Activating USB Debugging Mode on Devices with Android

Posted on by Lucie Connor

To activate USB debugging mode on Android device, do the following:

1. Android v. 4.0

  • Go to Settings –> Developer options:
  • Enable USB debugging mode:

2.  Android v. 4.2-7.x

  • Go to Settings on your device. Settings can be found in Menu –> System settings.
  • Scroll to the bottom to find “About phone” (“About tablet”).
  • At the “About” screen find “Build number” and tap it seven times.

  • If you have tapped seven times exactly, you’ll get “You are now a developer!” message:

  • Now that you have USB debugging mode enabled, you can easily disable/enable it in Settings –> Developer options –> Debugging  –> USB Debugging. After you followed this procedure once, your USB debugging mode will be easily accessible for enabling/disabling without following all these steps again.

3.  Android 8 and higher

  • Swipe up to see all apps.
  • Open the Settings app.
  • Scroll down to open System.
  • Select About phone.
  • Scroll to the bottom and tap Build number 7 times.
  • Return to the previous screen to find Developer options closer to the end of the list.
  • In the Developer options section you can toggle the options on and off.

4.  Stock Android

  • From a Home screen, swipe up to see all apps.
  • Navigate to Settings > System > Advanced.
  • Go to Developer options.
    * If Developer options don’t seem to be available, go to Settings > System > About phone and scroll down to Build number. Tap it 7 times. Go to previous screen where you should see Developer options available now.
  • Once in, make sure the Developer options switch (in the upper blue area) is turned ON.
  • Navigate to USB debugging and tap to turn it On or Off.
  • If asked whether to ‘Allow USB debugging?’, tap OK to confirm.