What is ‘ADB is not recognized as an internal or external command’ error in Windows 10?
If you are experiencing ‘ADB is not recognized as an internal or external command’ error while trying to use ADB Commands in Windows 10 computer, then you are in right place for the solution. Here, you will be guided with easy steps/methods to resolve the issue. Let’s starts the discussion.
‘ADB Command’: ADB stands for Android Debug Bridge. ADB is command line tool designed to help you to communicate with Android device that is connected over USB or with an emulator. ADB command allows you to pull data from device such as application log files, memory usage data, and push and pull applications. It is quite simple to use ADB commands in Windows 10 computer using Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell but you should have Android SDK platform tools installed in your Windows computer.
However, several users reported that they faced ‘ADB is not recognized as an internal or external command’ while trying to use ADB Command in their Windows 10 computer. There could be several reasons behind this issue including outdated or corrupted Android SDK platform tools in your computer or is not installed. This issue can also be occurred if adb.exe file is not present in the location from where you are trying to run ADB command. Let’s take a look at some common ADB command errors.
Some common ADB is not recognized error [on Command Prompt]:
- ‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
- ‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command react-native.
- The command a.exe was not found, but does exist in the current location.
- The command adb was not found, but does exist in the current location.
- ‘adb’ is not recognized as an internal or external command android studio.
Some common ADB is not recognized error [on Windows PowerShell]:
- ADB : The term ‘adb’ is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program.
- ‘adb’ command not found
- ‘fastboot’ command not found
- ‘fastboot’ is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.
These types of ADB command errors can be occurred when you trying to use ADB command in Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell in Windows 10 computer. These ADB command errors prevent you from using ‘ADB’ and ‘Fastboot’ command line tools in your computer. If you think you can easily run ADB and fastboot command in your Windows computer via Command Prompt or Windows PowerSell even when Android SDK platform tools are not installed, then it is not possible at all.
You should make sure you have Android SDK platform tools installed in your computer properly and is up-to-date to latest version. Also, make sure ADB and Fastboot drivers are installed and up-to-date to latest version. Also, you should make sure you are trying to run ADB command from location where adb.exe and fastboot.ext are present. Another possible reason behind this issue can be path of ADB and Fastboots command that you have not set up in your system under ‘User Variables’ or ‘System Variables’.
Also, you should make sure you have saved the files to flash in ‘Platform-tools’ folder along with ‘adb.exe’, ‘fastboot.exe’, etc if you are trying to flash OTA update.zip, factory image, or custom recovery image like TWRP.img. It is possible to resolve the issue with our instructions. Let’s go for the solution.
How to fix ADB is not recognized as an internal or external command error in Windows 10?
Method 1: Fix ‘ADB is not recognized’ error with ‘PC Repair Tool’
If this error is appeared due to some problems in your Windows computer, then you can try to fix the issue with ‘PC Repair Tool’. This software offers you to find and fix BSOD errors, EXE errors, problems with programs/applications, malware or viruses issues, system files or registry issues, and other system issues with just few clicks. You can get this tool through button/link below.
Method 2: Download and install latest Android SDK platform Tools in Windows 10
This issue can be occurred due to outdated or corrupted Android SDK Platforms Tools installed in your computer or it is not installed in your computer. You can download and install latest version of Android SDK Platform Tools in computer in order to fix the issue. Also, you must remove and uninstall any third-party drivers that you have them installed.
Step 1: Open your browser and visit ‘Developer.android.com official page’ or visit ‘https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools’ page, scroll down to ‘Downloads’, and download ‘SDK Platform-Tools for Windows’, and save the setup.zip file in your computer hard drive.
Step 2: Once downloaded, extract the SDK Platform-Tools setup from ZIP file and run the setup to install.
Step 3: Once installed, try running ADB commands in Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell in Windows 10 computer and check if it works for you.
Method 3: Run ADB command through ‘Platform-Tools’ folder in Windows 10
You can also try to execute ADB command from ‘Platform-Tools’ folder location.
Step 1: Open ‘Platform-Tools’ folder or the folder that contains ADB and Fastboot files. Click in the folder address bar, type ‘cmd’ and hit ‘enter’ key
Step 2: Open ‘Platform Tools’ folder, click on ‘File’ tab in File Explorer and select ‘Open Windows PowerShell’
Step 3: Press & hold ‘SHIFT’ keys while you are inside ‘Platform-Tools’ folder, and right-click on empty space in the folder window, select ‘Open PowerShell window here’ option. Once done, try running ADB commands and check if it works for you.
Method 4: Try ‘Platform-Tools’ folder path in CMD
If you are trying to run ADB command from the folder where ADB and Fastboot executable is not located, then it can show the error while trying to run the command. You can use ‘Platform-Tools’ folder path to run the command and check if it works for you.
Step 1: Open ‘Command Prompt’ window, type ‘Cd’ or ‘chdir’ to change directory command and hit ‘Enter’ key to go away from current location
Step 2: Type the following command and hit ‘Enter’ key to execute. This will provide correct path or ‘Platform-Tools’ path to run ADB and Fastboot command.
cd C:\USERNAME\Platform-Tools
Step 3: Here ‘C:\USERNAME\Platform-Tools’ is path of Platform-Tools folder and you can replace it with the path folder of Platform-Tools in your computer
Step 4: Once done, try running ADB commands like ‘adb devices’ command in Command Prompt and check if the error is resolved.
Method 5: Add User Variables or System Variable Path for ADB and Fastboot in Windows 10
Another possible way to resolve the issue is to add User Variable or System Variable path for ADB and Fastboot. If you set User Variables or System Variables path for ADB and Fastboot, then you can easily access ADB and Fastboot universally and you don’t need to enter path of Platform-Tools folder in order to run ADB command. You can add System or User variables for the path form ‘Platform-Tools’ folder, and then you can run ADB command from any system location you want.
Step 1: Right-click on ‘This PC’, ‘My Computer’ or ‘Computer’ icon on Windows desktop, and select ‘Properties’
Step 2: In ‘Properties’ window, click on ‘Advanced System Settings’ link to open ‘System Properties’ window
Step 3: In the opened window, click on ‘Advanced’ tab and click on ‘Environment Variables’
Step 4: In the ‘Environment Variables’ window, click on any item under ‘User Variables’ or ‘System Variables’ section and click on ‘New’
Step 5: In ‘New System Variable’ or ‘New User Variable’ window, type the path of ‘Platform-Tools’ folder in ‘Variable Value’ field, or click on ‘Browse Directory’ to locate the path folder, name the Variable Name to ‘Path’, and then hit ‘OK’ button
Step 6: Click on ‘Ok’ on Environment Variable window, and click on ‘Apply’ and ‘OK’ on ‘System Properties’ window to save the changes. Once done, open ‘Command Prompt’ or ‘Windows PowerShell’ window, and try running ADB command without navigating ‘Platform-Tools’ folder and check if the issue is resolved.
Method 6: Fix adb.exe: no devices/emulators found error in Windows 10
If you see adb.exe: no devices/emulators found error while trying to run ADB command, it means that ADB daemon is not able to detect your device. There could be severe reason behind this error including your Android phone/tablet is not connected to computer, and you have not turned ON USB Debugging option in your Android device. So, you should make sure USB Debugging option is enabled in your Android device and the device is properly connected to computer. After that, please check if you can run ADB commands without any issue.
Conclusion
I am sure this post helped you on How to fix ADB is not recognized as an internal or external command error in Windows 10 with several easy methods/steps. You can read & follow our instructions to do so. That’s all. For any suggestions or queries, please write on comment box below.
