Download and Install Android Studio

Welcome back! In lesson 01 you got the map. Today you build your workshop. You will check that your computer can run Android Studio, download it from the official site, install it on Windows, macOS or Linux, run the Setup Wizard, meet the SDK Manager, and take a guided tour of the window you will stare at for the rest of this course.

Installing big software can feel scary, mostly because the download is large and the windows are unfamiliar. We will go slowly, explain every choice, and show you what to do when something goes wrong.

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Check whether your computer meets the system requirements (and where to read the current official numbers).
• Download Android Studio safely and verify the file if you wish.
• Install it on Windows, macOS or Linux.
• Complete the Setup Wizard and know what it downloaded.
• Open the SDK Manager, and explain SDK Platforms, SDK Tools and the SDK location.
• Name the main parts of the IDE: tool windows, editor, toolbar, status bar and settings.
• Use the most useful keyboard shortcuts, and use Search Everywhere to find any menu item.
• Reduce Android Studio's memory use on a modest computer.

How this fits the bigger picture: This lesson matches the Download and install Android Studio item in Unit 1 of Google's official Android Basics with Compose course. We add the SDK Manager and an IDE tour, which the official course introduces through the Introduction to Android Studio video. Links are at the end.

1. What is an SDK?

An SDK (Software Development Kit) is a bundle of tools, libraries and documentation for building software on a platform. The Android SDK contains the Android framework libraries for each Android version (called SDK Platforms), plus tools such as adb, the emulator and the build tools.

2. What is Gradle? (a one-minute preview)

Gradle is the build system that turns your code into an app. Android Studio downloads it for you the first time you open a project. You will study it in lesson 03. For today, just know that your first project may spend several minutes downloading things; that is normal.

3. What is a JDK?

Android Studio is written in Java and Kotlin, so it needs a JDK (Java Development Kit) to run. Good news: Android Studio ships with its own JDK (JetBrains Runtime) so you normally do not install Java yourself. We will see where it lives in lesson 03.

4. Administrator rights

On Windows you may need administrator permission to install. On a school or work computer, ask the owner first. On Linux, you extract files into a folder you choose, and need sudo only for optional system libraries.

Installing Android Studio is really installing three layers that work together:

+--------------------------------------------------+
| 1. Android Studio (the IDE)                      |
|    editor, Layout tools, Logcat, debugger        |
+--------------------------------------------------+
| 2. Android SDK (in its own folder)               |
|    Platforms, Build-Tools, Platform-Tools (adb),  |
|    Emulator, system images                       |
+--------------------------------------------------+
| 3. Gradle + libraries (downloaded per project)   |
|    stored in a cache in your user folder         |
+--------------------------------------------------+

Because these are separate, you can update one without reinstalling the others. Android Studio updates itself, the SDK Manager updates the SDK, and Gradle fetches what each project requests.

Release channels

Google ships Android Studio in channels. As of this writing the official download page lists the current release by a name and a version number, and the names change with each release, so we do not repeat them here.

System requirements: how to read them

Google publishes system requirements for each release on the Android Studio install page. The exact numbers change, so read that page for the current figures and do not rely on a blog or on this lesson for the last digit. In general the page covers:

Honest note on cost: Android Studio, Gradle, and an emulator running at the same time can use most of 8 GB. If your computer is struggling, lesson 04 and the "Performance on a modest laptop" section below will help.

Step 1: Download from the official site

1. Open https://developer.android.com/studio in your browser.
2. Click the download button. Read and accept the Android SDK License Agreement when asked.
3. The page offers a package for each platform. Typical choices are:

The file is more than a gigabyte, so be patient. If your connection drops, most browsers let you resume the download; otherwise start again.

Not sure which Mac you have? Click the Apple menu, choose About This Mac. If it says "Chip: Apple M-something" choose ARM. If it says "Processor: Intel" choose Intel.

Step 2 (optional but wise): Verify the download

The download page shows a SHA-256 checksum for each file. A checksum is a fingerprint: if even one byte of the file changes, the fingerprint changes. Compare yours with the page.

# macOS or Linux: print the SHA-256 of the downloaded file
shasum -a 256 ~/Downloads/android-studio-*.dmg # macOS
sha256sum ~/Downloads/android-studio-*.tar.gz # Linux

# Windows PowerShell
Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 "$HOME\Downloads\android-studio-*.exe"

If the long string of letters and digits matches the page, the file is exactly what Google published. If not, download again.

Step 3: Install on your operating system

Windows

1. Double-click the .exe file. If Windows asks whether to allow changes, choose Yes.
2. In the setup wizard, keep the default components (Android Studio, and the Android Virtual Device option if offered).
3. Accept the default install folder unless your C drive is nearly full. A path without spaces and special characters is safest.
4. Finish, and tick Start Android Studio.

If you downloaded the .zip instead, extract it to a folder such as C:\Android\android-studio, and run bin\studio64.exe.

macOS

1. Open the .dmg.
2. Drag the Android Studio icon onto the Applications folder shortcut.
3. Open it from Applications. If macOS warns that it was downloaded from the internet, choose Open.

Linux

Android Studio on Linux is installed by extracting an archive. Some 64-bit distributions need a few extra system libraries, and the official install page lists exactly which, so check it for your distribution.

# Extract to /opt (needs sudo) or to any folder you own
sudo tar -xzf ~/Downloads/android-studio-*.tar.gz -C /opt

# Start it
/opt/android-studio/bin/studio.sh

Once it is open, you can use Tools > Create Desktop Entry (the exact wording may vary) to add a launcher to your applications menu.

Also on Linux, if you plan to use the emulator, you need KVM virtualisation support. Lesson 04 covers it in detail.

ChromeOS

The official page provides a .deb package for Chromebooks that support Linux apps. Install it from the Linux files area of your Chromebook. Emulator support depends on the hardware, so a real phone (lesson 05) may be your best route.

Step 4: The Setup Wizard

The first time Android Studio starts, a wizard appears. Screens differ a little between versions, but the choices are the same:

After you click Finish, Android Studio downloads the SDK components. This is the largest download; leave it running. When it finishes you reach the Welcome screen with options such as New Project, Open and More Actions.

What if the wizard fails? Check your internet connection and free disk space. Then close and reopen Android Studio; the wizard can resume. If a proxy or firewall blocks it, look under Settings (search "HTTP Proxy") for proxy options. Many failures in schools are simply blocked downloads.

Step 5: Update Android Studio

Android Studio checks for updates itself and shows a notification in the bottom corner or on the Welcome screen. On Windows and Linux look under Help > Check for Updates; on macOS under Android Studio > Check for Updates (menu labels move between versions, so use Search Everywhere if you cannot find them). Updates are large too, so do them on a good connection.

The SDK Manager is where you install and update the Android SDK. Open it from the Welcome screen (More Actions > SDK Manager) or from an open project with Tools > SDK Manager. You can also use Search Everywhere (press Shift twice) and type "SDK Manager".

It has a few tabs. The names can differ slightly, but the idea is constant.

Android SDK Location

At the top you will see the SDK path. Typical defaults are:

Note this path; tools like adb live inside it, and some terminals need it later.

SDK Platforms tab

Each row is an Android version (an API level), such as "Android 15 (API 35)". Ticking a row downloads that version's framework libraries. You need the platform your project compiles against (compileSdk) plus the one for any emulator you create. You do not need every version. Each can be a few hundred megabytes with system images, so install what you need.

SDK Tools tab

This tab lists the tools. The important ones:

Tick a tool and press Apply (then OK) to install or update. Untick and apply to uninstall. Then look at the Show Package Details box at the bottom of the SDK Platforms tab; it reveals the individual packages, such as system images.

You can do the same from a terminal if the command-line tools are installed:

# List installed and available packages (use the path to your SDK)
sdkmanager --list

# Install the latest platform-tools
sdkmanager "platform-tools"

On some setups you need --sdk_root=PATH_TO_SDK. Keep this for later; the graphical SDK Manager is all you need today.

How much space does it use?

Android Studio itself ........ about 1.5 to 3 GB
Android SDK basics ........... a few GB
Each emulator system image ... roughly 1 to 2 GB or more
Gradle cache (~/.gradle) ..... grows with every project, several GB

These are rough orders of magnitude; your numbers will differ. Delete system images you no longer use in the SDK Manager if your disk fills.

When you open a project you see something like this:

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| File Edit View Navigate Code Refactor Build Run Tools Git Window Help |  Menu bar
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| project name  | branch |   [device menu v] [> Run] [bug Debug] ...    |  Toolbar
+-----+----------------------------------------------+------------------+
| ... | Tabs of open files                            |                  |
| P   +----------------------------------------------+  Right-side      |
| r   |                                              |  tool windows    |
| o   |   EDITOR                                     |  (Device Manager,|
| j   |   (where you type code)                      |  Gradle, ...)    |
| e   |                                              |                  |
| c   |                                              |                  |
| t   |                                              |                  |
+-----+----------------------------------------------+------------------+
| Logcat | Build | Run | Terminal | Problems | ...      (bottom tools)   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Status bar: cursor line:column, encoding, memory, background tasks    |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

The main parts

Settings

Open Settings with Ctrl + Alt + S on Windows and Linux, and Cmd + , on macOS. On macOS the menu is under Android Studio > Settings (older versions say Preferences). Useful places:

• Appearance & Behavior > Appearance: theme and font size of menus.
• Editor > Font: code font and size. A larger font saves your eyes.
• Editor > Color Scheme: syntax colours.
• Editor > General > Auto Import: add imports automatically as you type.
• Build, Execution, Deployment > Gradle: the Gradle JDK and offline mode.

Section names move from release to release. If you cannot find a setting, use the search box at the top of the Settings window.

Shortcuts worth learning today

These are the default keymap in many versions; if one does not work, look it up with Find Action or in Settings > Keymap. The single most useful habit: when you forget where a command lives, press Shift twice and type its name.

Android Studio and AI help

Recent versions include Gemini in Android Studio, an assistant that can explain code and suggest fixes. Its availability depends on your account and version. It can be helpful, but treat suggestions as hints to be understood, not copied blindly. You are here to learn.

If you have 8 GB of RAM, a few settings make life far smoother.

1. Close other heavy programs (browsers with many tabs, games) while Studio is open.
2. Memory settings: Use Help > Change Memory Settings (name may vary) to see the IDE heap size. Do not give the IDE more than your computer can spare. The default is usually a sensible choice.
3. Gradle memory: The file gradle.properties in a project controls Gradle's memory. A line such as the one below is common, and you can lower it on a small machine (the number is in the project's template):

org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx2048m -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8

4. Power Save Mode: The File menu has a Power Save Mode item that turns off background code analysis. It saves memory and battery but disables helpful hints, so use it only when needed.
5. Use a real phone instead of an emulator (lesson 05).
6. Keep the SDK on an SSD, and make sure there is free space.

Troubleshooting installation

Mistake #1: Downloading from an unofficial site. The problem: "free download" sites may bundle malware or ancient versions. The fix: only use developer.android.com/studio.

Mistake #2: Choosing the wrong Mac package. The problem: the Intel build on Apple silicon (or the reverse) can run slowly or not at all. The fix: check About This Mac first.

Mistake #3: Installing into a folder with spaces or special characters. The problem: some tools in the chain behave badly with unusual paths. The fix: use simple paths such as C:\Android for the zip install, and avoid non-English characters in your user folder name where possible.

Mistake #4: Cancelling the wizard's downloads halfway. The problem: later projects fail with "SDK not found" or missing platform messages. The fix: reopen Studio, and finish the setup or use the SDK Manager to install the missing parts.

Mistake #5: Installing every SDK Platform. The problem: it fills your disk with gigabytes you will never use. The fix: install the latest stable platform plus any older one you intentionally test on.

Mistake #6: Running the emulator without virtualisation turned on. The problem: the emulator refuses to start or is painfully slow. The fix: enable VT-x or SVM in your BIOS (lesson 04).

Mistake #7: Using Canary builds to learn. The problem: they can crash or break your project. The fix: stay on Stable.

Mistake #8: Ignoring the Gradle sync message. The problem: the first project seems stuck. The fix: look at the status bar or the Build window. Large downloads on a slow line can take a long time, and the progress is shown there.

Question 1. Why does Android Studio not need you to install Java separately?

Question 2. What is the difference between the SDK Platforms tab and the SDK Tools tab?

Question 3. What does a SHA-256 checksum let you check?

Question 4. Which shortcut helps you find any menu command, file or setting?

Question 5. Which release channel should you use for this course, and why?

Go deeper: official resources

• Download Android Studio: downloads, checksums and licence.
• Install Android Studio: current system requirements and per-OS steps.
• Introduction to Android Studio: official overview of the IDE.
• Android Basics with Compose, Unit 1: the official pathway for this lesson.