Screen mirroring apps for Windows Archives

Windows 10’s new Android screen-mirroring feature only works with a handful of phones and PCs. Here’s how you can mirror nearly any Android phone’s screen to your Windows PC, Mac, or Linux system—and control it with your mouse and keyboard.

The Options: scrcpy, AirMirror, and Vysor

We recommend scrcpy for this. It’s a free, open-source solution for mirroring and controlling your Android screen on your desktop. There’s just one catch compared to the Windows feature: You have to connect your phone to your PC with a USB cable to mirror it. It’s created by the developers behind Genymotion, an Android emulator.

If you’re all about a wireless connection, we recommend AirDroid’s AirMirror instead. There’s a catch here too, though: If your phone isn’t rooted, you’ll have to jump through some hoops with a USB cable. You’ll need to repeat this process every time you reboot your phone, too.

There’s also Vysor, which is a bit more user-friendly—but wireless access and high-quality mirroring will require payment.

We’ve also highlighted using Miracast to wirelessly stream an Android device’s display to a Windows PC in the past. However, Miracast support is no longer widespread on new Android devices, and Miracast only allows viewing—not remotely controlling.

How to Mirror Your Screen With Phone’s Screen scrcpy

You can download scrcpy from GitHub. For Windows PCs, scroll down to the Windows download link and download either the scrcpy-win64 link for 64-bit versions of Windows or the scrcpy-win32 app for 32-bit versions of Windows.

Extract the contents of the archive to a folder on your computer. To run scrcpy, you’ll just need to double-click the scrcpy.exe file. But, if you run it without an Android phone connected to your PC, you’ll just get an error message. (This file will appear as “scrcpy” if you have file extensions hidden.)

Now, prepare your Android phone. You’ll need to access developer options and enable USB debugging mode before connecting it to your computer with a USB cable. In summary, you’ll head to Settings > About Phone, tap “Build Number” seven times, and then head to Settings > Developer Options and enable “USB Debugging.”

When you’ve done so, connect your Android phone to your computer.

RELATED:How to Access Developer Options and Enable USB Debugging on Android

Double-click the scrcpy.exe file to run it. You’ll see an “Allow USB debugging?” confirmation on your phone first—you’ll have to agree to the message on your phone to allow it.

After you have, everything should work normally. Your Android phone’s screen will appear in a window on your desktop. Use your mouse and keyboard to control it.

When you’re done, just unplug the USB cable. To start mirroring again in the future, just connect your phone to your computer with a USB cable and run the scrcpy.exe file once again.

This open-source solution uses Google’s adb command, but it bundles a built-in copy of adb. It worked with no configuration required for us—enabling USB debugging was all it took.

Thanks to OMG! Ubuntu! for highlighting scrcpy as a solution for mirroring Android to your Ubuntu desktop. It’s so much more flexible than that, however: It works well on Windows PCs, too.

Microsoft is getting ready to release the hotly anticipated Android screen mirroring feature it debuted last year.

Microsoft began testing an update for its Your Phone app that will let you see and use apps from your Android phone on a Windows 10 PC or desktop. The feature is available in beta for Windows Insiders running Windows Builds 1803 or newer, as announced by a Microsoft Agent on the company's Community forums.

"You can now mirror your Android phone’s screen directly on your PC without having to dig for your phone," the post reads.

MORE: How to Mirror Your Screen in Windows 10

Windows 10 users will be able to pair their phones and mirror content onto a Windows 10 PC when the feature is widely released. A list of apps will appear and you'll be able to click and interact with them without ever having to open your phone. Microsoft showed how you could engage in a Snapchat conversation from a Windows 10 laptop when it first announced the feature at its Surface event last year.

Take note, however, that PCs will need to support Bluetooth with Low Energy Peripheral mode to use the feature since this is how the two devices will interface with each other.

To check if your Windows 10 device supports the low-energy Bluetooth mode, open the device manager by right-clicking the Start menu. From there, select and expand Bluetooth options and press on your laptop's specific Bluetooth driver or adapter. Then double click Properties and find the Details tab. Once you're there, select Bluetooth Radio Supports Low Energy Peripheral Role from the drop-down menu. If the value is True, then your device supports the feature.

Phone screen is currently only compatible with Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8 Plus, Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus phones running Android 7.0 or newer and Microsoft's Surface Go tablet. Microsoft has promised to expand the list of compatible smartphones and PCs over time.

Microsoft still hasn't announced an official release date for the feature, and it's not clear whether iPhone support is coming in the future (we doubt it).

While the feature will enable screen mirror across all Windows devices, many laptop makers already offer their own solution. For example, Dell's Mobile Connect lets Android and iOS users make calls, send text, get notifications and interact with mobile apps from their Dell laptop. Similarly, Samsung's Flow app lets you view contents from your smartphone on a PC or tablet.