How to Use ADB Without a USB Cable

You can use ADB without a USB cable. On Android 11 and newer, Wireless debugging pairs your computer with the phone over Wi-Fi and never needs a cable. On Android 10 and older, you need a cable once to switch the phone to network mode with adb tcpip, and after that you can unplug it. This guide shows both, plus how to do it from a browser with ADBKit.

Which way works on your phone

Check your version in Settings › About phone › Android version. The full comparison is in adb tcpip vs Wireless debugging.

Before you start

• Turn on Developer options (tap Build number seven times in About phone) and USB debugging. See how to enable USB debugging.
• Put the phone and the computer on the same Wi-Fi or local network. Guest Wi-Fi and networks with "AP isolation" block devices from seeing each other.
• Use Android SDK platform-tools 30 or newer for adb pair, or use ADBKit in Chrome or Edge.

Method 1: Wireless debugging (Android 11+, no cable ever)

1. On the phone, open Developer options › Wireless debugging and switch it on.
2. Tap Pair device with pairing code. The phone shows an IP address, a port and a 6-digit code.
3. On the computer, run:

adb pair 192.168.1.20:37011

1. Type the 6-digit code. You should see Successfully paired.
2. Back on the Wireless debugging screen, note the IP address & Port at the top (this port is different from the pairing port) and connect:

adb connect 192.168.1.20:41237
adb devices

Pairing is needed only once per computer. Next time, switch Wireless debugging on and run adb connect with the new port, because the port changes each time.

Method 2: adb tcpip (Android 10 and older)

Older phones cannot pair over Wi-Fi, so you use the cable one time:

adb tcpip 5555

Unplug the cable, find the phone's IP address in Settings › Wi-Fi › your network, and connect:

adb connect 192.168.1.20:5555

Accept the "Allow USB debugging?" prompt on the phone if it appears. This network mode stays on until the phone restarts. After a restart you get Connection refused and need the cable once more. That error is explained in fixing adb connect: Connection refused.

Method 3: from your browser with ADBKit

A web page cannot open network connections to your phone by itself, so ADBKit uses a small agent that runs on your own computer. It listens only on your computer and relays the connection, nothing is sent to an ADBKit server.

1. Open ADBKit in Chrome or Edge and choose Network: Wireless debugging (Android 11+) or Network: TCP/IP (older phones).
2. Follow the steps to start the agent with a one-line install. Its source code is public.
3. For Wireless debugging, pair with the 6-digit code or by scanning a QR code with the phone. For TCP/IP, ADBKit can switch network mode on for you if you plug the phone in once.

You then get the live screen, keyboard typing, logcat, shell, files and APK installs over Wi-Fi. The agent setup is described in the ADBKit agent reference.

Common problems

• failed to connect ... Connection refused: the phone is not listening on that port. On Android 10 and older, network mode turned off at the last restart. On Android 11+, Wireless debugging was switched off or the port changed.
• failed to connect ... timed out: wrong IP address, or the phone and computer are on different networks.
• Pairing fails: the code expired or you closed the pairing screen. Open it again and use the new code.
• Connection drops when the screen turns off: some phones save power by pausing Wi-Fi. Keep the phone charging and turn on Stay awake in Developer options while you work.

Is wireless ADB safe?

Use it only on networks you trust. Wireless debugging encrypts the connection and only accepts paired computers. Classic adb tcpip is not encrypted and leaves port 5555 open until the phone restarts, so avoid it on public Wi-Fi. Turn wireless ADB off when you are done.