In today’s fast-paced digital world, building mobile applications that run on both Android and iOS platforms is no longer optional, it's a necessity. Flutter, developed by Google, has emerged as one of the most powerful frameworks for creating high-performance, natively compiled apps for multiple platforms from a single codebase.

What We'll cover:

1. Setting up Git: The version control is essential for Flutter.
2. Downloading and Installing Flutter SDK: The core toolkit itself.
3. Installing Android Studio & SDK: The powerhouse for Android development.
4. Configuring Your Android Environment: Ensuring everything is linked up.
5. Creating Your First Android Emulator: Your virtual testing device.
6. Running Your First Flutter App: The moment of truth!

Prerequisites:

Before installing Flutter, ensure your Windows system meets the following requirements:

1. Operating System: Windows 10 or later (64-bit).
2. Disk Space: At least 10 GB of free space. Flutter, Android Studio, and the SDKs can be quite large!
3. Internet Connection: You'll be downloading some hefty files.

Step 1: Get Git on Your System

Flutter uses Git to manage its components, so this is our first stop.

1. Download Git: Head over to the official Git for Windows download page: https://git-scm.com/download/win
2. Install Git: Double-click the downloaded installer. When prompted to "Adjusting your PATH environment," select "Git from the command line and also from 3rd-party software." This is crucial for Flutter to work correctly. Click "Next" through the remaining steps with the default options and finish the installation.
3. Verify: Open a new Command Prompt (search for cmd in the Windows search bar) and type:

4. git --version
   

(** git version 2.46.0.windows.1)

Step 2: Download and Install the Flutter SDK

This is the heart of our setup!

1. Download Flutter SDK: Visit the official Flutter installation guide for Windows: https://flutter.dev/docs/get-started/install/windows
2. Look for the "Download Flutter SDK" button and grab the latest stable .zip file for Windows.
3. Create a Folder: Create a new folder on any non-system drive specifically for development tools. A good place is C:\src or C:\dev. Inside that, create a flutter folder so your path looks like C:\src\flutter.
4. Extract Flutter: Unzip the downloaded Flutter .zip file directly into your C:\src\flutter directory. You should now have a C:\src\flutter\flutter folder, containing all the Flutter SDK files.
5. Add Flutter to Your System PATH: This allows you to run Flutter commands from any terminal window.
6. Verify Installation:

7. flutter doctor
   

(** Don't worry if you see red 'X' marks for Android or Android Studio right now – that's what we're tackling next!)

Step 3: Install Android Studio (Your Gateway to Android Development)

Android Studio is Google's official IDE for Android. It includes the Android SDK, which Flutter needs to build Android apps, and even comes with its own Java Development Kit (JDK).

1. Download Android Studio: Head to the official download page: https://developer.android.com/studio
2. Install Android Studio: Run the downloaded .exe file.
3. Android Studio Setup Wizard:
4. JDK Note: Android Studio includes its own JDK. For Flutter, you generally do not need to install a separate JDK as Flutter will use the one bundled with Android Studio.

Step 4: Configure Android SDK and Accept Licenses

Flutter needs specific Android SDK components, and you need to accept some licenses.

1. Open SDK Manager:
2. SDK Platforms Tab: Check the box for the latest Android SDK Platform (e.g., Android API 34 or higher).
3. Accept Android Licenses for Flutter:

4. flutter doctor --android-licenses
   

(** Type y and press Enter for each license prompt to accept them. 100% Computing updates... All SDK package licenses accepted.)

Step 5: Create Your First Android Simulator (AVD)

Testing on a real device is great, but an Android Virtual Device (AVD), or emulator, is incredibly convenient!

1. Launch Android Studio: Open Device Manager
2. Create New Virtual Device: (Pixel 6 or Pixel 7, these often come with the Play Store)
3. Launch Your Emulator
4. Run flutter doctor again:

flutter doctor
Doctor summary (to see all details, run flutter doctor -v):

[√] Flutter (Channel stable, 3.29.0, on Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.26100.4061], locale en-US)

[√] Windows Version (11 Pro 64-bit, 24H2, 2009)

[√] Android toolchain - develop for Android devices (Android SDK version 35.0.0)

[√] Chrome - develop for the web

[√] Visual Studio - develop Windows apps (Visual Studio Community 2022 17.12.5)

[√] Android Studio (version 2024.2)

[√] VS Code (version 1.100.2)

[√] Network resources

• No issues found! 

This time, you should hopefully see green checkmarks.

Step 6: Create and Run Your First Flutter App!

The moment you've been waiting for!

Open Command Prompt/PowerShell: Make sure your Android emulator is running. (Navigate to where you want to store your projects)

flutter create my_first_app

• Go into the Project Folder: cd my_first_app
• Check Connected Devices: Just to be sure, run: flutter devices
• Run the App!
  

flutter run

Flutter will compile your app and install it on your running emulator. This initial build might take a few minutes. Soon, you'll see the default Flutter demo app appear on your virtual phone screen!

What to do if Flutter Doctor Still Shows Issues?

• "Flutter is not recognized...": Did you restart your terminal after adding to PATH? Double-check the PATH variable for typos.
• Android-related issues: Revisit Steps 3 & 4. Did you install all SDK components in Android Studio's SDK Manager? Did you run flutter doctor --android-licenses and accept everything?
• "No devices available." : Is your emulator running? Did flutter devices detect it?

Congratulations! You've successfully installed Flutter, configured your Android development environment, set up an emulator, and run your very first Flutter application. This is a huge milestone! You're now equipped to dive into the exciting world of cross-platform mobile app development.

Happy coding!