When it comes to developing apps for Android, one of the most important tools at your disposal is the Android emulator. This virtual device allows you to test and run your applications on a variety of different platforms, without having to physically use multiple devices. In this article, we'll show you how to set up and run an emulator using Android Studio.

To get started, open Android Studio or Eclipse with ADT installed. The first thing you need to do is launch the emulator manager. This can be found in the Tools menu within your Android Studio project. From here, you can create a new virtual device by clicking on the 'Create Virtual Device' button.

Once you've created your virtual device, you'll be able to choose from a variety of different profiles to install on your emulator. These profiles include things like different screen sizes and densities, as well as different versions of the Android operating system. By default, we've installed a few KitKat profiles so you can quickly get up and running.

To start the emulator, simply click on the green 'play' button in the emulator manager. This will launch your virtual device and allow you to begin testing your application.

One thing to keep in mind is that you'll need to sign in with an Azure Active Directory or Microsoft Account to activate a free license for the emulator. If you don't have one of these accounts, you can create one by clicking on the 'Create an account' button and following the prompts.

Once you've signed in, you'll be able to start using your emulator right away. You can install apps, run tests, and even use the Android Studio interface to debug and optimize your code.

In addition to using the emulator with Android Studio, you can also use it with other Android development tools of your choice. This includes Eclipse, as well as other IDEs and development environments. We're excited to announce that we've made our Visual Studio Emulator for Android available without needing to download Visual Studio, so you can start testing and developing your apps right away.

Overall, the Android emulator is a powerful tool that allows you to test and run your applications on a variety of different platforms. By following these steps, you can set up and use an emulator with Android Studio or Eclipse, and start building and testing your apps today.

How to run android studio emulator