DroidDock

A sleek macOS desktop application for browsing Android device files via ADB (Android Debug Bridge).

🌐 Visit DroidDock Website

Features

• 📱 Device Detection: Automatically detects connected Android devices and shows their model name
• 📂 File Browsing: Navigate through your Android device's file system with an intuitive interface
• 👁️ Multiple View Modes: Choose between Table, Grid, or Column (Miller) view with keyboard shortcuts
• 🖼️ File Preview: View images and text files without downloading - press Space for quick preview or double-click
• 🔁 Folder Sync: Sync entire folders between Mac and Android — filter by file pattern, exclude system files, preserve timestamps
• 🔍 File Search: Search for files by name with case-insensitive matching and recursive search
• 🗑️ File Deletion: Delete files and folders with confirmation dialogs and safety checks
• 📥 File Download: Download files from device to Mac with save dialog
• 📤 File Upload: Upload files from Mac to device via floating action button
• ✅ Multi-Select: Select multiple files with click, Ctrl/Cmd+click, and Shift+click range selection
• 🖼️ Thumbnails: Automatic thumbnail generation for images and videos with lazy loading
• 🏠 Smart Breadcrumbs: Clean navigation with "Internal storage" labels and arrow separators
• 👁️ Hidden Files Toggle: Show or hide dot files with a single click
• 📊 File Information: View file types, permissions, sizes, and modification dates
• 💾 Storage Info: Real-time storage usage display in VSCode-style status bar
• 🎯 Contextual Actions: File actions (download/delete) appear in a slide-up bar when files are selected
• ⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts: Full keyboard navigation with arrow keys, view switching, and file operations
• 🎨 Dark Mode Support: Beautiful dark mode with muted, cohesive color palette
• 🛠️ Smart ADB Detection: Automatically finds ADB in common installation locations
• ⚙️ Custom ADB Path: Set a custom ADB path if it's not automatically detected

Screenshots

Folder sync between Mac and Android with filtering options

Save sync configurations and reload them with one click

Preview what will change before running the sync

Preview images directly in DroidDock with metadata panel and keyboard navigation

Prerequisites

Before running DroidDock, you need to have:

1. ADB (Android Debug Bridge)

Install via Homebrew (Recommended):

brew install android-platform-tools

Or download manually:

• Download from: Android Platform Tools

DroidDock automatically checks these common ADB locations:

• /opt/homebrew/bin/adb (Apple Silicon Homebrew)
• /usr/local/bin/adb (Intel Mac Homebrew)
• /opt/local/bin/adb (MacPorts)
• ~/Library/Android/sdk/platform-tools/adb (Android Studio)

2. Node.js (for development)

• Version: 20.19+ or 22.12+
• Download from: https://nodejs.org/

3. Rust (for development)

• Install from: https://rustup.rs/

Installation

Option 1: Install via Homebrew Cask (Recommended)

# Tap the custom repository
brew tap rajivm1991/droiddock

# Install DroidDock
brew install --cask droiddock

By default, the app will be installed to your Applications folder (or to the appdir you've configured for Homebrew Cask) and can be updated with:

brew upgrade --cask droiddock

Alternative: Download Pre-built App

1. Download: Get the latest .dmg file from the Releases page or DroidDock website.

2. Install: Open the DMG and drag DroidDock to your Applications folder.

3. Launch:

   ⚠️ macOS Security Notice: When downloading from GitHub, macOS may show a warning that DroidDock is "damaged" and can't be opened. This is due to Apple's Gatekeeper security for unsigned apps. The app is safe to use.

   To fix this, run this command in Terminal:

   xattr -cr /Applications/DroidDock.app
   

   Then launch the app normally.

   This only needs to be done once. Future releases will be code-signed to eliminate this step.

4. Auto-Updates: DroidDock will automatically check for updates on launch and notify you when new versions are available.

Option 2: Build from Source

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/rajivm1991/DroidDock.git
   cd droiddock
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Run in development mode:

   npm run tauri dev
   

4. Or build for production:

   npm run tauri build
   

   The compiled app will be in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/.

Usage

1. Connect Your Android Device

Enable USB debugging on your Android device:

1. Go to Settings → About Phone
2. Tap Build Number 7 times to enable Developer Options
3. Go to Settings → Developer Options
4. Enable USB Debugging
5. Connect your device via USB

2. Verify ADB Connection

adb devices

You should see your device listed.

3. Launch DroidDock

• The app will automatically detect your device
• Select it from the dropdown menu
• Browse files starting from /storage/emulated/0 (main storage)

4. Navigate & Manage Files

• Single-click folder names to open them
• Double-click files to preview them (images, text files)
• Press Space to quick-preview the focused file without changing selection
• Use breadcrumb navigation or the ↑ Up button to go back
• Switch Views: Use view toggle buttons or keyboard shortcuts (Cmd+1/2/3) to switch between Table, Grid, or Column view
• Toggle Show Hidden Files in settings to view dot files
• Toggle Show Thumbnails in settings to enable/disable image and video previews
• Click Refresh to reload the device list
• Upload Files: Click the floating action button (bottom-right) to upload files to current directory
• File Actions: Select files to reveal the contextual action bar with Download and Delete options

5. Search for Files

• Type in the search bar to find files by name (case-insensitive)
• Check All subdirectories to search recursively through all folders
• Click Search or press Enter to execute the search
• Search results show full file paths
• Click Clear to exit search mode

6. Select & Delete Files

• Click row to select files (no more checkboxes!)
• Ctrl/Cmd + Click: Toggle individual files for multi-select
• Shift + Click: Select a range of files between two clicks
• Ctrl/Cmd + A: Select all visible files
• Press Delete or Backspace key to delete selected files
• Confirm deletion in the dialog that appears
• The app prevents deletion of critical system directories

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React + TypeScript + Vite
• Backend: Rust + Tauri
• Styling: Custom CSS with dark mode support

Project Structure

droiddock/
├── src/                 # React frontend
│   ├── App.tsx         # Main application component
│   ├── App.css         # Styles
│   └── main.tsx        # Entry point
├── src-tauri/          # Rust backend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── lib.rs      # ADB commands and core logic
│   │   └── main.rs     # Application entry point
│   ├── Cargo.toml      # Rust dependencies
│   └── tauri.conf.json # Tauri configuration
└── package.json        # Node.js dependencies

Available ADB Commands

The app implements these Tauri commands:

• check_adb() - Verify ADB installation
• get_devices() - List all connected devices
• list_files(device_id, path) - List files in a directory
• delete_file(device_id, file_path, is_directory) - Delete files and folders with safety checks
• search_files(device_id, search_path, pattern, recursive) - Search for files by name
• get_thumbnail(device_id, file_path, extension, file_size) - Generate thumbnails for images and videos
• detect_storage_path(device_id) - Automatically detect the primary storage path
• get_storage_info(device_id, path) - Get storage usage statistics for device
• download_file(device_id, device_path, local_path) - Download file from device to Mac
• upload_file(device_id, local_path, device_path) - Upload file from Mac to device
• set_adb_path(path) - Set custom ADB path
• get_current_adb_path() - Get current ADB path

Keyboard Shortcuts

DroidDock supports these keyboard shortcuts for faster navigation and file management:

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl/Cmd + F	Focus search bar
Ctrl/Cmd + A	Select all visible files
Ctrl/Cmd + 1	Switch to Table view
Ctrl/Cmd + 2	Switch to Grid view
Ctrl/Cmd + 3	Switch to Column view
Ctrl/Cmd + =/-	Zoom in/out (Grid view only)
Cmd + I	Open folder sync dialog
Cmd + U	Open upload file picker
Arrow Keys	Navigate between files (Up/Down in table, all directions in grid)
Space	Quick-preview focused file (or close preview)
Enter	Open focused folder or execute search
Delete or Backspace	Delete selected files (shows confirmation dialog)
Escape	Clear selection or close dialogs
In Preview Mode
Arrow Keys	Navigate to next/previous file
Escape or Space	Close preview

Troubleshooting

ADB Not Found

If the app can't find ADB:

1. Install ADB via Homebrew:

   brew install android-platform-tools
   

2. Or set a custom path:

   • The app will show a setup screen
   • Enter the full path to your ADB executable (e.g., /opt/homebrew/bin/adb)
   • Click "Set Path"

Device Not Showing Up

• Ensure USB debugging is enabled on your device
• Check if device is recognized: adb devices
• Try clicking the "Refresh" button in the app
• You may need to accept the debugging authorization prompt on your device

"Not Supported on This Mac" Error

DroidDock requires macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later and supports both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. If you see this error:

1. Verify your macOS version: Go to Apple menu > About This Mac
2. Try the Gatekeeper workaround: Right-click the app and choose "Open" instead of double-clicking
3. Clear quarantine attributes:

   xattr -cr /Applications/DroidDock.app
   

4. If the issue persists, please open an issue with your Mac model and macOS version

Permission Errors When Browsing

• Some system directories require root access
• Try browsing user-accessible directories like /storage/emulated/0 or /sdcard

Can't Navigate Into Folders

• Single-click on the folder name (the blue text) to open it
• Wait for the loading indicator to finish
• Note: Clicking elsewhere on the row selects the folder instead of opening it

Development

Run Development Server

npm run tauri dev

Changes to React files will hot-reload automatically. Changes to Rust files will trigger recompilation.

Build Production App

npm run tauri build

Run Tests

# Frontend tests
npm test

# Rust tests
cd src-tauri && cargo test

Preview GitHub Pages Locally

To preview the website (docs/index.html) locally:

# Using Python (built-in on macOS)
cd docs && python3 -m http.server 8080

# Or using npx
cd docs && npx serve

Then open http://localhost:8080 in your browser.

To stop the server: Press Ctrl+C or run pkill -f "python3 -m http.server 8080"

Releases & Distribution

Creating a New Release

DroidDock uses an automated release workflow:

1. Prepare the release (updates versions and creates git tag):

   npm run release:prepare 0.2.0
   

2. Push the changes and tag:

   git push origin <branch-name>
   git push origin v0.2.0
   

3. Automated build: GitHub Actions will:

   • Build a universal macOS binary (Apple Silicon + Intel)
   • Create a DMG installer
   • Generate updater manifest with signature
   • Create a GitHub Release with the DMG attached

4. Auto-update: Users with existing installations will be notified of the update.

Release Workflow Details

• Workflow file: .github/workflows/release.yml
• Version script: scripts/release-prepare.js
• Updater config: src-tauri/tauri.conf.json (plugins.updater)
• Signing: Uses Tauri updater signatures (stored in GitHub Secrets)

Code Signing (Future)

To remove macOS security warnings, code signing requires:

• Apple Developer Program membership ($99/year)
• Code signing certificate
• Notarization workflow

Future Enhancements

Potential features for future releases:

• 💾 Drag & Drop - Drag files to/from the app
• 📱 Multiple Devices - View multiple devices simultaneously
• 📊 Sortable Columns - Sort files by name, size, date, etc.
• 🎬 Video Preview - Preview video files in-app
• 🔄 Two-Way Sync - Bidirectional sync with conflict resolution

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Built with Tauri - A framework for building desktop applications with web technologies
• Icons from system emoji set
• Inspired by the need for a simple, native Android file browser on macOS

Support

If you encounter any issues or have questions:

• Open an issue on GitHub Issues
• Check the Troubleshooting section above

Buy Me a Coffee

DroidDock is free and open-source, made by one developer in their spare time. If it saves you time, buy me a coffee — it means a lot!

☕ buymeacoffee.com/rajivm1991

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Note: DroidDock requires USB debugging to be enabled on your Android device. This app does not collect or transmit any personal data.