The most reliable method to get the Android SDK is by installing Android Studio. Java versions in Android builds | Android Studio
As of May 2026, the standard way to download and manage these is through the official Android Studio IDE , which automates much of the complex environment setup. java android sdk download
: After installation, set your JAVA_HOME environment variable to the JDK's installation path (e.g., C:\Program Files\Java\jdk-21 ) and add the bin directory to your system's PATH . 2. Downloading the Android SDK via Android Studio The most reliable method to get the Android
: Get the installer from Oracle or an open-source distribution like Adoptium (Eclipse Temurin). While Android Studio now bundles its own runtime
Before you can use the Android SDK, you need a compatible JDK. While Android Studio now bundles its own runtime (often a version of JetBrains Runtime based on OpenJDK), many developers still prefer to install a standalone JDK to manage environment variables manually.
: Use JDK 17 or JDK 21 for modern Android development.
Java remains a cornerstone of Android development, despite the rise of Kotlin. To build Android apps with Java, you must correctly configure two primary components: the and the Android SDK .