Android Studio Emulator Not Starting

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Free disk space and RAM

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   1. The emulator does not start unless at least 5 GB is free; free space on the drive that holds the AVD
   2. Close heavy apps before launching
   3. On Windows set the pagefile to System managed size
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Run the hypervisor check

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   1. Run Sdk/emulator/emulator -accel-check (Windows path: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Android\Sdk\emulator)
   2. Look for 'WHPX ... is installed and usable', 'Hypervisor.Framework' (macOS) or 'KVM ... is installed and usable' (Linux)
   3. If it reports no hypervisor, follow the 'HAXM / virtualization' guide
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Switch to software graphics

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   1. Device Manager > pencil icon on the AVD > Additional Settings > Emulated Performance > Graphics acceleration: Software
   2. Or run emulator -avd <name> -gpu swiftshader from a terminal
   3. If the Windows exit code is -1073741819, setting hw.gpu.mode=off in the AVD's config.ini was reported to fix it
   Did this fix it? Yes No

4. 4. Kill stuck processes and cold boot

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   1. End any qemu-system or emulator processes in Task Manager or Activity Monitor
   2. Device Manager > three dots on the AVD > Cold Boot Now
   3. If it still fails, Wipe Data or create a new AVD
   Did this fix it? Yes No

5. 5. Update the emulator and system image

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   1. Tools > SDK Manager > SDK Tools: update Android Emulator
   2. Google notes the emulator no longer uses HAXM from version 36.2; update your hypervisor setup accordingly
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Clicking Run does nothing, the emulator window never appears, or it closes with an exit code or 'Emulator terminated' message.

Why it happens

• Less than 5 GB of free disk space (the emulator refuses to start)
• Virtualization (VT-x/SVM) disabled in BIOS
• No usable hypervisor (WHPX, AEHD or KVM) installed or enabled
• Graphics driver crash with hardware rendering
• Windows commit limit exceeded, or a leftover emulator process
• Antivirus or another virtualization tool interfering

This guide also covers

• android studio emulator not starting
• android emulator won't open
• emulator terminated with exit code
• android studio emulator not working

Other Android Studio errors

• Android Studio Gradle Sync Failed
• Android Emulator HAXM / Hypervisor Error (VT-x, WHPX, AEHD)
• Android Studio Emulator Slow or Laggy
• Android Studio Device Offline or Not Detected (ADB)
• Android Studio Slow and Using Too Much RAM
• Android Studio Gradle Build Slow
• Android Studio SDK Location Not Found
• Android Studio Build Failed: JDK, Gradle or AGP Version Mismatch