Collect ADB logs on an Android device

Android Debug Bridge (ADB) logs can be used by administrators to debug, monitor, and analyze the behavior of Android apps, devices, and system processes. ADB logs can be collected from Android devices using Android's SDK Platform-Tools and a computer.

Before you begin: The following items are required to collect ADB logs on an Android device:

Computer for using Android's SDK Platform-Tools
USB cable for connecting the Android device to the computer

Prerequisites

In order to enable debugging on an Android device that is enrolled to LogMeIn Resolve MDM as Fully managed, a Restrictions configuration profile with the Debugging option set to Allowed must be deployed to the device.

Note: Debugging is allowed by default on devices enrolled to LogMeIn Resolve MDM with a Work profile or as Fully managed with work profile.

In LogMeIn Resolve MDM, navigate to Management > Configuration profiles and select Add.
Select Android, then select Next.
Select Restrictions, then select Next.
On the Common restrictions tab, set the Debugging option to Allowed using the drop-down menu, then select Next.
Enter a name and description for your configuration profile, then select Create.
Select Close to exit the wizard.
Deploy the configuration profile to the selected Android device.

Create the log file

Download SDK Platform-Tools to your computer.
Extract the downloaded file to a preferred folder on your computer.
Open the command-line interface (e.g. Terminal on Mac, Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell on Windows, or your preferred terminal on Linux).
On your Android device, enable the Developer options.

Note: Different device manufacturers might use different methods for enabling Developer options. If you are unsure how to locate this setting, refer to Android's documentation or other resources specific to your device.

Result: The Developer options setting appears in the Settings app.
Connect the Android device to your computer with a USB cable.

Important: Connect the device directly to the computer without intermediary devices, such as USB hubs, adapters, or docking stations, to prevent disruptions in the connection that could result in the failure of the process.
On the Android device, enable USB debugging by opening the Settings app and navigating to Developer options > USB debugging. Toggle the option, then select OK to confirm the setting.
On your computer, run the following command in the command-line interface:
Adb logcat -v threadtime >logcat.txt
To stop the log from running, press Ctrl + C or Control (⌃) + C, depending on your operating system.

Note: Logcat is a real-time logging tool, which means that the log collection runs indefinitely unless manually stopped.

Results: A text file named logcat.txt appears in the folder where SDK Platform-Tools was installed.

Article last updated: 7 March, 2025