List Android files using ADB

TODO: collapasable, copyable, download, etc

Using adb, how can I list folders and files ?To list folders and files on an Android device using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), you can use the adb shell command followed by a command that lists directories and files, such as ls. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Connect your Android device to your computer. Make sure USB debugging is enabled on your device.

2. Open a command prompt or terminal on your computer.

3. Check if your device is properly connected: Type adb devices and press Enter. This command lists the devices connected to your computer. If your device is listed, you're ready to proceed.

4. Access the device's shell: Type adb shell and press Enter. This command gives you a shell on your device.

5. List files and folders: Once in the shell, you can use the ls command to list files and folders. For example, type ls /sdcard/ to list the contents of the sdcard directory. You can replace /sdcard/ with any other directory path to list its contents.

6. Exit the shell: When you're done, you can type exit to leave the shell.

Here's an example of the whole process in the command line:

adb devices
adb shell
ls /sdcard/
exit

Remember, the file paths and structure can vary between different Android devices and versions, so you may need to explore a bit to find the specific file or folder you're looking for.How would I copy all the files in /storage/self/primary/Movies/ScreenRecording.*.mp4?To copy all files matching the pattern /storage/self/primary/Movies/ScreenRecording.*.mp4 from an Android device to your computer using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), you'll want to use a combination of the adb shell and adb pull commands. Here's how you can do it:

1. Connect your Android device to your computer with USB debugging enabled.

2. Open a command prompt or terminal on your computer.

3. Use ADB to list the files you want to copy. This step is to ensure that the files you're looking to copy exist and to get their exact paths. You can do this with the following command:

   adb shell ls /storage/self/primary/Movies/ScreenRecording*.mp4
   

   This command will list all files in the Movies directory that match the pattern ScreenRecording*.mp4.

4. Copy the files using adb pull. Unfortunately, ADB does not support wildcards directly in the adb pull command, so you will need to copy each file individually. Based on the output of the previous command, use adb pull for each file. For example:

   adb pull /storage/self/primary/Movies/ScreenRecording1.mp4 C:/path/to/destination/
   adb pull /storage/self/primary/Movies/ScreenRecording2.mp4 C:/path/to/destination/
   

   Replace C:/path/to/destination/ with the path to the folder on your computer where you want to copy the files.

5. Repeat the adb pull command for each file you want to copy.

If there are many files and you want to automate this process, you might consider writing a script that captures the output of the ls command and then iterates over each line (each file) to execute adb pull for that file. However, scripting would depend on the operating system you are using (Windows, macOS, Linux) and might require some basic scripting knowledge.On mac, could you re-write that sample with xargs or another technique?Certainly! On a Mac, you can use a combination of adb, xargs, and shell scripting to automate copying multiple files from your Android device. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Connect your Android device to your Mac. Ensure USB debugging is enabled on your device.

2. Open Terminal on your Mac.

3. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the files.

4. Use the following command to copy all matching files from your Android device to your Mac:

   adb shell ls /storage/self/primary/Movies/ScreenRecording*.mp4 | tr -d '\r' | xargs -n1 -I{} adb pull {} .
   

   This command works as follows:

   • adb shell ls /storage/self/primary/Movies/ScreenRecording*.mp4: Lists all files matching the pattern.
   • tr -d '\r': Removes carriage return characters that might be included in the file paths (a common issue when interfacing between Unix and Windows systems).
   • xargs -n1 -I{}: For each line of input (each file path), xargs will execute adb pull once.
   • adb pull {} .: This is the command xargs executes. {} is replaced by each file path, and . specifies the current directory on your Mac as the destination.

5. Execute the command. It will loop over each file found by the ls command and use adb pull to copy it to the current directory on your Mac.

Remember, the command above assumes you're in the directory where you want the files to be saved. If you want to save them to a specific directory, replace the . at the end of the command with the full path to that directory.

List Android files using ADB created at Tue Jan 20 1970 17:52:32 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)