scrcpy shows an Android display in a desktop window and can send keyboard, mouse and clipboard actions back to the device. It uses Android Debug Bridge, starts a temporary server on the phone and streams video with optional audio to the computer. Mirroring alone does not create a recording. scrcpy saves a media file only when the user requests recording, and it does not leave a permanent Android app behind.
ADB authorization comes before the window
The Android device must enable the required debugging connection and authorize the computer. When ADB lists several devices, scrcpy needs an explicit serial number or a choice between USB and network transport. Otherwise it cannot know which display to open. The project identifies its own repository as the official source, so similarly named downloads elsewhere do not establish the same build origin.
Wireless use normally places both devices on the same network. An automatic setup can begin over USB and reconnect through TCP/IP. The manual route changes ADB to a network port, connects to the device address and leaves that ADB connection active until the user runs the disconnect command. A wireless session can mirror and control the phone, but the stay-awake option has no effect when the device is not physically plugged in.
Keyboard modes solve different problems
The default SDK keyboard injects Android key events and text. It can mishandle some characters, and certain manufacturers require another developer option before simulated input works. UHID mode emulates a physical keyboard and needs the Android hardware-keyboard layout configured for the computer keyboard. Older Android shells can deny the permission UHID needs. AOA keyboard emulation also acts like hardware, but it works only over USB and has driver limitations on Windows.
The text-preference workaround improves some characters but can break controls inside games. No single mode fixes ordinary typing, international layouts and game input in every device. Clipboard synchronization can place text from the computer into Android’s clipboard, where Android apps may read it. Disabling automatic clipboard synchronization keeps that transfer under manual control.
Video, audio and control fail independently
An audio capture failure does not normally stop video mirroring. Older Android systems can continue with video and no audio, and one supported platform generation needs the screen unlocked when capture starts. Individual Android apps can refuse playback capture, so silence from one app does not prove that device audio failed. Increasing the audio buffer can reduce glitches but adds latency; reducing it does the reverse.
The no-control option blocks input injection and also disables drag-and-drop file actions. Dropping an APK can install it, while dropping another file can push a copy to the device. Turning the physical screen off through scrcpy does not stop the mirrored video, and pressing the phone’s power button can turn that screen back on. Camera mirroring uses a reported camera mode and selects microphone audio by default unless the user chooses another source.
