Choose a path with stable permissions for developers and enough disk headroom for SDKs. Avoid syncing the SDK directory through consumer cloud folders because file locking breaks incremental downloads.
Studio bundles a supported JetBrains runtime for the IDE itself. Your project may require a separate JDK for Gradle based on Android Gradle Plugin documentation for that release. Align JDK versions across CI and laptops to reduce "works on my machine" drift.
Gradle and sync
Open the Build tool window for the first failing error instead of scrolling the generic log. Verify plugin IDs, repository declarations, and that every module references existing catalogs. Run a clean sync after fixing the root error because later errors are often cascades.
New AGP versions may change dependency resolution rules or metadata formats. Gradle may refresh caches when plugin bytecode changes. Keep a local Nexus or Artifactory mirror if bandwidth is a bottleneck for your office.
Emulator performance
Confirm hardware acceleration is enabled, close memory hungry browser profiles, reduce concurrent emulators, and prefer x86_64 or arm64 system images that match your host architecture. Snapshot settings trade boot speed against fidelity after large OS upgrades inside the guest.
Jetpack Compose previews
Expand the preview exception stack, then fix the topmost project error first. Missing preview parameters, unsupported preview APIs, and unresolved theme providers are frequent causes. After fixes, invalidate caches only if the preview daemon appears wedged across multiple projects.
Team upgrades
Pilot with two engineers on representative modules, capture AGP and JDK deltas, update CI images in lockstep, then widen the rollout. Keep release notes open while syncing so you can spot breaking changes in lint or packaging tasks early.
Return to the home page for the shorter FAQ strip.
