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Rohit Kumar
Rohit Kumar

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Flutter Build Failed: Android NDK Clang Could Not Be Found (Fix)

If you’re building a Flutter app and suddenly hit this error:

`Target dart_build failed:
Error: Android NDK Clang could not be found.

Execution failed for task ':app:compileFlutterBuildDebug'
Gradle task assembleDebug failed with exit code 1`

Don’t worry — this is a very common Flutter + Android Studio issue, and the fix is straightforward once you understand it.

Let’s break it down 👇

🔍 What does this error mean?

Flutter is trying to compile native Android code (C/C++), but it can’t find Clang, the compiler that comes with the Android NDK.

Even if you never wrote C++ code, many Flutter plugins (camera, Firebase, ML, video player, etc.) use native code internally.

If the NDK is missing, corrupted, or misconfigured, Flutter fails to build.

🚨 Common reasons this happens

Android NDK not installed

Wrong or unsupported NDK version

NDK path missing in local.properties

Corrupted NDK installation

Gradle doesn’t know which NDK to use

✅ Step-by-Step Fix (Tested & Working)
✅ Step 1: Install Android NDK

Open Android Studio:

File → Settings
→ Appearance & Behavior
→ System Settings
→ Android SDK
→ SDK Tools

Enable:

✅ NDK (Side by side)

✅ CMake

✅ Android SDK Command-line Tools

Click Apply → OK

✅ Step 2: Install the recommended NDK version

Flutter is most stable with:

NDK 25.2.9519653

In SDK Tools:

Click Show Package Details

Select 25.2.9519653

Install it

✅ Step 3: Set NDK path manually

Open:

android/local.properties

Add or update:

`sdk.dir=C:\\Users\\YOUR_USERNAME\\AppData\\Local\\Android\\Sdk
ndk.dir=C:\\Users\\YOUR_USERNAME\\AppData\\Local\\Android\\Sdk\\ndk\\25.2.9519653

`

⚠ Windows users: Always use double backslashes (\)

✅ Step 4: Specify NDK version in Gradle

Open:

android/app/build.gradle

Inside the android {} block, add:

ndkVersion "25.2.9519653"

This prevents Gradle from picking the wrong NDK.

✅ Step 5: Clean & rebuild

Run:

flutter clean
flutter pub get
flutter run

Your project should now build successfully 🎉

🔎 Extra check (recommended)

Run:

flutter doctor -v

Make sure there are no ❌ errors under:

Android toolchain

Android SDK

NDK

🧠 Key Takeaway

Flutter apps often depend on native Android code, so a correctly installed and configured NDK is essential.

This error looks scary, but it’s easy to fix once you know where to look.

If this helped you, feel free to ❤️ the post or share it with another Flutter dev who’s stuck on the same issue.

Happy coding 🚀💙

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