scrcpy

Overview

scrcpy ("screen copy") talks to the device through adb, starts a small server on it for the duration of the session, and streams the encoded screen (and audio) back to the computer. Nothing is installed permanently and no root is needed. It can mirror and control the device, record the stream to a file straight from the device encoder, mirror the camera instead of the screen, work over Wi-Fi, or run without any window.

Everything here assumes the user owns the device or is explicitly allowed to use it; scrcpy needs USB debugging, which the owner must switch on, and the device shows an authorization prompt the first time a computer connects. An agent should never try to work around that prompt.

Instructions

Installation

Use the official release; the project warns against downloading it from anywhere else (https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy). Package-manager versions on Debian, Ubuntu and Snap are marked obsolete by the project.

brew install scrcpy                  # macOS (Homebrew); also needs: brew install --cask android-platform-tools
sudo pacman -S scrcpy                # Arch Linux

Linux and Windows static builds include adb. Linux example with the checksum published in the project's doc/linux.md:

curl -fLO https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy/releases/download/v5.0.1/scrcpy-linux-x86_64-v5.0.1.tar.gz
echo "9f969d30cc574816077edecda65719c1c70b0aee1df1ba5fa00779ac07b8fd6e  scrcpy-linux-x86_64-v5.0.1.tar.gz" | sha256sum --check
tar -xzf scrcpy-linux-x86_64-v5.0.1.tar.gz
./scrcpy-linux-x86_64-v5.0.1/scrcpy --version

Run it from that folder or add the folder to PATH. Check the latest tag on the releases page before copying the version number and checksum.

Prepare the device and connect over USB

1. On the phone: Settings, About phone, tap Build number seven times; then Developer options, enable USB debugging.
2. Plug in the USB cable and accept the "Allow USB debugging?" prompt on the phone.
3. Check that the device is listed as device (not unauthorized):

adb devices
scrcpy

If several devices are attached, pick one with --serial (-s), --select-usb (-d) or --select-tcpip (-e); the ANDROID_SERIAL environment variable works too.

On some devices (notably Xiaomi) keyboard and mouse input fails with an INJECT_EVENTS error until the separate option "USB debugging (Security settings)" is enabled and the device is rebooted.

Wireless connection

With the phone on the same network as the computer:

scrcpy --tcpip                       # while connected by USB: finds the IP, enables adb over TCP/IP, connects
scrcpy --tcpip=192.168.1.42          # a device already listening on port 5555
scrcpy --tcpip=+192.168.1.42:5555    # "+" forces a reconnection

After the first successful --tcpip, the cable can be removed. On Android 11+, wireless debugging in Developer options can replace the USB step; pair and connect with adb pair / adb connect first, then run scrcpy -e.

Recording

--record (-r) muxes on the computer the stream encoded on the device; the container is chosen from the file extension or --record-format (mp4, mkv, m4a, mka, opus, aac, flac, wav).

scrcpy --record=login-flow.mp4
scrcpy --no-audio --record=login-flow.mp4          # video only
scrcpy --no-video --record=voice-note.opus         # audio only
scrcpy --record=demo.mkv --time-limit=90           # stop after 90 seconds

Timestamps are taken on the device, so a flaky Wi-Fi link does not leave stutter in the file.

Headless: record with no window

--no-window hides the window and implies no video playback; --no-playback (-N) disables video and audio playback on the computer. Use them for unattended recording and combine with --no-control to make sure nothing is sent to the device.

scrcpy --no-window --no-control --record=nightly-smoke.mp4 --time-limit=120

Because there is no window, always set --time-limit or stop the process yourself, and run it with a shell timeout.

Audio

Audio forwarding is on by default on Android 11+ (on Android 11 the device screen must be unlocked when scrcpy starts). Useful options: --no-audio, --require-audio (fail instead of silently falling back to video only), --audio-codec (opus, aac, flac, raw), and --audio-source (output by default; playback, mic and other microphone variants). --audio-dup keeps the sound playing on the phone while it is captured (only with --audio-source=playback).

Camera mirroring (Android 12+)

scrcpy --list-cameras
scrcpy --list-camera-sizes
scrcpy --video-source=camera --camera-facing=back --camera-size=1920x1080
scrcpy --video-source=camera --camera-id=0 --no-audio --record=door.mp4

Camera mode switches the audio source to the microphone unless --no-audio is given. --camera-facing takes front, back or external.

Quality, speed and device behavior

scrcpy --max-size=1024 --video-bit-rate=4M --max-fps=30   # lighter stream for slow links
scrcpy --video-codec=h265                                  # h264 (default), h265, av1, vp8, vp9
scrcpy --stay-awake --turn-screen-off                      # keep the phone on, screen dark while mirroring
scrcpy --show-touches                                      # draw touch points (physical touches only)
scrcpy --power-off-on-close
scrcpy --list-encoders                                     # what the device can encode

--stay-awake only works while the device is plugged in. Other useful flags: --window-title, --crop=width:height:x:y, --new-display for a separate virtual display, --otg to act as a physical keyboard/mouse without adb, and --pause-on-exit=if-error so a double-clicked terminal does not vanish before the error is read.

Shortcuts

The modifier MOD defaults to left Alt or left Super and can be changed with --shortcut-mod. The full list is in doc/shortcuts.md of the repository. Right-click sends Back (or turns the screen on if it was off); middle-click sends Home.

Examples

Example 1 — Record a 60-second bug reproduction

Request: "Record the checkout crash on my Pixel while I tap through it, and save it as a video I can attach to the ticket."

adb devices
scrcpy --record=checkout-crash-2026-10-28.mp4 --time-limit=60 --show-touches --stay-awake

Result: adb devices lists one device in state device. scrcpy opens a window, the user reproduces the crash, and after 60 seconds (or when the window is closed) checkout-crash-2026-10-28.mp4 contains the screen with touch dots and the device audio. If adb devices shows unauthorized, ask the user to accept the prompt on the phone.

Example 2 — Mirror over Wi-Fi from across the desk

Request: "Plug the phone in once, then let me use it wirelessly while I record the screen."

scrcpy --tcpip --max-size=1280 --video-bit-rate=4M

Result: scrcpy finds the phone's IP (for example 192.168.1.42), enables TCP/IP mode, connects and opens the mirror. After unplugging, scrcpy --tcpip=192.168.1.42 --max-size=1280 starts it again. The reduced size and bit rate keep latency low on ordinary Wi-Fi.

Example 3 — Unattended recording with no window

Request: "Record the kiosk app on the test tablet for two minutes while the test script runs, nobody will be looking at the screen."

timeout 150 scrcpy --serial=R52W30XYZAB --no-window --no-control --record=kiosk-run.mkv --time-limit=120

Result: no window appears, nothing is injected into the tablet, and kiosk-run.mkv is written for two minutes. The outer timeout guards against a hung connection, and --serial makes sure the right tablet is chosen when two are attached.

Guidelines

• Only connect to devices the user owns or is authorized to use. Never enable USB debugging, accept authorization prompts or bypass a lock screen on someone else's device.
• scrcpy is interactive by default. In an agent session run it with a time limit (--time-limit plus a shell timeout) or hand the command to the user; do not leave a window open waiting.
• Mirroring is not hidden: the device keeps its normal indicators, and recordings include whatever is on screen, such as notifications, one-time codes and passwords. Review recordings before sharing them.
• A second adb version on the PATH can kill the other's server (adb server version doesn't match). Use the adb shipped with scrcpy or make sure only one is installed.
• Wi-Fi mirroring leaves adb listening on the device (port 5555) until the device reboots or adb disconnect / USB debugging is turned off. Disable it on shared networks.
• scrcpy cannot automate the UI by itself; it only mirrors and injects input. For scripted UI testing use an automation tool and use scrcpy to watch or record the run.
• If control works but text input does not, or the opposite, check the --keyboard and --mouse modes (sdk, uhid, aoa, disabled) before reinstalling anything.