Introduction

Android Studio is the official Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for Android app development. This guide will walk you through the installation and initial setup process for both macOS and Windows operating systems.

System Requirements

macOS

• OS Version: macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or higher
• RAM: 8 GB minimum (16 GB recommended)
• Disk Space: 8 GB minimum
• Screen Resolution: 1280 x 800 minimum

Windows

• OS Version: Windows 10 64-bit or higher
• RAM: 8 GB minimum (16 GB recommended)
• Disk Space: 8 GB minimum
• Screen Resolution: 1280 x 800 minimum

Installation on macOS

Installation on Windows

Initial Configuration

Configure Android SDK

1. From the welcome screen, click More Actions → SDK Manager
2. In the SDK Platforms tab:
   • Select the latest Android API level
   • Select any additional API levels you need
3. In the SDK Tools tab, ensure these are installed:
   • Android SDK Build-Tools
   • Android Emulator
   • Android SDK Platform-Tools
   • Intel x86 Emulator Accelerator (for Windows/Mac Intel processors)
4. Click Apply to install selected packages

Create a Virtual Device (Emulator)

Watch this video tutorial for configuring an AVD:

Step-by-step instructions:

1. From the welcome screen, click More Actions → Virtual Device Manager
2. Click Create Device
3. Select a device definition (e.g., Pixel 6)
4. Click Next
5. Select a system image (download if needed)
6. Click Next
7. Name your AVD and configure settings if needed
8. Click Finish

Test Your Setup

1. From the welcome screen, click New Project
2. Select Empty Activity
3. Click Next
4. Configure your project:
   • Name: Test App
   • Package name: com.example.testapp
   • Language: Java or Kotlin
5. Click Finish
6. Wait for Gradle to build
7. Click the Run button (green play icon)
8. Select your virtual device
9. Wait for the emulator to launch and your app to run

Success!

If you see “Hello World” in the emulator, your Android Studio installation is complete and working correctly!

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

macOS Issues

• “Android Studio.app is damaged and can’t be opened” chevron_right

  This is a Gatekeeper issue. Open Terminal and run:

  $ xattr -cr /Applications/Android\ Studio.app

  Then try launching Android Studio again.

• Emulator won’t start on Mac with Apple Silicon chevron_right

  Make sure you’ve downloaded ARM64 system images (not x86) in the SDK Manager. Apple Silicon Macs require ARM-based emulator images.

Windows Issues

• “Unable to access Android SDK add-on list” chevron_right

  This is usually a network/firewall issue. Check your internet connection and firewall settings. You may need to configure proxy settings in Android Studio under File → Settings → Appearance & Behavior → System Settings → HTTP Proxy.

• Emulator performance is very slow chevron_right

  Enable Intel HAXM (Hardware Accelerated Execution Manager):

  1. Open SDK Manager
  2. Go to SDK Tools tab
  3. Check Intel x86 Emulator Accelerator (HAXM installer)
  4. Click Apply
  5. After download, navigate to SDK\extras\intel\Hardware_Accelerated_Execution_Manager\
  6. Run intelhaxm-android.exe as administrator

• HAXM installation fails or emulator conflicts with Hyper-V chevron_right

  Intel HAXM and Hyper-V cannot run simultaneously on Windows. If you have Hyper-V enabled (required for Docker, WSL2, etc.), you have two options:

  Option 1: Use Android Emulator with Hyper-V

  1. Open SDK Manager
  2. Ensure you have Android Emulator version 27.0.0 or higher
  3. Android Emulator now supports Hyper-V acceleration
  4. No need to disable Hyper-V or install HAXM

  Option 2: Disable Hyper-V to use HAXM

  Open PowerShell or Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

  $ bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off

  Then restart your computer. To re-enable Hyper-V later:

  $ bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype auto

  infoOption 1 is recommended as it allows you to keep Hyper-V enabled for other tools. Modern versions of Android Emulator work well with Hyper-V.

Additional Resources

• Official Android Studio Documentation
• Android Developer Guides
• Android Studio User Guide

Next Steps

Now that you have Android Studio installed and configured, you’re ready to start developing Android applications! Consider exploring:

1. Creating your first Android app
2. Learning about Android Activities and Fragments
3. Understanding the Android lifecycle
4. Exploring the Android UI toolkit
5. Setting up version control with Git

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infoKeep Android Studio updated by checking Help → Check for Updates regularly to get the latest features and bug fixes.