ADBDebuggingSafe

adb shell am start -n <package>/<activity>

Launch an activity component

What It Does

Uses Activity Manager to launch an explicit Android activity by its full package and component name.

Command Syntax

Terminal

$adb shell am start -n <package>/<activity_component>

Parameters & Placeholders Breakdown

This command syntax includes specific placeholder tokens. Below is an explanation of what each word represents and concrete real-world values to replace it with:

<package>Application Package ID

The unique reverse-domain bundle identifier of the Android application defined in its AndroidManifest.xml.

Real-world value:com.whatsapp or com.android.chrome

Command syntax: adb uninstall com.whatsapp (or: adb shell pm clear com.android.chrome)

To list all installed packages on your phone, execute "adb shell pm list packages".

<activity_component>Android Activity Component

The specific Activity class name inside the application to launch via ActivityManager (am).

Real-world value:.MainActivity or com.android.settings/.Settings

Command syntax: adb shell am start -n com.android.settings/.Settings

Prefix with package name: <package>/<activity>.

<activity>Android Activity Component

The specific Activity class name inside the application to launch via ActivityManager (am).

Real-world value:.MainActivity or com.android.settings/.Settings

Command syntax: adb shell am start -n com.android.settings/.Settings

Prefix with package name: <package>/<activity>.

Usage Examples

$adb shell am start -n com.example.myapp/.MainActivity

$adb shell am start -n com.google.android.youtube/com.google.android.apps.youtube.app.WatchWhileActivity

Options & Flags

Flag / Parameter	Description
-W	Wait for launch to complete and report performance timing.
-S	Force stop the target app before starting activity.

Prerequisites & Requirements

App package installed

Related Commands

adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d <url>

Open URL / Deep link in browser or app

adb shell am force-stop <package_name>

Force stop running application

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