Want to mirror and control your Android phone directly from your Windows PC? SCRCPY is a powerful free tool that lets you display your phone’s screen on your computer and control it using your mouse and keyboard. It’s lightweight, open-source, and works without installing any extra apps on your phone. In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to install SCRCPY on Windows, enable USB debugging on Android, mirror your screen over USB, and even connect wirelessly over Wi-Fi.
Before You Begin
Before installing SCRCPY, there are a few quick things you should prepare. The setup is simple, but making sure everything is ready will prevent connection errors later.
You’ll need:
- A Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC
- An Android phone (Android 5.0 or newer)
- A USB cable for the first connection
- A stable Wi-Fi network (only if you want wireless mode)
SCRCPY does not require root access, special apps, or paid software. Everything works using Android’s built-in developer tools.
The most important requirement is enabling USB debugging on your Android device. This allows your computer to communicate with your phone.
In the next step, we’ll enable Developer Options and USB debugging on Android.
Step 1: Enable Developer Options and USB Debugging
To allow your PC to control your Android device, we must enable USB debugging. This option is hidden by default, but you can unlock it in a few seconds.
On your Android phone:
- Open Settings
- Go to About phone
- Find Build number
- Tap Build number repeatedly (about 7 times)
You’ll see a message saying:
👉 “You are now a developer!”
Now go back:
- Open Settings
- Go to Developer options
- Turn on USB debugging
- Tap Allow if prompted
Your phone is now ready to connect to SCRCPY.
Step 2: Download SCRCPY for Windows
Now we’ll download the official SCRCPY package for Windows. Always download SCRCPY from its GitHub releases page to make sure you get the latest safe version.
Use the button below:
After opening the page:
- Scroll to the Assets section
- Download the file named like
👉scrcpy-win64-vX.X.X.zip - Save it to your computer
Once downloaded:
- Right-click the ZIP file
- Click Extract All
- Extract it to a folder you can easily access
(for example: Desktop or Downloads)
No installation is required — SCRCPY runs directly from this folder.
Step 3: Connect Your Phone and Run SCRCPY (USB Mode)
Now we’ll mirror your Android screen using a USB connection.
Connect the Phone
- Plug your Android phone into the PC using a USB cable
- On your phone, set USB mode to File Transfer (MTP)
- A popup will appear: Allow USB debugging?
- Tap Allow
Open Command Prompt in SCRCPY Folder
- Open the folder where you extracted SCRCPY
- Click the address bar at the top of the folder
- Type:
cmd - Press Enter
This opens Command Prompt directly inside the SCRCPY folder.
Run SCRCPY
In Command Prompt, type:
scrcpy
Press Enter.
After a few seconds, your Android screen will appear on your PC.
✅ You can now control your phone using your mouse and keyboard.
Step 4: Adjust Video Quality (Bitrate & Resolution)
SCRCPY lets you control how smooth or sharp the mirrored video looks. If your PC is slow or the video feels laggy, you can reduce the quality. If your PC is powerful, you can increase it for a sharper image.
To launch SCRCPY with custom quality settings, use command options.
Example:
scrcpy --video-bit-rate 8M --max-size 1280
What these options mean:
- –video-bit-rate 8M
Controls video quality
Higher = better quality, more CPU usage
Lower = smoother performance - –max-size 1280
Limits resolution
Smaller number = faster performance
Performance presets you can try:
High quality
scrcpy --video-bit-rate 12M --max-size 1920
Balanced
scrcpy --video-bit-rate 8M --max-size 1280
Performance mode
scrcpy --video-bit-rate 4M --max-size 1024
After pressing Enter, SCRCPY will launch with the new settings.
Step 5: Connect SCRCPY Wirelessly (Wi-Fi Mode)
SCRCPY can also work without a USB cable. After the initial setup, you can mirror your phone completely over Wi-Fi.
Requirements
- Phone and PC must be on the same Wi-Fi network
- Keep USB connected during the first wireless setup
Find Your Phone’s IP Address
On your Android device:
- Open Settings → Wi-Fi
- Tap your connected network
- Note the IP address
You’ll need this in the next command.
Switch ADB to Wireless Mode
On your PC, inside the SCRCPY folder Command Prompt, type:
adb tcpip 5555
Press Enter.
This tells ADB to listen over Wi-Fi instead of USB.
Connect Over Wi-Fi
Now type:
adb connect <your_device_ip>:5555
Replace <your_device_ip> with the number you noted earlier.
Example:
adb connect 192.168.1.25:5555
If successful, you’ll see:
👉 connected to 192.168.x.x
Now you can unplug the USB cable.
Launch SCRCPY Wirelessly
Finally run:
scrcpy
Your phone will connect wirelessly and appear on the screen.
✅ You are now mirroring Android over Wi-Fi.
Troubleshooting Common SCRCPY Issues
If SCRCPY doesn’t connect or shows errors, don’t worry — most problems are easy to fix.
Device Not Detected
If SCRCPY says “device not found”:
- Reconnect the USB cable
- Unlock your phone screen
- Accept the USB debugging popup again
- Try another USB port
You can also restart ADB:
adb kill-server
adb start-server
Then run scrcpy again.
Unauthorized Device Error
If you see “unauthorized”:
- On your phone → Developer Options
- Tap Revoke USB debugging authorizations
- Reconnect USB
- Tap Allow when prompted
Wireless Mode Not Connecting
If Wi-Fi connection fails:
- Make sure PC and phone are on the same network
- Re-run:
adb tcpip 5555
adb connect <your_ip>:5555
- Temporarily disable firewall if needed
Wireless mode is usually slower than USB — that’s normal.
Final Words
That’s it! You’ve successfully installed SCRCPY and learned how to mirror your Android phone on a Windows PC using both USB and Wi-Fi. SCRCPY is one of the best free tools for screen recording, app demos, presentations, and remote control.
Once you start using it, you’ll probably wonder how you ever lived without it.
