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What is scrcpy?

mikachu/scrcpy — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-17 · repo last pushed 2026-07-12

CAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5ActiveLicenseSetup · moderate

In one sentence

scrcpy mirrors your Android phone screen to your computer and lets you control it with your keyboard and mouse in real time, with nothing permanently installed on your phone and no root access needed.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Mirrors phone screen
      Control with keyboard mouse
      Streams video and audio
      No root required
    Tech stack
      C
      Android Debug Bridge
      Native desktop app
    Use cases
      App testing on desktop
      Customer support demos
      Screen recording
      Phone as webcam
    Key features
      Adjustable video quality
      Gamepad controller support
      Virtual displays
      Phone screen off mode
    Audience
      App developers
      Support professionals
      General users

Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Test and interact with an Android app using your computer's keyboard and mouse on a larger screen.

USE CASE 2

Walk a customer through phone troubleshooting steps with the device mirrored to your monitor.

USE CASE 3

Record your phone screen or camera feed directly to a file on your computer.

USE CASE 4

Use your Android phone's camera as a webcam for video calls on your computer.

What is it built with?

CAndroid Debug BridgeFFmpegSDLlibusb

How does it compare?

mikachu/scrcpyacc4github/kdenlive-omnifadeaggarg/lab-project-freertos-fat
Stars0
LanguageCCC
Last pushed2026-07-122024-01-08
MaintenanceActiveDormant
Setup difficultymoderatemoderatemoderate
Complexity2/52/53/5
Audiencedevelopergeneraldeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires enabling Android USB debugging in developer settings and installing platform-tools (ADB) on your computer.

You can use, modify, and distribute this software freely, including for commercial purposes, as long as you include the copyright notice.

So what is it?

scrcpy lets you see and control your Android phone from your computer. You plug in the phone (or connect over Wi-Fi), and your phone's screen appears on your desktop. You can then use your computer's keyboard and mouse to interact with it, just like you were tapping and swiping on the phone itself. It works on Linux, Windows, and macOS. Under the hood, the app connects to your phone using standard Android debugging features that you toggle on in your settings. It then captures the device's video and audio and streams them to your computer screen in real time, achieving fast response times with minimal delay. Because it runs natively on your computer and relies on built-in Android communication tools, it leaves nothing permanently installed on your phone and requires no root access. Anyone who works with an Android device and a computer at the same time could benefit from this tool. App developers testing their software can type and interact on a larger screen. Customer support professionals can walk users through steps with their device mirrored to a monitor. It is also handy for recording a phone's screen or its camera directly to a computer file, or even for using a phone's camera as a makeshift webcam during computer calls. The project is notable for being lightweight and highly configurable without any ads, accounts, or internet requirements. You can adjust the video quality and frame rate to match your needs, and it supports advanced features like gamepad controllers, creating virtual secondary displays, and keeping your phone screen turned off while you control it. The README warns that its official GitHub repository is the only safe source for downloading the software, advising users to avoid third-party websites that might host modified versions.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Help me build scrcpy from source on Ubuntu, what dependencies do I need and what are the build commands?
Prompt 2
Write a script that launches scrcpy with maximum video quality, 60fps frame rate, and turns the phone screen off while mirroring so I can control it from my desktop.
Prompt 3
Generate step-by-step instructions for connecting my Android phone to scrcpy over Wi-Fi instead of a USB cable, including how to enable wireless debugging.
Prompt 4
Create a guide for recording my phone screen to an MP4 file using scrcpy, including the exact command-line flags for saving audio and video together.

Frequently asked questions

What is scrcpy?

scrcpy mirrors your Android phone screen to your computer and lets you control it with your keyboard and mouse in real time, with nothing permanently installed on your phone and no root access needed.

What language is scrcpy written in?

Mainly C. The stack also includes C, Android Debug Bridge, FFmpeg.

Is scrcpy actively maintained?

Active — commit in last 30 days (last push 2026-07-12).

What license does scrcpy use?

You can use, modify, and distribute this software freely, including for commercial purposes, as long as you include the copyright notice.

How hard is scrcpy to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is scrcpy for?

Mainly developer.

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