Android Studio makes it easy to create Android apps for various form factors,
such as phones, tablets, TVs, and Wear devices. This page explains how to
start a new Android app project or import an existing project.

If you don't have a project opened, create a new project by clicking
**New Project** on the Android Studio Welcome screen.

If you do have a project opened, create a new project by selecting
**File \> New \> New Project** from the main menu.

## Choose your project type

In the **New Project** screen that appears, you can select the type of
project you want to create from categories of device form factors, shown in
the **Templates** pane. For example, figure 1 shows the project
templates for phone and tablet.
![](https://developer.android.com/static/studio/images/new-project-templates.png) **Figure 1.** Choose the type of project you want to create on the **New Project** screen.

Selecting the type of project you want to create lets Android Studio include
sample code and resources in your project to help you get started.

Once you select your project type, click **Next**.

## Configure your project

The next step in creating your project is to configure some settings, as
shown in figure 2. If you're creating a **Native C++**
project, read
[Create a new project with C/C++
support](https://developer.android.com/studio/projects/add-native-code#new-project) to learn more about the
options you need to configure.
![Configure your new project with a few settings.](https://developer.android.com/static/studio/images/projects/new-project-wizard-configure-2x.png) **Figure 2.** Configure your new project with a few settings.

1. Specify the **Name** of your project.
2. Specify the **Package name** . By default, this package name becomes your project's namespace (used to access your project resources) and your project's application ID (used as the ID for publishing). To learn more, see [Configure the app module](https://developer.android.com/studio/build/configure-app-module).
3. Specify the **Save location** where you want to locally store your project.

   | **Note:** On macOS, we recommend saving your project in the `/Users/`<var translate="no">user_name</var>`/AndroidStudioProjects` directory. Certain versions of macOS include a security feature called Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) that protects specific folders, including `Documents`, `Desktop`, and `Downloads`. If you use these folders, the [project files](https://developer.android.com/studio/projects#ProjectFiles) might not show up correctly in Android Studio unless you give Android Studio special permission to access those folders.
4. Select the **Language**, Kotlin or Java, you want Android Studio to use when
   creating sample code for your new project. Keep in mind that you aren't
   limited to using only that language in the project.

5. Select the **Minimum API level** you want your app to support. When you
   select a lower API level, your app can't use as many modern Android APIs.
   However, a larger percentage of Android devices can run your app. The
   opposite is true when selecting a higher API level.

   If you want to see more data to help you decide, click **Help me choose**.
   This displays a dialog showing the cumulative distribution for the API
   level you have selected and lets you see the impact of using different
   minimum API levels.
   ![A helper that shows cumulative distribution of different API levels.](https://developer.android.com/static/studio/images/projects/new-project-wizard-choose-api-level_2x.png) **Figure 3.** A help screen that shows the cumulative distribution of different API levels.
6. Your project is configured to use AndroidX libraries by default, which
   replace the Android Support libraries. To use the
   legacy support libraries instead, select **Use legacy
   android.support libraries** . However, this is not recommended, as the legacy
   support libraries are no longer supported. To learn more, read the
   [AndroidX overview](https://developer.android.com/jetpack/androidx).

7. When you're ready to create your project, click **Finish**.

Android Studio creates your new project with some basic code and resources to
get you started. If you decide to add support for a different device form
factor later, you can [add a module](https://developer.android.com/studio/projects/add-app-module) to your project.
And if you want to share code and resources between modules, you can do
so by creating an [Android library](https://developer.android.com/studio/projects/android-library).

For more information about the Android project structure and module types,
read the [Projects overview](https://developer.android.com/studio/projects). If you're new to Android
development altogether, start with the [Android Developer Guides](https://developer.android.com/training).

## Import an existing project

To import an existing local project into Android Studio, proceed as follows:

1. Click **File** \> **New** \> **Import Project**.
2. In the window that appears, navigate to the root directory of the project you want to import.
3. Click **OK**.

Android Studio opens the project in a new IDE window and indexes its
contents.

If you are importing a project from version control, select **File** \>
**New** \> **Project from Version Control** . For more
information about importing projects from version control, read IntelliJ's
information about
[Version control](https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/version-control-integration.html).

## Build and run your app

Now that you've created your project, the next step is to build it and run it on
a virtual or physical device. Android Studio sets up a default run configuration
to help you get started.

To learn more, see [Build and run your app](https://developer.android.com/studio/run). This guide covers
running on the [Android Emulator](https://developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator) and [physical hardware
devices](https://developer.android.com/studio/run/device).