Installation

Quick start

curl -fsSL https://emu.marathonlabs.io/install.sh | bash

Run the install script to download the latest beta build and add the emu binary to your path.

Channels

Emu is distributed through three release channels. The beta channel is the default right now. The canary channel contains the latest experimental work. Once emu gets more adoption we will have first stable release.

To install the canary channel, pass the --channel flag to the install script:

curl -fsSL https://emu.marathonlabs.io/install.sh | bash -s -- --channel=canary

Direct downloads

Standalone binaries for macOS, Linux, and Windows are available on the download page.

Platform requirements

macOS

• Android SDK: Emu can install the Android SDK and ADB for you on first launch. If you already have the SDK installed, Emu may still show the setup screen — see the note below.
• Security: If you install via DMG, you may need to allow the application in System Settings > Privacy & Security.

Tip

macOS GUI apps do not inherit environment variables from your shell profile (~/.zshrc, ~/.bashrc). Even if you have ANDROID_HOME configured in your terminal, Emu cannot see it when launched from Finder, Spotlight, or the Dock. When the SDK setup screen appears, point it to your existing SDK directory (typically ~/Library/Android/sdk) and Emu will remember the location.

Linux

• Android SDK: Emu can install the Android SDK and ADB for you on first launch. If you already have ADB in your PATH, Emu will use it automatically.
• Dependencies: Standard libc, libstdc++, libgcc, liblzma, and libbz2 libraries. These come pre-installed on most distributions.

Windows

• Android SDK: Emu can install the Android SDK and ADB for you on first launch. If you already have ADB in your PATH, Emu will use it automatically.
• Security: You may need to allow the binary in Windows Defender or your antivirus software.