Where Does Apktool Store Frameworks and Output?
Apktool keeps installed frameworks in ~/.local/share/apktool and decodes apps into folders you name.
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Apktool needs Android framework files to decode apps, and it caches them in a framework directory under local share. Decoded output goes wherever your -o flag points, defaulting to a folder beside the APK.
Missing framework errors trace back to that cache. Installing the right framework tag once fixes every app from the same vendor. Output folders rebuild freely, the framework cache does not.
Where Apktool stores this, by platform
~/.local/share/apktool/framework
Installed framework APKs by tag. Decoded apps land in your chosen output folder. Clear stale frameworks with apktool empty-framework-dir before reinstalling tags.
~/.local/share/apktool/framework
Same path on Mac. Homebrew installs share it. Output defaults next to the input APK when no -o flag is given.
%LOCALAPPDATA%\apktool\framework
Same role on Windows. Long APK paths plus deep output trees hit path limits, so decode near the drive root.
Frequently asked questions
apktool says framework not installed, what now
Install the vendor framework with apktool if framework.apk for its tag. The cache in the framework folder then serves every app from that vendor.
where does apktool put decoded apps
In the folder from your -o flag, or a new folder beside the APK by default. That output is disposable; the framework cache is the part worth keeping.
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