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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-06-17T23:38:46+00:00

I have many questions about Android command. I do not know where I should

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I have many questions about Android command. I do not know where I should start But, anyway, I have put all question related Android commands. Here ;

  • Is subset of Linux commands come in Android by default ? Or, Are we installing something ?
  • In system/bin, there are lots of commands. Where can I find their meaning ? I have tried man, but man is not built in.
  • Can I start and stop application via start and stop command ?
  • Why cannot I run the reboot from terminal emulator ? The error permission is denied.

NOTE : feel free to reedit the question, if you see meaningless part.

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    Is subset of Linux commands come in Android by default ? Or, Are we installing something ?

    A subset exists by default within the system. Things like ls, cd, mkdir, cat etc… are present. You can gain access to a wider range by installing Busy Box on a rooted device, as stated by Zac.

    In system/bin, there are lots of commands. Where can I find their meaning ? I have tried man, but man is not built in.

    The ADB Page is a good place to start. That covers many of the basic ADB and shell commands. It states near the bottom:

    “For a complete list of commands and programs, start an emulator instance and use the adb -help command.”

    So you can use adb -help on an emualator or device to see a full list of the ADB and shell commands (note I think this list will be android specific commands only, it won’t include things like cd,ls and other basic unix commands).

    Can I start and stop application via start and stop command ?

    No, it states on the ADB dev page:

    start …….. Starts (restarts) an emulator/device instance.

    stop …….. Stops execution of an emulator/device instance.

    To start an application you’ll use the am utility iirc it will look something like am start com.your.packagename It’s been a while though, I might have syntax wrong. The instructions are listend if you issue the am command by itself with no params in a shell.

    Why cannot I run the reboot from terminal emulator ? The error permission is denied.

    The system prevents applications from rebooting the device unless they are signed with the same key as the OS. When you use the terminal emulator you are restricted to whatever permissions that application has declared. The reboot permission is not granted to any third party applications, so it won’t work correctly from any terminals. You could probably do it if your device was rooted and you used su though

    EDIT:

    Here is another good resource that lists more of the shell commands

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