CTRLbot Mirror

CTRLbot Mirror is a Windows desktop app for showing an Android phone on your PC, controlling it with your mouse and keyboard, and capturing polished screenshots or recordings.

It is useful for product demos, training videos, app walkthroughs, support sessions, and everyday device setup. It works with a physical Android device over USB or Wi-Fi and with Android Studio virtual devices.

Quick start

With Node.js 22.12 or newer installed, open a terminal in this folder and run:

npm run setup:windows

That one command installs the app's dependencies, builds the Windows app, and creates a CTRLbot Mirror shortcut on your desktop. Double-click the shortcut whenever you want to open the app.

To open the source version immediately without creating a packaged app, run this single line from Command Prompt or PowerShell:

cmd /c "npm install && npm run dev"

Once built, the app itself does not require Node.js to be running.

Connect your first device

1. Open CTRLbot Mirror. If Android platform-tools are missing, open Setup and select Install now.
2. On the phone, open Settings → About phone and tap Build number seven times.
3. Open Developer options and turn on USB debugging.
4. Connect the phone with a data-capable USB cable.
5. Unlock the phone and accept Allow USB debugging? Select Always allow from this computer if this is your PC.
6. In CTRLbot Mirror, open Devices, select the phone, and choose Start mirroring.

If the phone does not appear, try another cable first; many USB cables provide power but do not carry data. See Troubleshooting for connection and driver help.

What you can do

• Mirror a phone or tablet at up to its native resolution and 60 fps.
• Tap, swipe, scroll, type, paste, and use Android navigation from your PC.
• Add a clean phone or tablet frame, backdrop, padding, shadow, and visible touch ripples.
• Save instant screenshots at 1×, 2×, or 3× scale.
• Record the composed stage—including its frame, backdrop, and your PC microphone—to WebM or MP4.
• Hide the app chrome with Clean mode for distraction-free capture.
• Switch a connected phone from USB to wireless ADB.
• Install and manage apps, browse files, run shell commands, and view logcat.
• Start Android Studio virtual devices and use the same mirror and capture tools with them.

Screenshots and recordings go to Pictures\CTRLbot Mirror by default. Change or open that folder from Studio → Capture.

Controls

Input	Action
Left click or drag	Tap or swipe
Right click	Back
Middle click	Home
Scroll wheel	Scroll
Keyboard typing	Type on the Android device
Arrows, Enter, Backspace, Esc, Tab	Send the matching Android key
Ctrl + V	Paste the Windows clipboard into the device
Esc in Clean mode	Show the app controls again

The toolbar below the mirrored screen also provides Back, Home, Recents, notifications, rotation, volume, power, screenshot, record, Clean mode, and stop controls.

The first time you record, Windows may ask for microphone access. Recording uses your current default PC microphone for narration; audio from the Android device is never captured.

Windows installer & distribution

1. Windows Installer (.exe)

To build the standard Windows setup wizard (NSIS installer with Desktop and Start Menu shortcuts):

npm run dist:installer

This generates release/CTRLbot Mirror-Setup-<version>.exe. Running the installer sets up the app under %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\CTRLbot Mirror with automatic shortcut management and clean uninstallation support.

2. Standalone Portable Executable

To package a single-file portable .exe that runs anywhere without installation:

npm run dist:portable

This generates release/CTRLbot Mirror-<version>-portable.exe.

3. Desktop Shortcut for Local Builds

npm run setup:windows creates a desktop shortcut as part of initial setup. To refresh or recreate it for local builds at any time:

npm run shortcut

The script automatically points to your installed app or the latest build under release\. You can also specify an explicit path:

powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts/create-shortcut.ps1 -TargetPath "C:\Apps\CTRLbot Mirror.exe"

Wireless devices

For a phone already connected over USB, select Go wireless on its device card. Once CTRLbot Mirror confirms the Wi-Fi address, you can unplug the cable.

On Android 11 or newer, you can also open Developer options → Wireless debugging → Pair device with pairing code and enter the displayed address and code in the Devices panel. The PC and phone must be on the same local network.

Virtual devices

If Android Studio's emulator is installed, the Virtual devices panel lists your Android Virtual Devices (AVDs). Start one there, wait for it to finish booting, and then select it in Devices. CTRLbot Mirror does not require Android Studio when you use a physical device.

Privacy and downloads

CTRLbot Mirror has no account requirement and sends no telemetry. Device traffic stays on USB or your local network. Microphone audio is written only into the recording you save on your PC.

If adb.exe is not already available, the app downloads Google's Android platform-tools from dl.google.com only after you select Install now. A source install also downloads the small scrcpy server component used on the Android device.

Help and reference

• User guide — detailed instructions for every feature
• Troubleshooting — device, driver, ADB, and capture problems
• Roadmap — planned improvements

For development setup and project internals, see Contributing and Architecture.

CTRLbot Mirror is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. Third-party notices are in NOTICE.