How to Configure Android Studio on Windows

Android Studio is the official IDE from Google for Android application development. Without Android Studio, developing Android apps can be a challenging task. It is available for almost all major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

System Requirements:

Before beginning the installation, make sure your system meets the following requirements:

• Processor: At least an Intel i3 processor. However, an i5 or higher is recommended.
• RAM: Minimum 4 GB. For smoother performance, 8 GB or more is strongly recommended.
• Disk Space: At least 30 GB of free space on your system drive (usually C:).
• Operating System: Windows 10 or later (64-bit).

Note: Android Studio is resource-intensive, so lightweight systems may run slowly.

Downloading and Installation:

1. Go to Android Developers website and follow the on-screen instructions to download Android Studio.
2. Run the installer. No advanced setup is required—just accept the license agreement, then click Next through the prompts, and finally click Finish to complete the installation.

Setup Wizard:

Installing Android Studio alone isn’t enough—you must configure it using the Setup Wizard.

Launch Android Studio and do the following:

enable accessibility support:

If you are using a screen reader such as NVDA, JAWS, or Narrator, Android Studio will detect it and ask to enable accessibility support. Click Enable.

Tip: NVDA is recommended because it is lighter and generally more responsive than JAWS.

Send Usage Statistics:

You will be asked if you want to send usage statistics to Google. Choose Send or Don’t Send according to your preference.

Import Existing Settings:

You will be prompted to import existing settings. If you have previous settings backup available, import them; otherwise, select Do not import settings.

Download Required Components:

The wizard will then download required components such as:

• Android SDK build tools.
• Android emulator system images.
• Performance drivers (Intel HAXM or Android Emulator Hypervisor for AMD CPUs.)

The download is approximately 2.5 GB.

Tip: You don’t need to stay on the download screen—it can run in the background.

Installing Android Core APIs:

Once the Setup Wizard finishes downloading, click Finish. You will then land on the Android Studio Welcome Screen.

1. Click More Actions > SDK Manager.
2. In the SDK Manager window, navigate to the SDK Platforms tab.
3. Using the keyboard, press Tab until you reach the list of available Android versions.

• Press Ctrl + Home to go to the start of the list.
• Use the Right Arrow key to move into the table row, press down arrow to move through the version list.
4. Select the following versions for broad compatibility:
• Android 16.
• Android 15.
• Android 14.
• Android 13.
• Android 12 (S2 and S).
• Android 11.
• Android 10.
• Android 9.
• Android 8.
• Android 7.

Note: You may see multiple entries for a single version. Select only the first option and ignore any “Preview” APIs.

5. Click OK to download. This will take about 4 GB of data.

6. After the download completes, click Finish.

Conclusion:

After completing these steps – ensuring your system meets the requirements, downloading and installing Android Studio, configuring it via the Setup Wizard (including enabling accessibility support if needed), and installing the core APIs – you are now fully equipped to begin developing Android applications on Windows. This configuration provides a solid foundation for creating new projects or even opening existing ones without missing essential components like the SDK tools and system images.