scrcpy

For anyone who wants to see and control their Android from the computer: give a demo, record the screen, or use the keyboard and mouse instead of the touchscreen.

Apache-2.0 Reviewed on October 29, 2026

By Jorge Aguilar · Checked against the official documentation · Updated October 29, 2026

View on GitHub (opens in a new tab) Official documentation (opens in a new tab)

What it does.

see your Android screen on the computer, with audio if the phone runs Android 11 or later
control the phone with the computer's keyboard and mouse
record the phone screen (or its camera) to a file
copy and paste both ways between phone and computer
use the phone camera as a webcam (Linux only)

Systems: Computer: Linux, Windows and macOS. Phone: Android 5.0 (API 21) or later.

What you need.

Phone running Android 5.0 (API 21) or later; audio needs Android 11 and the camera needs Android 12. source for this requirement (opens in a new tab)
USB debugging turned on in the phone (OTG mode does not need it). source for this requirement (opens in a new tab)
adb reachable in your PATH. On macOS it is installed separately; on Windows, WinGet installs it together with scrcpy. source for this requirement (opens in a new tab)

How to install.

macOS with Homebrew:
```
brew install scrcpy
```

If you do not have adb yet on macOS:

brew install --cask android-platform-tools

Windows with WinGet (installs adb too):

winget install --exact Genymobile.scrcpy

Linux: download the official static release or use your distribution's package. The guide marks apt and snap on Debian/Ubuntu as outdated versions.
Turn on USB debugging, connect the phone and, in a terminal, run:
```
scrcpy
```

Commands taken from the official documentation. Read them before you run them: it is your machine.

Permissions and data.

It asks you to turn on USB debugging, an Android developer option: only connect to computers you know.
On some phones (especially Xiaomi) you also need the "USB debugging (Security settings)" option to control it with keyboard and mouse.
It needs no root and leaves no app installed on the phone, according to the README.

Limits and warnings.

It is a command-line application: you run it from a terminal.
Audio only works on Android 11 or later, the camera on Android 12 or later, and the webcam (V4L2) on Linux only.
Download it only from the official repo: the README warns that there is no other official source, even if a name contains scrcpy.
If it runs slowly, the README suggests lowering the resolution (for example, scrcpy -m1024).

Real cost and cloud.

The README says it needs no account, no ads and no internet.
You only need a USB cable or your local network (TCP/IP mode) between the phone and the computer.
Everything happens between your two devices: the documentation mentions no external service.

License.

Apache-2.0 Permissive open source

Apache-2.0: you can use, modify and redistribute it, including in commercial projects, as long as you keep the license notices.

This is a summary to orient you, not legal advice. For commercial use, read the original LICENSE file.

Where all of this comes from.

Checked against the official documentation on October 29, 2026; this is not a lab test. Nothing was installed or measured to write this guide. If something has changed, the project's documentation is the authority.

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