How to Use Scrcpy: Complete Guide for Windows, Mac & Linux

Most people drop their phone, crack the screen, or just want to use apps on a bigger display — and that’s usually when they go looking for scrcpy. It is a free tool that mirrors your Android phone to your PC. No apps to install on your phone, no root, no paid subscriptions. Just a USB cable and one command.

This guide covers everything — Windows, Mac, Linux, wireless setup, broken screen recovery, and the most common errors people run into in 2026.

Requirements Before You Start

You need 5 things before using scrcpy:

1. Android 5.0 or later (API 21+): for basic screen mirroring
2. Android 11 or later (API 30+): for audio forwarding
3. USB debugging is enabled on your Android phone
4. ADB (Android Debug Bridge): bundled on Windows, separate on Mac and Linux
5. USB cable for wired setup, or WiFi for wireless setup

How to Use Scrcpy in Windows

1. Go to: github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy/releases
2. Download: scrcpy-win64-v3.3.4.zip (64-bit) or scrcpy-win32-v3.3.4.zip (32-bit)
3. Extract: unzip to any folder, for example C:\scrcpy
4. Open: double-click open_a_terminal_here.bat inside the folder
5. Run: type scrcpy and press Enter

Tip: Use scrcpy-console.bat instead of scrcpy.exe directly. On error, the terminal stays open so you can read the error message.

Files inside the zip folder:

• scrcpy.exe — the main application
• adb.exe — ADB bundled in, no separate install
• scrcpy-console.bat — runs with terminal window open
• open_a_terminal_here.bat — opens Command Prompt in the folder

How to Use Scrcpy on Android

Nothing installs on your Android phone. It pushes a temporary server file each session, which gets removed automatically when scrcpy closes. Your phone stays clean. The Android side only needs one setup step: USB debugging enabled. After that, every session starts fresh from your PC.

Enable USB Debugging

To enable USB debugging on Android, you must first unlock Developer Options.

• Step 1 — Open Settings > About phone
• Step 2 — Tap Build number 7 times rapidly until you see: You are now a developer
• Step 3 — Go back to Settings > Developer Options and toggle USB debugging ON

Warning: Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO phones need one extra step. Go to Settings > Developer Options and also enable USB debugging (Security Settings). Without this, Xiaomi devices show: INJECT_EVENTS permission denied.

Connect and Run

1. Connect your USB cable from phone to PC
2. On your phone, set USB mode to File Transfer (MTP) — not Charging only
3. Tap Allow on the USB debugging popup that appears on your phone
4. On your PC, open a terminal and run: scrcpy

Your phone screen opens in a window on your desktop. Use your mouse to click and your keyboard to type.

Note: Verify ADB sees your device first. Run adb devices in the terminal. You should see your device listed as ‘device’. If it shows ‘unauthorized’, tap Allow again on your phone.

How to Use Scrcpy Wirelessly

To use scrcpy wirelessly, both your phone and PC must be on the same WiFi network. Wireless mode uses TCP/IP instead of a USB cable and gives 100 to 200 ms latency on a stable 5 GHz connection.

Method 1 — Android 11 and Above (No USB After Pairing)

• 1. Go to Settings > Developer Options > Wireless debugging
• 2. Toggle Wireless debugging ON
• 3. Tap Pair device with pairing code
• 4. Note the IP address, port, and 6-digit pairing code shown on screen
• 5. On your PC, run: adb pair 192.168.X.X:PORT
• 6. Enter the 6-digit pairing code when prompted
• 7. Connect to the device: adb connect 192.168.X.X:5555
• 8. Run scrcpy: scrcpy

Method 2 — Android 10 and Below (USB First)

• 1. Connect phone via USB cable
• 2. Run: adb tcpip 5555
• 3. Find your phone IP: Settings > About phone > Status > IP address
• 4. Disconnect the USB cable
• 5. Run: adb connect 192.168.X.X:5555 Scrcpy

Tip: Force WiFi connection only (when USB and WiFi both connected): scrcpy -e

How to Use Scrcpy With Broken Screen

You can use scrcpy with a broken Android screen — but the approach depends on whether USB debugging was already enabled before the screen broke.

Scenario 1 — USB Debugging Was Already ON (Easy)

If USB debugging was enabled before the screen broke, scrcpy works immediately.

Connect the phone via USB to your PC, run: scrcpy –turn-screen-off

The screen mirrors to your PC. Use your mouse and keyboard to control the phone normally.

Scenario 2 — USB Debugging Was NOT Enabled (OTG Mode)

If USB debugging was never enabled, use OTG mode to enable it blindly using your keyboard and mouse.

• Step 1 — Connect the phone via USB cable
• Step 2 — On the phone, set USB mode to File Transfer (MTP) — pull down notification bar and tap the USB option
• Step 3 — On your PC, run: scrcpy –otg
• Step 4 — A blank window with the scrcpy logo appears — your mouse and keyboard now control the phone
• Step 5 — Navigate to Developer Options using your mouse. Since you cannot see the screen, use Tab and Enter keys to move between options
• Step 6 — Enable USB debugging. A popup asks Allow USB debugging — press Tab, Tab, Enter to confirm
• Step 7 — Close the OTG window. Now run scrcpy normally: scrcpy

Warning: OTG mode shows no screen mirror. You navigate your phone blindly using keyboard and mouse. This is experimental on Windows — works more reliably on Linux.

Navigating Blindly Using Keyboard Shortcuts

When the screen is broken and OTG mode is active, use these key sequences:

• Tab — moves focus between items on screen
• Enter or Space — confirms selection
• Volume Up + Volume Down + Power — force restart (if stuck)
• Tab, Enter, Tab, Tab, Enter — typical sequence to accept USB debugging popup

Scrcpy Keyboard Shortcuts and Mouse Controls

The MOD key on Windows and Linux is Right Alt. On Mac, the MOD key is Right Cmd.

Action	Shortcut
Home button	MOD + H  or  Middle-click
Back button	MOD + B  or  Right-click
App switcher	MOD + S
Volume Up	MOD + Arrow Up
Volume Down	MOD + Arrow Down
Screen on/off	MOD + P
Fullscreen	MOD + F
Rotate	MOD + R
Screenshot	MOD + S (hold 1 second)
Copy phone to PC	MOD + C
Paste PC to phone	MOD + V
Expand notifications	MOD + N
Collapse notifications	MOD + N + N
Resize window 1:1	MOD + G
Close scrcpy	MOD + W

How to Record Your Android Screen with Scrcpy

To record your Android screen with scrcpy, add the –record flag with a filename to the command.

Basic Recording

scrcpy –record screen.mp4

Record Without Showing Screen on PC

scrcpy –no-playback –record screen.mp4

Record in H.265 (Better Quality, Smaller File)

scrcpy –video-codec=h265 –record screen.mp4

Record at 1080p, 60fps

scrcpy –max-size=1920 –max-fps=60 –record screen.mp4

Record Camera Directly

scrcpy –video-source=camera –video-codec=h265 –camera-size=1920×1080 –record=camera.mp4

Note: Press Ctrl + C to stop recording. The file saves in the folder where you ran the command.

How to Enable Audio Forwarding

Audio forwarding works on Android 11 (API 30) and above only. Android 10 and below do not support audio forwarding through scrcpy.

Forward Audio to PC (Default)

scrcpy : Audio forwards automatically on Android 11+. No extra flag needed.

Play Audio on Both Phone and PC

scrcpy –audio-dup

Use Phone Microphone as Audio Source

scrcpy –audio-source=mic

Disable Audio Completely

scrcpy –no-audio

Warning: Some streaming apps (YouTube, Spotify) block audio capture by design. Try –audio-source=playback as an alternative.

How to Mirror Camera as Webcam

To use your Android camera as a webcam on Linux, run scrcpy with the –v4l2-sink flag. This feature is Linux-only. Windows users can route scrcpy output through OBS Virtual Camera.

Load V4L2 Loopback Driver First

sudo modprobe v4l2loopback

Mirror Front Camera as Virtual Webcam

scrcpy –video-source=camera –camera-facing=front –v4l2-sink=/dev/video2 –no-playback

Mirror Rear Camera at 1080p

scrcpy –video-source=camera –video-codec=h265 –camera-size=1920×1080 –v4l2-sink=/dev/video2 –no-playback

Note: After running the command, open Zoom, Google Meet, or OBS. Select the virtual camera — usually listed as /dev/video2 or Dummy video device.

Common Scrcpy Errors and Fixes

These are the 8 most common scrcpy errors in 2026 with exact fixes.

1. adb: no devices/emulators found

• Cause: USB not recognized or wrong USB mode.
• Fix: Set USB mode to File Transfer (MTP) on your phone — not Charging only.

2. device unauthorized

• Cause: USB debugging permission not granted.
• Fix: Look at your phone screen and tap Allow on the USB debugging popup.

3. INJECT_EVENTS permission denied (Xiaomi / MIUI / HyperOS)

• Cause: Missing secondary security permission.
• Fix: Settings > Developer Options > USB debugging (Security Settings) — enable this second toggle.

4. Black screen after scrcpy launches

• Cause: Phone screen is locked.
• Fix: Unlock your phone first, then run scrcpy again.

5. Permission denial error after Android OS upgrade

Cause: Android updates reset ADB permissions. Fixed in v3.3.4.

6. Update to scrcpy v3.3.4
7. Go to Settings > Developer Options
8. Tap Revoke USB debugging
9. authorizations
10. Reconnect phone and tap Allow again

6. Virtual display opens as blank screen

• Cause: No launcher available in virtual display.
• Fix: Launch an app directly:

scrcpy –new-display=1920×1080 –start-app=com.google.android.dialer

7. Mouse not working inside scrcpy window

Cause: Input injection conflict on some devices.

scrcpy –mouse=aoa

8. Scrcpy fails to start on Meizu devices

• Cause: Known startup bug. Fixed in v3.3.4.
• Fix: Update to scrcpy v3.3.4 — the Meizu fix is included in this release.

How to Use Scrcpy Without USB Debugging

Yes, scrcpy works without USB debugging — in OTG mode only. OTG mode controls your phone using keyboard, mouse, and gamepad simulation. Screen mirroring is disabled in this mode.

Run OTG Mode

scrcpy –otg

A blank scrcpy window appears. Your keyboard and mouse now directly control the Android device.

What OTG Mode Can Do

• Control phone with keyboard and mouse without ADB
• Navigate to Developer Options and enable USB debugging
• Back up data after enabling USB debugging
• Works on any Android phone connected via USB

What OTG Mode Cannot Do

• No screen mirroring — the window shows only the scrcpy logo
• No audio forwarding
• Does not work over WiFi — USB cable required

Note: OTG mode is the solution for broken-screen phones where USB debugging was not previously enabled. Navigate blindly using Tab and Enter until you reach Developer Options.

Scrcpy vs Vysor vs AirDroid: Which Is Best?

Scrcpy is the best choice for most users in 2026. It is 100% free, has the lowest latency of the three, and supports features like virtual displays and audio forwarding that Vysor does not offer.

Scrcpy vs Vysor vs AirDroid — feature and price comparison 2026

Feature	Scrcpy v3.3.4	Vysor	AirDroid
Price	Free	Free / $2.50/mo Pro	Free / $3.99/mo
Latency (USB)	35 to 70 ms	100 to 200 ms	100 to 300 ms
Audio forwarding	Yes (Android 11+)	No	Paid only
Virtual display	Yes (v3.0+)	No	No
Screen recording	Yes	Paid only	Paid only
Linux support	Yes	No	No
Open source	Yes	No	No
Wireless	Yes	Yes	Yes
No root needed	Yes	Yes	Yes

• Choose Scrcpy: for zero cost, full features, and the lowest latency on all 3 platforms.
• Choose Vysor: for a simple graphical interface without any command line.
• Choose AirDroid: for remote file management and cross-device notifications.

Can scrcpy connect 2 phones at the same time?

Yes. Connect both phones, run adb devices to list them, then run 2 separate scrcpy instances:
* scrcpy –serial DEVICE_ID_1
* scrcpy –serial DEVICE_ID_2

How do I update scrcpy to the latest version?

• Windows: Download the new zip from GitHub and extract it over the old folder
• Mac: Run brew upgrade scrcpy in Terminal
• Linux Snap: Run sudo snap refresh scrcpy
• Linux tarball: Download and extract the new version from GitHub

Conclusion

Scrcpy v3.3.4 is the most capable free Android screen mirroring tool available in 2026. It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux with no fees, no root, and nothing permanently installed on your phone. The 4 steps to get started right now, Enable USB debugging on your Android phone (tap Build number 7 times). Download scrcpy v3.3.4 from github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy/releases. Connect your phone via USB and run scrcpy in your terminal. Switch to wireless using adb tcpip 5555 once the USB connection works For best performance, use a USB 3.0 cable for wired connections. For wireless, use a 5 GHz WiFi network to keep latency under 150 ms.

Frequently Asked Questions