|

How to Mirror and Control Android on Your PC (SCRCPY)

Android device mirrored and controlled on a computer screen using SCRCPY

SCRCPY (Screen Copy) is a free, open-source tool that mirrors your Android phone or tablet screen to your computer and gives you full mouse and keyboard control over it. It works over USB or Wi-Fi, does not require any app installation on the Android device, and runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. If you need to respond to messages, manage apps, or present your phone screen from your PC, SCRCPY is the best free option I have found.

Applies to: Windows 10 (22H2) and Windows 11 (23H2, 24H2, 25H2) | Android 5.0+ | Last updated: April 8, 2026

How to Mirror Android to PC or Laptop [USB & Wireless] (Tutorial)

Key Takeaways

  • SCRCPY mirrors your Android screen to your PC with full mouse and keyboard control — no app installation needed on the phone, just USB debugging enabled in Developer Options.
  • It supports both USB (zero latency) and wireless mirroring (requires initial USB setup, then works over Wi-Fi with the scrcpy --tcpip command).
  • You can drag and drop files from your computer to your phone, copy text between devices with Ctrl+C, and right-click to navigate back.
  • SCRCPY also supports screen recording with the scrcpy --record file.mp4 command — useful for creating tutorials or saving gameplay.
  • After the initial wireless setup, you can reconnect by running scrcpy-noconsole.vbs without the USB cable — but a restart of either device requires repeating the USB pairing step.

Quick Steps

  1. On your Android device, enable Developer Options by tapping Settings > About Phone > Build Number seven times.
  2. In Developer Options, enable USB Debugging.
  3. Download SCRCPY from the GitHub releases page and extract the ZIP to a folder on your PC.
  4. Connect your phone via USB, allow the debugging prompt, and double-click scrcpy-noconsole.vbs to start mirroring.
  5. For wireless: run scrcpy --tcpip in the terminal while connected via USB, then disconnect the cable.

How to Enable USB Debugging on Android

Before SCRCPY can communicate with your phone, you need to enable USB debugging. This is a one-time setup that takes about 30 seconds.

Open the Settings app on your Android device and scroll down to About Phone. If you cannot find it, use the search bar in Settings. Tap Software Information, then tap Build Number seven times. You will see a message confirming that Developer Mode has been enabled.

Go back to the main Settings screen and search for Developer Options. Open it, scroll down to USB Debugging, and toggle it on. Confirm the prompt by tapping OK. You can now exit Settings — your phone is ready for SCRCPY.

Android Developer Options screen with USB Debugging toggle enabled

Note: The exact path to Build Number varies by manufacturer. On Samsung devices it is Settings > About Phone > Software Information > Build Number. On Pixel devices it is Settings > About Phone > Build Number directly. If you cannot find it, search “Build number” in your Settings search bar.

How to Download and Set Up SCRCPY on Windows

Go to the SCRCPY GitHub releases page and download the latest ZIP file for your system. For most Windows PCs, choose the win64 version. The download is about 40 MB.

Extract the ZIP file to a folder — I recommend putting it somewhere easy to find, like C:\scrcpy. Inside the extracted folder you will see several files. The two important ones are:

  • scrcpy-noconsole.vbs — double-click this to start mirroring. It launches SCRCPY without a command prompt window.
  • open-a-terminal-here.bat — opens a command prompt in the SCRCPY folder. You need this for wireless setup and advanced commands.

No installation is required — SCRCPY is a portable app. It also does not install anything on your Android device. Everything runs from your computer using the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) protocol.

Extracted SCRCPY folder on Windows showing scrcpy-noconsole.vbs and other files

How to Mirror Android to PC Over USB

Connect your Android device to your computer with a USB cable. Your phone may show a prompt asking you to Allow USB Debugging — tap Allow (and check “Always allow from this computer” so it does not ask again). If your phone also asks about USB file access, allow that too.

In the SCRCPY folder, double-click scrcpy-noconsole.vbs. After a second or two, your phone screen appears in a window on your PC. You now have full control — use your mouse to tap, scroll, and swipe, and your keyboard to type. Right-click acts as the Android back button.

The USB connection gives the best performance with virtually zero latency. If you do not mind keeping the cable plugged in, this is the most reliable way to use SCRCPY.

Android phone screen mirrored and controlled on Windows PC using SCRCPY over USB

How to Mirror Android to PC Wirelessly

Wireless mirroring requires a one-time USB setup to pair the devices, then works over Wi-Fi. Make sure your computer and Android device are connected to the same Wi-Fi network before starting.

With your phone still connected via USB, go to the SCRCPY folder and double-click open-a-terminal-here.bat. In the command prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:

scrcpy --tcpip

SCRCPY will detect your phone on the network, assign its IP address, and switch from USB to Wi-Fi mode automatically. The mirroring window will close briefly and reopen — this time running over wireless. You can now disconnect the USB cable. Your phone stays mirrored and controllable.

The wireless connection is responsive enough for normal use — scrolling, typing, and app navigation all work well. Performance depends on your local network speed. If you experience lag, try moving closer to your router or switching to USB.

Tip: After the initial wireless pairing, you can reconnect by simply double-clicking scrcpy-noconsole.vbs without plugging in the USB cable. However, if you restart your phone or your computer, you will need to repeat the USB pairing step with scrcpy --tcpip before wireless works again.

Useful SCRCPY Shortcuts and Commands

SCRCPY supports a number of keyboard shortcuts and command-line options that make it more powerful than a basic mirroring tool:

  • Right-click — acts as the Android back button
  • Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V — copy and paste text between your computer and phone
  • Drag and drop — drag a file from your PC onto the SCRCPY window to transfer it to your phone
  • Middle click — acts as the Android home button
  • Ctrl+H — home button shortcut
  • Ctrl+S — switch between apps (recent apps)

For a full list of advanced options, open a terminal in the SCRCPY folder and run:

scrcpy --help

To record your Android screen to an MP4 file while mirroring, use:

scrcpy --record file.mp4

This saves the recording to the SCRCPY folder. You can change file.mp4 to any filename you prefer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SCRCPY safe to use?

Yes. SCRCPY is an open-source project hosted on GitHub with over 100,000 stars. It does not install anything on your Android device — it communicates through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which is Google’s official debugging protocol. I have used it on multiple Android devices without any issues.

Does SCRCPY work with all Android phones and tablets?

SCRCPY works with any Android device running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or higher. This covers nearly all phones and tablets still in use. Some heavily customized manufacturer skins may place Developer Options in a slightly different location, but the functionality works the same once USB debugging is enabled.

Can I use SCRCPY on macOS or Linux?

Yes. SCRCPY supports Windows, macOS, and Linux. On macOS you can install it with brew install scrcpy, and on Linux with apt install scrcpy or from the Snap Store. The USB debugging setup on the Android side is identical regardless of which operating system you use on the computer.

Why is wireless mirroring laggy?

Wireless performance depends entirely on your local network quality. If you experience lag, try moving both devices closer to your Wi-Fi router, or use a 5 GHz Wi-Fi band instead of 2.4 GHz. You can also reduce the video bitrate with scrcpy --tcpip -b 2M for a smoother experience on slower networks. For the best performance with zero latency, use the USB connection.

Do I need to install an app on my phone for SCRCPY to work?

No. SCRCPY runs entirely from your computer. It temporarily pushes a small server binary to your phone via ADB each time you connect, but nothing is permanently installed. When you close SCRCPY, there is no trace left on the phone. The only permanent change is enabling USB debugging in Developer Options, which you can disable at any time.

Similar Posts