ADB: Access adb.exe from WSL

The Android SDK is installed on Windows (typically in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Android\Sdk) but is not accessible from WSL. Here is how to fix it without duplicating the installation.

Solution: wrapper in /usr/local/bin

The most reliable approach is to create a script that forwards calls to the Windows executable:

echo '#!/bin/bash
exec /mnt/c/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/Android/Sdk/platform-tools/adb.exe "$@"' | sudo tee /usr/local/bin/adb > /dev/null && sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/adb

Replace <USER> with your Windows username.

/usr/local/bin is high in the default PATH and the script works in all contexts (interactive shells, scripts, tools).

Alternative: PATH addition

Add the Windows path to ~/.bashrc:

export PATH="$PATH:/mnt/c/Users/<USER>/AppData/Local/Android/Sdk/platform-tools"

Drawback: requires an interactive shell (.bashrc is not sourced by non-interactive shells). The wrapper approach is more universal.

Verification

adb version
adb devices

Note

• WSL/Windows interop (binfmt_misc) must be enabled. See the note WSL: Enable Windows interoperability.

References

• Microsoft Documentation: WSL/Windows Interoperability