How to Install JADX and Decompile apk on macOS
Install JADX GUI & CLI on macOS and decompile Android APKs for reverse engineering and security analysis
How to Install JADX and Decompile apk on macOS
1. Install JADX (Recommended)
Install using Homebrew:
1
brew install jadx
Verify installation:
1
jadx --version
2. Open APK in GUI Mode
GUI mode is best for manual reverse engineering.
1
jadx-gui /path/to/app.apk
Example:
1
jadx-gui ~/Downloads/app.apk
What You Can Do in GUI
- Browse Java source code
- View Smali code
- Open AndroidManifest.xml
- Search classes and methods
- Trace method usages
- Analyze app logic
3. Export Full Decompiled Source (CLI)
Export entire APK source code:
1
jadx -d output_folder /path/to/app.apk
Example:
1
jadx -d ./decoded ~/Downloads/app.apk
Output includes:
- Decompiled Java files
- Resources
- AndroidManifest.xml
- Smali code
This post is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the author.