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Create and manage virtual devices
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Save and categorize content based on your preferences.
An Android Virtual Device (AVD) is a configuration that defines the
characteristics of an Android phone, tablet, Wear OS, Android TV, or
Automotive OS device that you want to simulate in the
Android Emulator.
The Device Manager is a tool you can launch from Android Studio that
helps you create and manage AVDs.
To open the new Device Manager, do one of the following:
From the Android Studio Welcome screen, select More Actions > Virtual
Device Manager.
After opening a project, select View > Tool Windows > Device Manager
from the main menu bar, then click the +, and then click Create
Virtual Device.
After creating your devices, you will be able to see a list of all the devices
on the device manager panel.
If you want to use virtual devices to run your automated instrumented
tests in a scalable and self-managed way, consider using Gradle Managed
Devices.
About AVDs
An AVD contains a hardware profile, system image, storage area, skin,
and other properties.
We recommend that you create an AVD for each system image that your app
could potentially support based on the
<uses-sdk> setting in your manifest.
Hardware profile
The hardware profile defines the characteristics of a device as
shipped from the factory. The Device Manager comes pre-loaded with certain
hardware profiles, such as Pixel devices, and you can define or customize the
hardware profiles as needed.
A device definition labeled with the Google Play logo in the
Play Store column includes both the Google Play Store app and
access to Google Play services, including a Google Play tab in the
Extended controls dialog that provides a convenient button for updating
Google Play services on the device.
Devices with this logo and a device type of "Phone" are also
CTS compliant
and might use system images that include the Play Store app.
System images
A system image labeled with Google APIs includes access to
Google Play
services.
The Recommended tab lists recommended system images. The
other tabs include a more complete list. The right pane describes the
selected system image.
If you see a download icon next to a system image, that image isn't
currently installed on your development machine. Click the icon to download
the system image. You must be connected to the internet to download system
images.
The API level of the target device is important, because your app
doesn't run on a system image with an API level that's lower than the one
required by your app, as specified in the
minSdk attribute in the app manifest file. For more
information about the relationship between system API level and
minSdk, see Version your app.
If your app declares a
<uses-library> element in the manifest file, the app
requires a system image that includes that external library.
To run your app on an emulator, create an AVD that includes the required
library. To do so, you might need to use an add-on component for the AVD
platform; for example, the Google APIs add-on contains the Google Maps
library.
To ensure app security and a consistent experience with physical devices,
system images with the Google Play Store included are signed with a release
key, which means that you can't get elevated privileges (root) with these
images.
If you require elevated privileges (root) to aid with app  troubleshooting, you
can use the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) system  images that don't include
Google apps or services. Then you can use the adb root  and adb unroot
commands to switch between normal and elevated  privileges:
% adb shell
emu64a:/ $
emu64a:/ $ exit
% adb root
restarting adbd as root
% adb shell
emu64a:/ #
emu64a:/ # exit
% adb unroot
restarting adbd as non root
% adb shell
emu64a:/ $
emu64a:/ $ exit
%
Note: When running with normal privilege level, the shell prompt ends with a
$  character, but when running with elevated (root) privileges, the shell
prompt  ends with a # character.
Storage area
The AVD has a dedicated storage area on your development machine. It stores
the device user data, such as installed apps and settings, as well as
an emulated SD card. If needed, you can use the Device Manager to wipe user
data so the device has the same data as if it were new.
Skin
An emulator skin specifies the appearance of a device. The Device Manager
provides some predefined skins. You can also define your own or use skins
provided by third parties.
AVD and app features
Make sure your AVD definition includes the device features your app depends
on. See the sections about hardware profile properties
and AVD properties for lists of features you can
define in your AVDs.
Create an AVD
To create a new AVD:
Open the Device Manager.
Click Create Device.
The Select Hardware window appears.
Notice that only some hardware profiles include Play
Store. These profiles are fully CTS compliant and might
use system images that include the Play Store app.
Select a hardware profile,
then click Next.
If you don't see the hardware profile you want, you can
create
or import a hardware profile, as described in
other sections on this page.
The System Image window appears.
Select the system image for a particular API level, and then click
Next.
The Verify Configuration window appears.
Change the AVD properties as needed,
and then click Finish.
Click Show Advanced Settings to show more
settings, such as the skin.
The new AVD appears in the Virtual tab of the Device Manager and
the target device menu.
To create an AVD starting with a copy:
From the
Virtual tab of
the Device Manager, click Menu
and select Duplicate.
The Verify Configuration
window appears.
Click Previous if you
need to make changes on the
System Image or
Select Hardware windows.
Make any changes you need, and then click Finish.
The AVD appears in the Virtual tab of the Device Manager.
Create a hardware profile
The Device Manager provides predefined hardware profiles for common devices
so you can easily add them to your AVD definitions. If
you need to define a different device, you can create a new hardware profile.
You can define a new hardware profile from the beginning
or copy a hardware profile as a starting point. The preloaded
hardware profiles aren't editable.
To create a new hardware profile from the beginning:
In the Select Hardware
window, click New Hardware Profile.
In the Configure Hardware Profile window, change the
hardware profile properties as
needed.
Click Finish.
Your new hardware profile appears in the Select Hardware window.
You can create an AVD
that uses the hardware profile
by clicking Next or click Cancel to return
to the Virtual tab or target device menu.
To create a hardware profile using a copy as a starting point:
In the Select Hardware
window, select a hardware profile and click Clone Device
or right-click a hardware profile and select Clone.
In the Configure Hardware Profile window, change the
hardware profile properties as
needed.
Click Finish.
Your new hardware profile appears in the Select Hardware window.
You can create an AVD
that uses the hardware profile
by clicking Next or click Cancel to return
to the Virtual tab or target device menu.
Edit existing AVDs
You can perform the following operations on an AVD from the Device Manager's
Virtual tab:
To edit an AVD, click Edit this AVD
and
make your changes.
To delete an AVD, click Menu
and select Delete.
To show the associated AVD INI and
IMG files on disk, click Menu
and select Show on Disk.
To view AVD configuration details that you can
include in bug reports to the Android Studio team, click Menu
and select View Details.
Edit existing hardware profiles
You can't edit or delete the preloaded hardware profiles, but
you can perform the following operations on other hardware profiles
from the Select Hardware window:
To edit a hardware profile, select it and click
Edit Device. You can also right-click a hardware
profile and select Edit. Next, make your changes.
To delete a hardware profile, right-click it and select
Delete.
Run and stop an emulator and clear data
From the Virtual tab, you can
perform the following operations on an emulator:
To run an emulator that uses an AVD, click Launch
.
To stop a running emulator, click Menu
and select Stop.
To clear the data for an emulator, click Menu
and select Wipe Data.
Import and export hardware profiles
From the Select Hardware window,
you can import and export hardware profiles as follows:
To import a hardware profile, click
Import Hardware Profiles and select the XML
file on your computer containing the definition.
To export a hardware profile, right-click it and select
Export. Specify the location where you want to store the
XML file containing the definition.
AVD properties
The AVD configuration specifies the interaction between the development
computer and the emulator as well as properties you want to override in the
hardware profile. You can specify the following properties for AVD
configurations in the Verify Configuration window.
The properties labeled (Advanced) are only displayed if you
click Show Advanced Settings.
AVD configuration properties override hardware profile properties, and
emulator properties that you set while the emulator is running override them
both.
Table 1. AVD configuration properties
AVD property
Description
AVD Name
Enter a name for the AVD. The name can contain uppercase or
lowercase letters, numbers, periods, underscores, parentheses,
dashes, and spaces. The name of the file storing the AVD configuration
is derived from the AVD name.
AVD ID (Advanced)
View the AVD ID. The AVD ID is derived from the AVD name. You can use
the ID to refer to the AVD from the command line.
Hardware Profile
Click Change to select a different hardware profile
from the Select Hardware window.
System Image
Click Change to select a different system image from
the System Image window.
An active internet connection is required to download a new image.
Startup orientation
Select an option for the initial emulator orientation:
Portrait: oriented taller than wide
Landscape: oriented wider than tall
An option is enabled only if it’s supported in the hardware profile. When
running the AVD in the emulator, you can change the orientation if both portrait
and landscape are supported in the hardware profile.
Camera (Advanced)
Select an option for any enabled cameras. The Emulated and
VirtualScene settings produce a software-generated image, while the
Webcam setting uses your development computer's webcam to take a picture
Camera options are available only if a camera is supported in the hardware
profile. They are not available for Wear OS, Android TV, or Google TV.
Network: Speed (Advanced)
Select a cellular technology to determine the speed of data transfer:
GSM: Global System for Mobile Communications
HSCSD: High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data
GPRS: Generic Packet Radio Service
EDGE: Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution
UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System
HSDPA: High-Speed Downlink Packet Access
LTE: Long-Term Evolution
Full (default): Transfer data as quickly as your computer allows.
Network: Latency (Advanced)
Select a cellular technology to set how much time it takes for the
protocol to transfer a data packet from one point to another point.
Emulated Performance: Graphics
Select how graphics are rendered in the emulator:
Hardware: use your computer graphics card for faster rendering.
Software: emulate the graphics in software, which is useful if you're
having a problem with rendering in your graphics card.
Automatic: let the emulator decide the best option based on your
graphics card.
Emulated Performance: Boot option (Advanced)
Select how the AVD boots:
Cold boot: the device powers up each time from the
device-off state.
Quick boot: the device loads the device state from a
saved snapshot.
Emulated Performance: Multi-Core CPU (Advanced)
Select the number of processor cores on your computer that you want
to use for the emulator. Using more processor cores speeds up the emulator.
Memory and Storage: RAM (Advanced)
Override the amount of RAM on the device set by the hardware
manufacturer. Increasing the size uses more resources on your
computer but supports faster emulator operation. Enter a RAM size and select the
units, one of B (byte), KB (kilobyte), MB (megabyte), GB (gigabyte), or
TB (terabyte).
Memory and Storage: VM Heap (Advanced)
Override the VM heap size set by the hardware
manufacturer. Enter a heap size and select the
units, one of B (byte), KB (kilobyte), MB (megabyte), GB (gigabyte), or
TB (terabyte).
Memory and Storage: Internal Storage (Advanced)
Override the amount of non-removable memory space available on the
device set by the hardware manufacturer. Enter a size and select the
units, one of B (byte), KB (kilobyte), MB (megabyte), GB (gigabyte), or
TB (terabyte).
Memory and Storage: SD Card (Advanced)
Specify the amount of removable memory space available to store data
on the device.
To use a virtual SD card managed by Android Studio, select
Studio-managed, enter a size, and select the
units, one of B (byte), KB (kilobyte), MB (megabyte), GB (gigabyte), or
TB (terabyte). A minimum of 100 MB is recommended to use the camera.
To manage the space in a file, select External file and
click ... to specify the file and location.
For more information, see
mksdcard and
AVD data
directory.
Device Frame: Enable Device Frame
Select to enable a frame around the emulator window that mimics the
look of a real device.
Custom Skin Definition (Advanced)
Select a skin that controls what the device looks like when displayed in
the emulator. Specifying a screen size that's too big for
the skin can mean that the screen is cut off, so you can't see the
whole screen. See the
Create an emulator
skin section for more information.
Keyboard: Enable Keyboard Input (Advanced)
Select this option to use your hardware keyboard to interact
with the emulator. This option is disabled for Wear OS and Android TV.
Hardware profile properties
You can specify the following properties for hardware profiles in the
Configure Hardware Profile window. AVD configuration properties
override hardware profile properties, and emulator properties that you set
while the emulator is running override them both.
The predefined hardware profiles included with the Device Manager aren't
editable. However, you can copy the profiles and edit the copies.
Some properties are disabled for some device types. For example, the "Round"
property is only available on Wear OS devices.
Table 2. Hardware profile
configuration properties
Hardware profile property
Description
Device Name
Enter a name for the hardware profile.
The name can contain uppercase or lowercase letters, numbers,
periods, underscores, parentheses, and spaces. The name of
the file storing the hardware profile is derived from the hardware profile
name.
Device Type
Select one of the following:
Phone/Tablet
Wear OS
Android TV
Google TV
ChromeOS Device
Android Automotive
Screen: Screen Size
Specify the physical size of the screen in inches, measured on the diagonal.
If the size is larger than your computer screen, it’s reduced in size at
launch.
Screen: Screen Resolution
Enter a width and height in pixels to specify the total number of pixels
on the simulated screen.
Screen: Round
Select this option if the device has a round screen, such as some
Wear OS devices.
Memory: RAM
Enter the RAM size of the device and select the units, one of B (byte),
KB (kilobyte), MB (megabyte), GB (gigabyte), or TB (terabyte).
Input: Has Hardware Buttons (Back/Home/Menu)
Select this option if your device has hardware navigation buttons.
Deselect it if these buttons are implemented in software only. If you
select this option, the buttons don't appear on the screen. In either case,
you can use the emulator side panel to simulate pressing the buttons.
Input: Has Hardware Keyboard
Select this option if your device has a hardware keyboard. Deselect it
if it doesn't. If you select this option, a keyboard doesn't appear on the
screen. In either case, you can use your computer keyboard to send keystrokes to the
emulator.
Input: Navigation Style
Select one of the following:
None: no hardware controls. Navigation is through software.
D-pad: directional pad support.
Trackball
Wheel
These options are for hardware controls on the device itself.
However,
the events sent to the device by an external controller are the same.
Supported device states
Select one or both options:
Portrait: oriented taller than wide
Landscape: oriented wider than tall
You must select at least one option. If you select both options,
you can switch between orientations in the emulator.
Cameras
To enable the camera, select one or both options:
Back-Facing Camera: the lens facing away from the user
Front-Facing Camera: the lens facing the user
If the camera is enabled, you can use your development machine's webcam
or a photo provided by the emulator to simulate taking a photo, based
on the options you select in the AVD configuration.
Sensors: Accelerometer
Select this option if the device has hardware that helps it determine
its orientation.
Sensors: Gyroscope
Select this option if the device has hardware that detects rotation
or twist. In combination with an accelerometer,
a gyroscope can provide smoother orientation detection and support
a six-axis orientation system.
Sensors: GPS
Select this option if the device has hardware that supports the
Global Positioning System (GPS)
satellite-based navigation system.
Sensors: Proximity Sensor
Select this option if the device has hardware that detects when the
device is close to the user's face during a
phone call to disable input from the screen.
Default Skin
Select a skin that controls what the device looks like when displayed
in the emulator. Specifying a screen size that's too big for the
resolution can mean that the screen is cut off, so you can't see the whole
screen. See the section that follows about
creating an emulator
skin for more information.
Create an emulator skin
An Android emulator skin is a collection of files that define the visual
and control elements of
an emulator display. If the skin definitions available in the AVD settings
don't meet your requirements,
you can create your own custom skin definition and then apply it to your AVD.
Each emulator skin contains:
A hardware.ini file
Layout files for supported orientations and
physical configurations
Image files for display elements, such as background, keys, and
buttons
To create and use a custom skin:
Create a directory where you can save your skin configuration
files.
Define the visual appearance of the skin in a text file named
layout. This file defines many characteristics of the skin,
such as the
size and image assets for specific buttons. For example:
parts {
device {
display {
width   320
height  480
x       0
y       0
}
}
portrait {
background {
image background_port.png
}
buttons {
power {
image  button_vertical.png
x 1229
y 616
}
}
}
...
}
Add bitmap files of the device images to the same directory.
Specify additional hardware-specific device configurations in an INI
file for the device settings, such as hw.keyboard and
hw.lcd.density.
Archive the files in the skin folder and select the archive file as a
custom skin.
For more detailed information about creating emulator skins, see the
Android Emulator Skin File Specification in the tools source code.
Content and code samples on this page are subject to the licenses described in the Content License. Java and OpenJDK are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Last updated 2026-07-14 UTC.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2026-07-14 UTC."],[],[]]
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