Android SDK Download: Install With or Without Android Studio

The Android SDK (software development kit) is a free set of tools from Google: platform libraries for each Android version, build tools, adb, and the emulator. There is no single "Android SDK installer" any more. You download it one of two ways: install Android Studio, whose setup wizard downloads the SDK for you, or download the command line tools only zip and use sdkmanager to fetch the packages you need. This guide covers both, on Windows, macOS and Linux, as of October 2026.

Which download do you need?

You want to...	Download	Size (as of Oct 2026)
Build Android apps with an IDE, layout preview and emulator UI	Android Studio (includes the SDK Manager)	Several GB after first-run downloads
Build on a CI server, in Docker, or with another editor (VS Code, Flutter, React Native)	Command line tools only	about 156 MB zip on Windows/macOS, 182 MB on Linux, plus packages
Only run adb or fastboot against a phone	SDK Platform-Tools	small standalone zip

The current Android Studio release is Android Studio Rabbit 1 (2026.2.1), and the command-line tools build is 15859902, per the Android Studio download page. The latest stable Android release is Android 17 (API level 37), which Google announced in June 2026.

What is inside the Android SDK

The SDK is a folder of separately versioned packages. The ones you will touch:

• Platform-Tools (platform-tools): adb, fastboot. Updated often, always use the latest.
• SDK Platform (platforms;android-37): the android.jar you compile against. Install the one that matches your compileSdk.
• Build-Tools (build-tools;<version>): aapt2, d8, apksigner, used by the Android Gradle plugin.
• Command-line Tools (cmdline-tools;latest): sdkmanager, avdmanager, apkanalyzer.
• Emulator and system images (system-images;android-37;google_apis;x86_64 or arm64-v8a): to run virtual devices.
• Optional: NDK and CMake for C/C++ code.

Option 1: Install the SDK with Android Studio (recommended)

1. Check the system requirements: 64-bit Windows 10 or later, macOS 12 or later, or 64-bit Linux with glibc 2.31+. Google lists 8 GB RAM as the minimum for Studio alone and 16 GB for Studio plus the emulator. ARM-based Windows and Linux machines are not supported yet; Apple Silicon Macs are.
2. Download Android Studio from developer.android.com/studio and accept the SDK license.
3. Install it:
   • Windows: run the .exe installer.
   • macOS: open the .dmg and drag Android Studio into Applications.
   • Linux: unpack the .tar.gz (for example into /opt/) and run android-studio/bin/studio.
4. Launch it and follow the Setup Wizard. Choose the Standard install. It downloads the latest SDK Platform, Platform-Tools, Build-Tools, the emulator and a system image.
5. Note the Android SDK Location the wizard shows. The defaults are:
   • Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Android\Sdk
   • macOS: ~/Library/Android/sdk
   • Linux: ~/Android/Sdk

You do not need a separate Java install. Android Studio ships with the JetBrains Runtime (JBR), and new projects use it for Gradle by default, according to the Java versions guide.

Using the SDK Manager in Android Studio

To add or update SDK packages later, open Tools > SDK Manager (or the SDK Manager icon in the toolbar, or Settings > Languages & Frameworks > Android SDK).

• SDK Platforms tab: tick the Android versions you compile against, for example Android 17 (API 37).
• SDK Tools tab: Build-Tools, Platform-Tools, Emulator, NDK, CMake. Tick Show Package Details to pick exact versions.
• Click Apply to download.

Option 2: Download the Android SDK without Android Studio

Use this for CI, containers, or when you use another editor. You need JDK 17 or newer on your PATH, because the Android Gradle plugin requires Java 17 (JDK guide).

1. On the Android Studio download page, scroll to Command line tools only and download the zip for your OS (commandlinetools-win-..., commandlinetools-mac_arm64-..., commandlinetools-mac_x86_64-... or commandlinetools-linux-..._latest.zip). Check the SHA-256 shown next to it.
2. Create the folder layout that sdkmanager expects. This step trips up most people: the tools must live in cmdline-tools/latest/, per the sdkmanager docs.

# Linux / macOS
mkdir -p ~/android-sdk/cmdline-tools
unzip commandlinetools-linux-*_latest.zip -d ~/android-sdk/cmdline-tools
mv ~/android-sdk/cmdline-tools/cmdline-tools ~/android-sdk/cmdline-tools/latest

The result should be ~/android-sdk/cmdline-tools/latest/bin/sdkmanager.

3. Set environment variables. ANDROID_HOME is the one to use; ANDROID_SDK_ROOT is deprecated (environment variables).

# ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
export ANDROID_HOME="$HOME/android-sdk"
export PATH="$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools/latest/bin:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools:$ANDROID_HOME/emulator"

On Windows (PowerShell), set them for your user:

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("ANDROID_HOME", "C:\Android\sdk", "User")
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", $env:Path + ";C:\Android\sdk\cmdline-tools\latest\bin;C:\Android\sdk\platform-tools", "User")

Open a new terminal after this.

4. Install packages and accept the licenses:

sdkmanager --list                     # see available versions
sdkmanager "platform-tools" "platforms;android-37" "build-tools;<version-from-list>"
sdkmanager --licenses                 # required on CI before the first Gradle build

5. Verify:

sdkmanager --list_installed
adb version

To update everything later, run sdkmanager --update.

A note on the new Android CLI

As of October 2026 the sdkmanager page marks sdkmanager as deprecated in favor of the new Android CLI, which manages packages with android sdk install, android sdk list, android sdk update and android sdk remove. It accepts slash-style package paths (platforms/android-37) and the old semicolon style. sdkmanager still ships in the command-line tools and works, so existing scripts keep running. For new scripts, the Android CLI is the direction Google is taking.

Set up the Android Emulator

In Android Studio: Tools > Device Manager, click + (Create Virtual Device), pick a phone profile and a system image, then press play.

From the command line:

# Use arm64-v8a on Apple Silicon, x86_64 on Intel/AMD
sdkmanager "emulator" "system-images;android-37;google_apis;x86_64"
avdmanager create avd -n pixel_api37 -k "system-images;android-37;google_apis;x86_64"
emulator -avd pixel_api37

The emulator needs hardware virtualization (Intel VT-x or AMD-V enabled in BIOS on PCs). Google notes each virtual device can take up to 6 GB of disk.

Check that the SDK works

Create a new project in Android Studio (File > New > New Project > Empty Activity) and run it on the emulator. If you went the command-line route, check that your module's Gradle file compiles against an installed platform:

android {
    compileSdk = 37
    defaultConfig {
        minSdk = 24
        targetSdk = 37
    }
}

Then build with ./gradlew assembleDebug. If Gradle cannot find the SDK, add sdk.dir=/path/to/android-sdk to local.properties in the project root, or set ANDROID_HOME.

Common problems

• "Could not determine SDK root" or sdkmanager will not start: the tools are not in cmdline-tools/latest/. Fix the folder layout from step 2.
• "Android Gradle plugin requires Java 17": your JAVA_HOME points to an old JDK. Install JDK 17+ or point JAVA_HOME at Android Studio's bundled JBR.
• Licenses not accepted on CI: run yes | sdkmanager --licenses once in the build image.
• Targeting API 37 changes behavior: apps that target Android 17 can no longer opt out of large-screen resizability rules, and local network access is blocked by default. Read the Android 17 behavior changes before bumping targetSdk.

If you are still choosing an editor, see our comparison of Android IDEs and the wider IDE category. Building for iOS too? Start with the beginner's guide to mobile app development or cross-platform frameworks compared.

FAQ

Is the Android SDK free?

Yes. Android Studio, the command-line tools and all SDK packages are free to download under the Android Software Development Kit License Agreement. Publishing on Google Play costs a one-time US$25 developer registration fee.

Can I download the Android SDK without Android Studio?

Yes. Download "Command line tools only" from the Android Studio page, put it in cmdline-tools/latest/, and install packages with sdkmanager (or the newer android sdk install). This is the standard setup for CI servers, Docker images, Flutter and React Native work in VS Code.

Where is the Android SDK installed?

By default Android Studio puts it in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Android\Sdk on Windows, ~/Library/Android/sdk on macOS and ~/Android/Sdk on Linux. In Android Studio, Tools > SDK Manager shows the exact path at the top.

What is the latest Android SDK version?

As of October 2026 the latest stable platform is Android 17, API level 37. Google has said a minor SDK release with extra APIs follows in Q4 2026. Install the platform that matches the compileSdk in your project.

What is the difference between the Android SDK and Android Studio?

The SDK is the toolkit (libraries, compilers, adb, emulator). Android Studio is the IDE built on IntelliJ that downloads, manages and uses the SDK for you. You can use the SDK without Android Studio, but not the other way around.