Download Minimal ADB and Fastboot Tool And How to Install
ADB and Fastboot are some of the important tools that you need in order to bridge communication with your Android phone along with your PC. If you are an...
Sagar Naresh Bhavsar
Last updated on June 2, 2023
Sagar Naresh Bhavsar
Author
My work has been published on Android Authority, Android Police, Android Central, BGR, Gadgets360, GSMArena, and more. A Six Sigma and Google Certified Digital Marketer who likes to play guitar, travel, and sip coffee. Entrepreneur and Blogger.
ADB and Fastboot are some of the important tools that you need in order to bridge communication with your Android phone along with your PC. If you are an advanced user of Android or even a normal user of Android, there are plenty of commands that you need to execute in order to command your phone. You can reboot your phone to another mode or perform the bootloader unlock with the help of ADB and Fastboot tools. In this guide, we will give you the links to download the minimal ADB and Fastboot tool and how to install it on your device.
You need to enable Developer Options and USB Debugging on your Phone in order to run and execute ADB and Fastboot commands. There are plenty of commands that you can execute on your phone with the help of ADB and Fastboot tools in order to perform a set of activities. In fact, the first step is while rooting your phone is to unlock the bootloader and for this, you need to execute certain ADB and Fastboot commands. So, that being said, let us take a look at the guide itself:
What is ADB?
ADB or Android Debug bridge is used to establish a successful connection (bridge) between your device and PC. Once this connection is established, you could carry out plenty of tweaks, both at the system level as well as the application level. For example, you could remove bloatware from your device, pull or push files or install OTA via the Sideload feature. The tech enthusiasts take it a step further and execute some of the more advanced commands.
These include booting their device to stock or custom recovery, booting to fastboot, or Bootloader mode among other such tasks. But to successfully execute any of the ADB commands, you will have to enable the USB Debugging on your device. This will then unlock the ADB path between your device and PC and the exchange of commands could then easily be carried out between these devices. On the PC side, you will have to install the Android SDK Platform Tool and then launch a Command Prompt or PowerShell window to execute the ADB commands.
What is Fastboot?
Fastboot Mode on a Xiaomi Device
Fastboot is a more advanced set of functionality that doesn’t require your device to be booted to the Android OS. Rather they have their own set of Fastboot or Bootloader menu. As a result, you don’t need to enable USB Debugging to execute any Fastboot Commands. Talking about commands, these commands could be used to unlock bootloader on your Android device.
Other usage includes the ability to boot your device to TWRP Recovery, flash/boot various types of ZIPs, and IMGs files like Magisk ZIP or TWRP.img files to name a few. Again your PC would refuse to recognize your device in a fastboot mode if the necessary drivers aren’t installed. In this regard, the Android SDK Platform Tool will again come in handy. After installing, launch the CMD or PowerShell window and execute the desired Fastboot Commands.
What is the difference Between Minimal ADB and SDK Platform?
Minimal ADB and SDK Platform are both development tools used for Android devices, but they serve different purposes and offer different levels of functionality.
Minimal ADB
Minimal ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is a lightweight version of the ADB tool, part of the Android SDK (Software Development Kit). As the name suggests, it includes only the most essential features of ADB, making it an easy-to-install and easy-to-use tool. Minimal ADB is designed for users who need to perform simple tasks such as rooting, installing custom recovery, unlocking bootloaders, or transferring files between an Android device and a computer. Its primary advantage is that it has a smaller file size than the complete SDK Platform, making it faster to download and install.
SDK Platform
On the other hand, the SDK (Software Development Kit) Platform is a comprehensive suite of development tools Android developers use to create, test, and debug Android applications. The SDK Platform includes not only ADB but also a wide range of tools, libraries, and documentation required for Android app development. Some of these tools include the Android Studio (IDE), emulator, Android Virtual Device Manager, and various other utilities.
While the SDK Platform is more powerful and feature-rich, it comes with a larger file size and requires more system resources compared to Minimal ADB. The SDK Platform is intended for developers who need access to the full range of tools and features for building and testing Android applications.
In summary, the main differences between Minimal ADB and SDK Platform are:
Minimal ADB is a lightweight version of ADB with only the essential features, while the SDK Platform is a complete suite of development tools for Android app development.
Minimal ADB is suitable for non-developers or users who need to perform basic tasks on their Android devices, while the SDK Platform is intended for developers who require a comprehensive set of tools for creating and testing Android applications.
Minimal ADB has a smaller file size and requires fewer system resources, making it faster to download and install compared to the SDK Platform.
Why we need Minimal ADB and Fastboot Tool?
Minimal ADB and Fastboot toolset the tone between your Android phone and your PC to execute various commands. It is a part of Google’s Software Development Kit (SDK) which is also known as Android Studio. The main advantage of using Minimal ADB and Fastboot is that the whole Android Studio software weighs in around 800-900 MB in size. But, on the other hand, Minimal ADB is the minimized version of the ADB command which can be used to debug the Android phone and weighs very light in size.
Other features of Minimal ADB and Fastboot are:
Easy to install
Low in size
Supports 32 bit and 64 bit
Minimized ADB and Fastboot tools perform the same tasks as normal ADB.
It is the equivalent of the Android SDK.
Download All Latest Minimal ADB and Fastboot Tool
The latest version of the Minimal ADB and Fastboot tool is V1.4.3 and brings in the below mentioned changes and enhancements:
Version 1.4.3 (2-9-18)
– Updated ADB and Fastboot to version 1.0.3.9
– Automated build tools initial version uploaded to GitHub
Below is the list of all the versions of the Minimal ADB and Fastboot tools available:
Make sure to plug your Android phone into your computer.
You need to enable the Developer Options on your phone and also enable the USB Debugging mode.
– Go to Settings>>About Phone>>tap on the Build Number 7 times till you see a toast message “You are now a developer”.
Under the Developer Options, you need to enable the USB Debugging option as well.
– To do that again head to the Settings>>Developer Options>>enable USB Debugging
Minimal ADB and Fastboot is a streamlined version of the Android SDK Platform-Tools, providing only the necessary ADB and Fastboot executables. This allows users to perform ADB and Fastboot operations without having to download and install the complete Android SDK, which can be large in size.
How do I install Minimal ADB and Fastboot?
To install Minimal ADB and Fastboot, download the latest version from a reliable source, such as the XDA Developers forum. Run the installer, follow the on-screen instructions, and choose an installation location. Once installed, the ADB and Fastboot executables will be available in the chosen directory.
Is Minimal ADB and Fastboot safe to use?
Minimal ADB and Fastboot is generally considered safe to use, as long as you download it from a trusted source, like the XDA Developers forum. However, always exercise caution when performing ADB and Fastboot operations on your device, as improper use can lead to data loss or device damage.
What can I do with Minimal ADB and Fastboot?
Minimal ADB and Fastboot allows you to perform various tasks, such as installing custom recoveries, flashing custom ROMs, rooting your device, unlocking the bootloader, creating backups, and debugging Android applications.
How do I update Minimal ADB and Fastboot?
To update Minimal ADB and Fastboot, download the latest version of the tool and install it over the existing installation. The installer will automatically update the ADB and Fastboot executables to the most recent version.
Can I use Minimal ADB and Fastboot on macOS or Linux?
Minimal ADB and Fastboot is primarily designed for Windows users. However, macOS and Linux users can install the standard Android SDK Platform-Tools, which include ADB and Fastboot, directly from Google’s developer website. These tools work similarly to Minimal ADB and Fastboot and are compatible with macOS and Linux operating systems.
Conclusion
So, there you have it from my side in this post. I hope you guys liked this post and were able to gain some knowledge about ADB and the Fastboot tool to debug your Android smartphone. Moreover, you can go ahead and flash any custom recovery like TWRP to root your device and open the world of customizations for your phone. Let us know in the comments if you successfully unlocked the bootloader using the above method or not. Until the next post…Cheers!
