Subsequent instances use port numbers increasing by two. For example, 5556/5557, 5558/5559, and so on. The range is 5554 to 5682, allowing for 64 concurrent virtual devices.

The port assignments are often the same as specifying -ports port,{port + 1}. {port + 1} must be free and is reserved for adb. If any of the console or adb ports are already in use, the emulator won't start.

The ‑port option reports which ports and serial number the virtual device is using and warns if there are any issues with the values you provided. In the emulator UI, you can see the console port number in the window title and view the adb port number by selecting Help > About.

Note that if the port value is not even and is in the range 5554 to 5584, the virtual device will start but not be visible when you use the adb devices command, if the adb server starts after the emulator. For this reason, we recommend using an even console port number. -ports
console-port,adb-port Sets the TCP ports used for the console and adb. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -ports 5556,5559

The valid ports range is 5554 to 5682, allowing for 64 concurrent virtual devices. The -ports option reports which ports and serial number the emulator instance is using and warns if there are any issues with the values you provided.

We recommend using the -port option instead, where possible. The -ports option is available for network configurations that require special settings.

For more information about setting console and adb ports, see the -port option. -tcpdump filepath Captures network packets and stores them in a file. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -tcpdump /path/dumpfile.cap

Use this option to begin capturing all network packets that are sent through the virtual Ethernet LAN of the emulator. Afterward, you can use a tool like Wireshark to analyze the traffic.

Note that this option captures all ethernet packets and isn't limited to TCP connections. System -accel mode Configures emulator VM acceleration. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -accel auto

Accelerated emulation works for x86 and x86_64 system images only. On Linux, it relies on KVM. On Windows and Mac, it relies on an Intel CPU and Intel HAXM driver. This option is ignored if you're not emulating an x86 or x86_64 device.

Valid values for mode are:

For more information, see Configure hardware acceleration for the Android Emulator. -accel-check Checks whether a required hypervisor for emulator VM acceleration is installed (HAXM or KVM). For example: 

emulator -accel-check
 For more information, see Check if a hypervisor is installed. -engine engine

Specifies the emulator engine:

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -engine auto
 Auto-detection should choose the value that provides the best performance when emulating a particular AVD. Use the -engine option for debugging and comparison purposes only. -gpu mode Selects the GPU emulation mode. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -gpu swiftshader_indirect
 For more information, see Configure graphics acceleration. -no-accel Disables emulator VM acceleration when using an x86 or x86_64 system image. It's useful for debugging only and is the same as specifying -accel off. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -no-accel
 For more information, see Configure hardware acceleration for the Android Emulator. -nojni
-no-jni Disables extended Java Native Interface (JNI) checks in the Android Dalvik or ART runtime. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -nojni
 When you start a virtual device, extended JNI checks are enabled by default. For more information, see JNI tips. -selinux {disabled|permissive} Sets the Security-Enhanced Linux (SELinux) security module to either disabled or permissive mode on a Linux operating system. For example: 

me-linux$ emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -selinux permissive
 By default, SELinux is in enforcing mode, meaning the security policy is enforced. permissive mode loads the SELinux policy but doesn't enforce it. This option only logs policy violations. disabled mode disables kernel support for SELinux. -timezone timezone

Sets the time zone for the virtual device to timezone instead of the host time zone. For example:

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -timezone Europe/Paris

By default, the emulator uses the time zone of your development computer. Use this option to specify a different time zone or if the automatic detection isn't working correctly. The timezone value must be in zoneinfo format, which is area/location or area/subarea/location. For example:

The specified time zone must be in the zoneinfo database. -version Displays the emulator version number. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -version

Or 

emulator -version
 UI -no-boot-anim Disables the boot animation during emulator startup for faster booting. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -no-boot-anim
 On slower computers, this option can significantly speed up the boot sequence. -screen mode Sets emulated touch screen mode. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -screen no-touch

mode can be any of the following values:

Advanced options

The command-line startup options in the following table are available but not commonly used by the average app developer.

In the descriptions, the working directory is the current directory in the terminal where you're entering commands. For information about the AVD system directory and data directory and the files stored within them, see the section about default directories and files.

Some of these options are appropriate for external app developers, and some of them are used primarily by platform developers. App developers create Android apps and run them on specific AVDs. Platform developers work on the Android system and run it inside the emulator with no pre-created AVD.

Table 4. Advanced command-line options

Advanced option Brief description
-bootchart timeout

Enables bootcharting with a timeout in seconds. Some Android system images have a modified init system that integrates a bootcharting facility. You can pass a bootcharting timeout period to the system with this option. If your init system doesn't have bootcharting activated, the option does nothing. This option is primarily useful to platform developers, not external app developers.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -bootchart 120
-cache filepath

Specifies a cache partition image file. Provides a filename and an absolute path or a path relative to the data directory to set up a persistent cache file. If the file doesn't exist, the emulator creates it as an empty file.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -cache
   ~/.android/avd/Pixel8_API_34.avd/cache_persistent.img

If you don't use this option, the default is a temporary file named cache.img. For more information, see AVD data directory.
-cache-size size

Sets the cache partition size in MBs.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -cache-size 1000

If you don't specify this option, the default is 66 MB. Normally, most app developers don't need this option, unless they need to download very large files that are larger than the default cache. For more information about the cache file, see AVD data directory.
-data filepath

Sets the user data partition image file. Provides a filename and an absolute path or a path relative to the working directory to set up a persistent user data file. If the file doesn't exist, the emulator creates an image from the default userdata.img file, stores it in the filename you specified, and persists user data to it at shutdown.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -data
   ~/.android/avd/Pixel8_API_34.avd/userdata-test.img

If you don't use this option, the default is a file named userdata-qemu.img. For more information about the user data file, see AVD data directory.
-datadir dir

Specifies a data directory using an absolute path. For more information, see AVD data directory.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -datadir
   ~/.android/avd/Pixel8_API_34.avd/mytest
-force-32bit

Uses the 32-bit emulator on 64-bit platforms. Occasionally, this option is useful for testing or debugging. For example, there was an issue where the emulator would sometimes not run on 64-bit Windows, but 32-bit did run. This option was helpful for performing comparisons to debug the issue. Here's an example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -force-32bit
-help-disk-images

Gets help about about disk images. This option provides information relevant to both app and platform developers. For example: 

emulator -help-disk-images
-help-char-devices

Gets help about character device specifications. A device parameter is required by some emulator options. For example:

emulator -help-char-devices
-help-sdk-images

Gets help about disk images relevant to app developers. This option gets information about where the image files are located for an AVD created with the SDK tools. For example: 

emulator -help-sdk-images
-help-build-images

Gets help about disk images relevant to platform developers. For example: 

emulator -help-build-images
-initdata filepath
-init-data filepath

Specifies the initial version of the data partition. After wiping user data, the emulator copies the contents of the specified file to user data (by default, the userdata-qemu.img file) instead of using the default userdata.img file as the initial version. Specifies the filename and an absolute path or a path relative to the working directory.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -initdata
   ~/Library/Android/sdk/system-images/android-34/
   google_apis/x86_64/userdata-test.img

If you don't specify a path, it places the file in the system directory. For more information, see AVD system directory.
-kernel filepath

Uses a specific emulated kernel. If you don't specify a path, the emulator looks in the system directory.

Use the ‑show‑kernel option to view kernel debug messages.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -kernel
   ~/Library/Android/sdk/system-images/android-34/
   google_apis/x86_64/kernel-test.img -show-kernel

If you don't specify this option, the default is kernel-ranchu. For more information, see AVD system directory.
-noaudio
-no-audio

Disables audio support for this virtual device. Some Linux and Windows computers have faulty audio drivers that cause different symptoms, such as preventing the emulator from starting. In this case, use this option to overcome the issue. Alternatively, you can use the QEMU_AUDIO_DRV environment variable to change the audio backend.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -noaudio
-nocache
-no-cache

Starts the emulator without a cache partition. If you don't use this option, the default is a temporary file named cache.img. This option is for platform developers only. For more information, see AVD data directory.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -nocache
-no-snapshot

Inhibits both the automatic load and save operations, causing the emulator to execute a full boot sequence and to lose its state when closed. It overrides the -snapshot option.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -no-snapshot
-no-snapshot-load

Prevents the emulator from loading the AVD state from snapshot storage. Performs a full boot.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -no-snapshot-load
-no-snapshot-save

Prevents the emulator from saving the AVD state to snapshot storage on exit, meaning that all changes will be lost.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -no-snapshot-save
-no-snapshot-update-time

Doesn't try to correct the AVD clock time immediately on snapshot restore. This option can be useful during testing as it avoids a sudden time jump. Time updates are still sent to the AVD about every 15 seconds.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -no-snapshot-update-time
-no-snapstorage

Starts the emulator without mounting a file to store or load state snapshots, forcing a full boot and disabling state snapshot functionality. This option overrides the -snapstorage and -snapshot options.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -no-snapstorage
-no-window

Disables graphical window display on the emulator. This option is useful when running the emulator on servers that have no display. You can access the emulator through adb or the console. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -no-window
-partition-size size

Specifies the system data partition size in MBs. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -partition-size 1024
-prop name=value

Sets an Android system property in the emulator when it boots. name must be a property name labeled as qemu_prop of at most 32 characters, without any spaces, and value must be a string of at most 92 characters. For an example, see the property_contexts file. You can specify several ‑prop options on one command line. This option can be useful for debugging. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -prop qemu.name=value -prop qemu.abc=xyz
-qemu args Passes arguments to the QEMU emulator software. When using this option, make sure it's the last option specified, as all options after it are interpreted as QEMU-specific options. This option is quite advanced and should be used only by developers who are very familiar with QEMU and Android emulation.
-qemu -h

Displays -qemu help. For example: 

emulator -qemu -h
-ramdisk filepath

Specifies a ramdisk boot image. Specifies the filename and an absolute path or a path relative to the working directory.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -ramdisk
   ~/Library/Android/sdk/system-images/android-34/
   google_apis/x86_64/ramdisk-test.img

If you don't use this option, the default is the ramdisk.img file in the system directory. For more information, see AVD system directory.
-report-console socket

Reports the console port to a remote third party before starting emulation. It can be useful for an automated testing script. socket must use one of these formats:

  • tcp:port[,server][,max=seconds][,ipv6]
  • unix:port[,server][,max=seconds][,ipv6]

For more information, use the -help-report-console option as described in the section about help for specific options.
-shell

Creates a root shell console on the current terminal. This option differs from the adb shell command in the following ways:

  • It creates a root shell that lets you modify many parts of the system.
  • It works even if the adb daemon in the emulated system is broken.
  • Press Control+C (or Command-C, on macOS) to stop the emulator instead of the shell.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -shell
-snapshot name

Specifies the name of a snapshot within a snapshot storage file for automatic start and save operations.

Rather than executing a full boot sequence, the emulator can resume execution from an earlier state snapshot, which is usually significantly faster. When you supply this option, the emulator loads the snapshot of that name from the snapshot image and saves it back under the same name on exit.

If you don't use this option, the default is a full boot sequence. If the specified snapshot doesn't exist, the emulator performs a full boot sequence instead and performs a save operation.

See the -snapstorage option for information on specifying a snapshot storage file and the default file.

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -snapshot snapshot2

Remember that in the process of loading a snapshot, all contents of the system, user data, and SD card images are overwritten with the contents they held when the snapshot was made. Unless you save this information in a different snapshot, any changes since then are lost.

You can also create a snapshot from the emulator console by using the avd snapshot save name command. For more information, see Send Emulator console commands.

-snapshot-list

Displays a list of available snapshots. This command prints a table of snapshots that are stored in the snapshot storage file that the emulator was started with, then exits. If you specify -snapstorage file as well, this command prints a table of the snapshots stored in file.

For example:

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -snapshot-list -snapstorage
   ~/.android/avd/Pixel8_API_34.avd/snapshots-test.img

You can use the ID and TAG column values in the output as arguments for the -snapshot option.
-snapstorage filepath

Specifies a repository file that contains all state snapshots. All snapshots made during execution are saved in this file. Only snapshots in this file can be restored during the emulator run.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -snapstorage
   ~/.android/avd/Pixel8_API_34.avd/snapshots-test.img

If you don't specify this option, the default is snapshots.img in the data directory. If the specified file doesn't exist, the emulator will start, but without support for saving or loading state snapshots.
-sysdir dir

Specifies a system directory using an absolute path. For more information, see AVD system directory. For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -sysdir
   ~/Library/Android/sdk/system-images/android-34/
   google_apis/x86_64/test
-system filepath

Specifies an initial system file. Provides the filename and an absolute path or a path relative to the working directory.

For example: 

emulator @Pixel8_API_34 -system
   ~/Library/Android/sdk/system-images/android-34/
   google_apis/x86_64/system-test.img

If you don't use this option, the default is the system.img file in the system directory. For more information, see AVD system directory.
-writable-system

Use this option to have a writable system image during your emulation session. To do so:

  1. Start a virtual device with the -writable-system option.
  2. Enter the adb remount command from a command terminal to tell the emulator to remount system/ as read/write. By default, it's mounted as read-only.

Using this flag creates a temporary copy of the system image that can be very large, up to several hundred MBs, but will be destroyed when the emulator exits.

Deprecated options

The following command-line options are deprecated:

Get help about command-line options

This section describes how to get help about the command-line options. It provides more in-depth information about the commonly used emulator command-line options that are available when you start the emulator.

List all emulator options

To print a list of all emulator options, including a short description, enter the following command: 

emulator -help

Get detailed help for a specific option

To print help for a specific startup option, enter the following command: 

emulator -help-option

For example: 

emulator -help-netspeed

This help is more detailed than the description provided by the -help option.

Get detailed help for all options

To get detailed help for all emulator options, enter the following command: 

emulator -help-all

List emulator environment variables

To get a list of emulator environment variables, enter the following command: 

emulator -help-environment

You can set environment variables in the terminal window before launching a virtual device, or you can set it through your user settings in the operating system. For example, set it in your .bashrc file on Linux.

List debug tags

To print a list of tags for the -debug options, enter the following command: 

emulator -help-debug-tags

The -debug options let you enable or disable debug messages from specific emulator components, as specified by the tags.