Some time ago we did an article on what ADB is and how to install it. If you’re even a little adventurous with your Android device, you probably know what ADB is and why it’s so important. Overclocking? Show? Custom ROM? Rooting? This is only possible when ADB is installed on your desktop. Now installing it is pretty straightforward and you just need to read the guide to confirm it yourself, but installing it is really the easiest part. As you begin the journey to root your Android device, learn the terminology, and download the very large files needed to customize your device, you’ll also encounter many strange errors that apparently happen for no reason or no reason. Some of these mistakes prevent you from moving forward with what you did and end up looking for a solution. One of these problems is when adb devices The command executed at the command prompt does not display your device before. Here is a hotfix to fix it.
Run the following checklist;
- Make sure developer settings are enabled on your device, such as USB debugging
- Make sure the data cable is working and connected properly
- Make sure the Android SDK is installed on your desktop
- Make sure the SDK is up to date
You can also ask why this checklist is needed to get started if your device has worked perfectly well in the past and has simply decided to shut down. The answer is, you can’t predict or know all the results of editing a device. Maybe the update disabled the setting, or maybe at some point you reverted to an older operating system image that didn’t have the SDK installed.
If you go to this list and everything is checked, but the device is still not in the list when you enter adb devices command, open Device Manager. Your device should appear in the Android list. If not, it indicates one of two problems; either the SDK is not installed correctly or the device driver is not installed. Windows normally finds and installs the driver when you connect the device to the device, but you can also install it manually if you want. If you had this problem, installing the driver and / or installing the SDK should have fixed it. Run the command again to see if your device is visible.
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It is possible that in spite of all control adb devices the command does not return the device. Open Device Manager, expand Android Device, select Android Composite ADB Interface, and press Delete. Make sure your device is not connected to the system.
After removing it, reconnect the device and wait for Windows to reinstall the corresponding driver. When done, run the command again and it should list your device.