BENTECH

Mastering Android Screen Mirroring and Control on PC with scrcpy

Learn how to mirror and control your Android smartphone on a Windows PC using the lightweight open-source tool scrcpy over USB.

This hands-on course guides you through downloading, extracting, and configuring scrcpy on Windows, enabling Developer Options and USB Debugging on Android, and running scrcpy from Command Prompt to seamlessly control mobile apps with your PC mouse and keyboard.

Section 1: Software Setup on Windows

Obtain and prepare scrcpy on the Windows operating system.

Lesson 1.1: Downloading and Extracting scrcpy

  • Finding the official GitHub repository
  • Downloading the Windows zip release
  • Creating C:\scrcpy and extracting binaries

scrcpy is an open-source tool developed by Genymobile that displays and controls Android devices connected over USB or TCP/IP. It provides low latency, high performance (30~60fps), and does not require root access or any app installation on the smartphone. To configure it on Windows, visit the GitHub repository (github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy) and download the prebuilt Windows zip archive (e.g., scrcpy-win64-v1.17.zip). Move the downloaded archive to Local Disk (C:), create a dedicated folder named 'scrcpy', and extract the archive directly into C:\scrcpy so that the executables (such as scrcpy.exe and adb.exe) are accessible from that path.

Practical work

  1. Download the scrcpy Windows zip package from GitHub.
  2. Create a folder named 'scrcpy' directly on Local Disk (C:).
  3. Move the zip archive inside C:\scrcpy and extract all files there.

Section 2: Android Device Configuration

Configure developer settings and enable debugging permissions on your phone.

Lesson 2.1: Enabling Developer Options and USB Debugging

  • Locating Build Number in Android Settings
  • Tapping Build Number seven times
  • Toggling USB Debugging under Developer Options

Before a computer can send display and control commands to an Android phone, the device must grant USB debugging permissions. These controls are protected inside the hidden Developer Options menu. On the phone, open Settings and navigate to 'My phone' or 'About phone'. Scroll to find the 'Build number' field and tap it seven consecutive times. You will be prompted to authenticate with your device password, PIN, or pattern. Once confirmed, a toast notification announces that developer mode is active. Return to Settings > System > Developer options, locate 'USB debugging', and toggle it on.

Practical work

  1. Open Settings on your Android phone and find the Build number.
  2. Tap the Build number 7 times and confirm your lock screen passcode.
  3. Navigate to Developer options under System and switch on USB Debugging.

Section 3: Connection and Desktop Control

Connect the smartphone and control mobile applications using the PC Command Prompt.

Lesson 3.1: Launching scrcpy and Operating Mobile Apps

  • Opening Command Prompt as Administrator
  • Navigating with cd C:\scrcpy
  • Executing scrcpy command
  • Interacting with mobile apps via mouse

With scrcpy extracted in C:\scrcpy and USB debugging enabled on the phone, plug the phone into the computer using a reliable USB data cable. On the computer, launch Command Prompt as an administrator. Navigate to the tool directory using the command 'cd C:\scrcpy' and press Enter. Then run the command 'scrcpy'. Within seconds, a native window appears mirroring your phone's screen. You can now resize the window, click on apps with your mouse, type with your keyboard, and operate all phone features like messaging and media playback directly from Windows.

Practical work

  1. Plug your phone into your computer using a USB cable.
  2. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
  3. Execute 'cd C:\scrcpy' followed by 'scrcpy'.
  4. Verify that your phone screen appears and open an app (e.g. File Manager, WhatsApp, Facebook) using your mouse.