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Developer Options

How to Enable USB Debugging on Any Android Device

Published: June 15, 2026 • Applies to: Android 5.0 through Android 15

USB debugging is a Developer Option that must be manually unlocked before ADB can communicate with your Android device. The path to enable it varies between Android versions and manufacturer interfaces, but the underlying mechanism is the same across all devices.

Unlock Developer Options

Developer Options is a hidden settings menu that Google includes in Android but intentionally conceals from regular users. Unlocking it does not root the device or void the warranty on most phones. It simply exposes a group of advanced settings that are safe but potentially confusing for non-technical users.

To unlock it on stock Android (Pixel, Android One devices, Nokia):

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Scroll down to "About phone."
  3. Tap "Build number" seven times in quick succession.
  4. The phone will count down from 4 and display "You are now a developer!" when it unlocks.
  5. Go back to the main Settings screen. A new "Developer options" entry will appear, usually near the bottom.

If you get a PIN or fingerprint prompt before the taps register, that is expected. Enter your screen lock credential and continue tapping.

Already a developer? If the phone says "You are already a developer," Developer Options is already unlocked. You may have enabled it previously and forgotten, or the phone was previously used with ADB.

Samsung One UI (Galaxy Devices)

Samsung renames and rearranges Settings menus with each One UI version, so the path to Build Number is different from stock Android:

  • One UI 5 / Android 13+: Settings > About phone > Software information > Build number (tap 7 times)
  • One UI 3 and 4: Settings > About phone > Software information > Build number
  • Older Samsung devices (Android 9 and below): Settings > About device > Build number

After unlocking, Developer Options appears in Settings > Developer options (directly in the main Settings list, not inside "About phone"). Once there, scroll down to "USB debugging" and toggle it on. Samsung may display an additional "USB Debugging (Security settings)" toggle on devices managed by an MDM profile — this must also be enabled.

Xiaomi MIUI and HyperOS

On Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO devices, Xiaomi added an extra step that is not required on other brands:

  1. Settings > About phone > MIUI version (tap 7 times) to unlock Developer Options.
  2. Go to Settings > Additional settings > Developer options.
  3. Enable "USB debugging."
  4. Also enable "USB debugging (Security settings)" if it appears. This is a separate toggle that Xiaomi added and it must be on for ADB to receive commands.

On HyperOS (Xiaomi 14 series and later), the layout moved to Settings > Privacy > Special app access > Development tools. The mechanism is the same but the location changed again.

OnePlus OxygenOS

OnePlus devices use a path similar to stock Android: Settings > About device > Version > Build number (tap 7 times). Developer Options then appears directly in the main Settings menu. USB debugging is under the "Debugging" section within Developer options and requires only a single toggle.

Verify USB Debugging is Working

After enabling USB debugging on the phone and connecting via USB to a computer with ADB installed:

  1. Run adb devices in a terminal or command prompt.
  2. The phone will display a dialog: "Allow USB debugging? The computer's RSA key fingerprint is: [hash]." Tap "Allow" or "Always allow from this computer."
  3. Run adb devices again. The device should show with status "device" (not "unauthorized").

If you accept the dialog on the phone but the device still shows as "unauthorized," kill and restart the ADB server: adb kill-server && adb start-server.

Re-enabling After Factory Reset or Update

USB debugging is disabled automatically after a factory reset. Developer Options survives OS updates on most devices, but the USB debugging toggle itself may be reset. If ADB stops working after an update, go back to Developer Options and verify the toggle is still on before troubleshooting anything else.

Some MDM-enrolled corporate devices prevent enabling Developer Options entirely. If the "You are now a developer!" message never appears regardless of how many times you tap Build Number, the device has an MDM policy blocking it. This cannot be bypassed without removing the device enrollment.