Use Open-Source Scrcpy To Control Android Via Windows & macOS

Scrcpy Best mirroring app for PC

At present, there are dozens of apps that offer to mirror Android phones to PC and Mac, but the fact of the matter is that only a handful of them are actually good at it. From occasional stutters to high latency and obtrusive advertisements, there are some probable hurdles. Not to forget that screen mirroring Android to PC or Mac is nothing but a nightmare, even with the popular screen mirroring apps.

And, oh, did I mention many software programs don’t even allow users to control Android from their computer without paying for the “pro” version? That is why, in this article, I will talk about an open-source app for Android screen mirroring. Let’s dive in.

Best Android Screen Mirroring Tool — Scrcpy

Scrcpy is an open-source free Android screen mirroring tool that enables users to control Android on PC and Mac (via USB and wirelessly), without even installing any application.

The tool is supported by Windows 10, macOS, and Linux. The biggest feature of Scrcpy is its low latency rate of 35 and 70ms, making its performance on par with Vysor — one of the most popular apps to mirror Android.

But unlike Vysor’s freemium model, Scrcpy is completely free, including all the necessary features such as sharing files, changing the resolution, recording screen, clicking screenshots, and much more. Since Scrcpy doesn’t involve installing an application, it is also one of the safest mirror apps for Android.

However, there is a small catch with Scrcpy. Users with no technical knowledge of the command line will likely face difficulties in installing the screen mirroring app.

To make it easy for you, here I have explained how users can view and control Android phones on their PC via Scrcpy.

How to mirror Android screen to PC via USB?

For macOS

  1. Enable the USB debugging settings in the Developer options in your Android device.
  2. Go to Spotlight on your Mac and open Terminal.
    Open Terminal In Mac
  3. Install Homebrew by entering this command (it might take 10-15 minutes).
    Install homebrew on MacHow to install ADB using Homebrew
  4. Now, enter the command “brew cask install android-platform-tools” for installing Android ADB tools.
    Install ADB on Mac
  5. To install Scrcpy, enter the command “brew install scrcpy” and wait for the installation to complete.
    install scrcpy on Mac
  6. Now, plug in your Android device using the USB cable.
  7. Allow USB Debugging confirmation on your phone.
  8. Enter the command “scrcpy” in the Terminal.
    Scrcpy Android screen mirroring

For Windows 10

Before running Scrcpy on your Windows 10 PC, users will have to download and install the Android ADB tool.

  1. Download the Scrcpy latest package and extract the zip file.
  2. Enable the USB debugging settings in the Developer options on your Android device.
  3. Connect the device to your PC via USB cable.
  4. Allow USB Debugging confirmation on your phone.
  5. Run the application “Scrcpy”
Mirror Android Windows Pc wirelessly

Linux users can find steps to install the Android mirroring tool on Scrcpy’s Github page.

How to mirror Android screen to PC wirelessly?

In order to cast your Android screen on a PC wirelessly, follow the previous steps and install Scrcpy, then simply enable wireless connection on ADB. Also, make sure your PC and Android device are on the same wireless network.

  1. Connect your device to your PC and allow USB debugging confirmation.
  2. Enter the command “adb devices” to confirm the connection.
  3. Now enter the command “adb tcpip 5555” to enable WiFi Debug mode.
    Share Android wirelessly
  4. Remove the USB cable.
  5. Enter the command “adb connect <device IP address>”
    You can locate your Android device’s IP address in Settings — About phone — IP address.
    Connect ADB device wirelessly
  6. Enter the command “scrcpy”

These steps are applicable to both Windows and macOS. In order to disable the wireless connection, simply enter the command “adb usb.”

What more can you do with Scrcpy?

As long as you have correctly installed Scrcpy, you can do all the things that you’d expect from Android screen mirroring. You just need to enter the appropriate command. Here is the list of a few Scrcpy commands –

  • To enter Full Screen – “scrcpy — f”
  • To record Screen “scrcpy — record file.mp4” or “scrcpy -r file.mkv”
  • Reduce the resolution to increase speed “scrcpy -m 1024”

Apart from this, users can easily transfer files to an Android device by simply dragging the specific file to the Scrcpy window. Users can also install Android APK files right from the PC using this method.

Another cool feature of Scrcpy is that users can copy and paste text from Android to PC and vice-versa using the basic Copy-paste shortcuts.

Last but not least, below are several keyboard shortcuts that enable you to control Android from your PC.

ActionShortcutShortcut (MacOS)
Switch fullscreen modeCtrl+fCmd+f
Resize window to 1:1 (pixel-perfect)Ctrl+gCmd+g
Resize window to remove black bordersCtrl+x | Double-click¹Cmd+x | Double-click¹
Click on HOMECtrl+h | Middle-clickCtrl+h | Middle-click
Click on BACKCtrl+b | Right-click²Cmd+b | Right-click²
Click on APP_SWITCHCtrl+sCmd+s
Click on MENUCtrl+mCtrl+m
Click on VOLUME_UPCtrl+↑ (up)Cmd+↑ (up)
Click on VOLUME_DOWNCtrl+↓ (down)Cmd+↓ (down)
Click on POWERCtrl+pCmd+p
Power onRight-click²Right-click²
Turn device screen off (keep mirroring)Ctrl+oCmd+o
Rotate device screenCtrl+rCmd+r
Expand notification panelCtrl+nCmd+n
Collapse notification panelCtrl+Shift+nCmd+Shift+n
Copy device clipboard to computerCtrl+cCmd+c
Paste computer clipboard to deviceCtrl+vCmd+v
Copy computer clipboard to deviceCtrl+Shift+vCmd+Shift+v
Enable/disable FPS counter (on stdout)Ctrl+iCmd+i

Finally, that wraps up everything you need to know about Scrcpy and its usage. Those who are looking for the best apps to sync files between Android and Mac can check out this list.

FAQs

1. Is Scrcpy safe to use?

Since Scrcpy doesn’t involve downloading files from any shady source, it is evidently safe to use. All it requires you to do is use some built-in tools and commands of your operating system.

2. Is Scrcpy an emulator?

No, Scrcpy is not an Android emulator. It just allows you to stream and control your phone’s Android interface via wired or wireless method.

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