Most people eventually run into the moment when they want their phone screen on a bigger display. A quick demo for colleagues, a set of photos to pick from, or an app that works far better with a mouse and a keyboard. The usual solution involves an app on the phone, a cloud account, and sometimes even a subscription.
There is, however, a simpler and completely free path. The program scrcpy shows the Android phone's screen in a window on your computer while both devices are connected over a USB cable. Nothing is installed on the phone, no root access is needed, and there is no cloud service in the middle. Just run one program and the phone's display appears in front of you.
In this guide I'll walk you through everything: how to download scrcpy, how to enable USB debugging, how the phone authorizes the computer, and how to actually launch the mirror. You'll also find a few useful options and solutions to the most common problems.
scrcpy is a free, open-source program created by Genymobile. Your Android phone connects to the computer over USB, and the phone's screen shows up in a window on the computer. At the same time the phone can be controlled with the computer's mouse and keyboard. Scrolling, tapping and typing all work naturally.
The image arrives with very little delay, usually between 35 and 70 milliseconds. In good conditions the frame rate can reach 120 frames per second. From Android 11 onward, audio is transmitted automatically as well, so you may not need any extra setup for sound.
The list is short:
Download scrcpy only from the official GitHub releases page:
Github ⇩ scrcpy releases/latest
There you'll always find the newest versions. As of July 2026, the latest stable release is v4.1.
sudo apt install scrcpy. On Arch-based distros, use sudo pacman -S scrcpy.brew install scrcpy.Be careful with fake sites. Pages like scrcpy-download.com offer old versions and may pack suspicious files. The only trustworthy source is the official GitHub releases page.
This is the only setting on the phone you need to touch:
On some phones, like Xiaomi with MIUI, there is also an option named USB debugging (Security settings). Enabling it as well is harmless and sometimes required for the debugging bridge to work fully.
Plug the phone and the computer together with the USB cable. The first time, the phone will ask whether this computer may use USB debugging. Confirm with Allow, and tick Always allow if the option is offered. Without it, the phone will ask again on the next connection.
Run a quick check in the terminal:
adb devices
The output must list your phone and show the state authorized next to it. If it shows unauthorized, you haven't confirmed the prompt on the phone.
On Windows, double-click the downloaded scrcpy.exe file. On Linux and macOS, type scrcpy in the terminal and press Enter.
A new window will open with the phone's live screen. You control it with the mouse: right-click acts as Back, and middle-click as Home. Text can be typed with the computer's keyboard, and Alt+F toggles full-screen mode.
scrcpy -m1024 — lower resolution, better performance.scrcpy --max-fps 30 — cap the frame rate at 30 fps.scrcpy --record=zap.mp4 — record the mirroring session to a video file.scrcpy --turn-screen-off — keep the phone's own display turned off.scrcpy --no-audio — disable audio transmission.sudo apt install adb.Download the tool from the official GitHub page, turn on USB debugging, connect a data cable, and you're done. In a couple of minutes the phone screen is on your computer — free of charge, with nothing to install on the phone and no root needed.