Casting PC Screen to Android (Linux/Mac/Windows)
#multiplatform#android#linux#productivity
hopsayer

hopsayer @hopsayer

Joined:
Jul 1, 2025

Casting PC Screen to Android (Linux/Mac/Windows)

Publish Date: Jul 8
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Ah. I faced a problem in my 25.

I often watch YouTube via my PC, but unfortunately I need to eat sometimes in my kitchen. This is not a reason to turn the video off - it's rather the opposite.

So there are 2 ways:

  • Copy the video's link on PC, send it to Android, wait until it fully loads, rewind the video to the moment I stopped at and continue viewing. I manage to finish my food doing this.
  • Share the PC screen with Android and continue viewing seemlessly. Providing that you have bluetooth headphones. What I do.

The simplest way is Deskreen.

This is an easy-to-use, cross-platform, free and open-source app that lets you share your desktop over Wi-Fi using any browser, including on Android or iPad.

Here’s a guide to start up quickly:

  • Download and install Deskreen from the official web site on your PC (Windows, Mac, or Linux).
  • Launch Deskreen on your PC. It will show a QR code and a local IP address.
  • Scan the QR code with your phone’s camera or manually enter the IP address shown in Deskreen into your Android browser.
  • Deskreen will ask you to allow sharing your entire screen or a specific application window — choose your preference and confirm.
  • Your PC screen should now be mirrored on your Android device in real time.
  • You can connect multiple devices by repeating the above steps.

Tips:

  • 5GHz Wi-Fi can provide lower latency.
  • Deskreen supports encrypted connections for safer casting.
  • Adjust the resolution and bandwidth in Deskreen settings to optimize performance and battery usage.

Additional features:

  • Mirroring the screen is not the only option. You can also use your another device as a physical second screen. Any of your apps can be mouse-dragged on it. A tablet can be transformed into a monitor. A Virtual Display Adapter is required. Without it, you can only stream an existing screen.
  • You don’t have to share the whole screen; you can share specific apps — good for privacy and focus.
  • Multiple connections simultaneously.
  • Any resolution can be chosen. Auto adjustment can be set.
  • 2 media players are available for better experience and reliability. I prefer the second one, which is not the default.
  • No any mobile installations.
  • SmartTV is supported.
  • Can be used for presentations or video speech recording.
  • Teleprompter mode: you can flip the streamed image horizontally.

Why I think this could be the best way for screencasting:

  • User-friendly. Quick to set up, despite the underlying complexity. Clear and simple tutorial on the main page, including video instruction. The product really invites you to try it.
  • Cross-platform. All major desktop and mobile OS.
  • Open-source, which allows anyone to take part, just like me. Even if the project is frozen.

Why I actually do not:

  • Connection can suddenly drop if you leave the Android browser tab for 1+ minutes. In that case the user has to create a new connection, which sometimes ruins the seamless living room to kitchen switching experience. I decided to participate by creating an issue on GitHub, if you're interested: https://github.com/pavlobu/deskreen/issues/280
  • Deskreen streaming experience is slightly worse on Android Firefox due to how the browser handles background tabs. Picture-in-picture mode is harder to get, and background tabs tend to sleep even while playing video.
  • No support for trusted devices feature. Each connection from the same mobile device initiates a new session, slightly breaking the flow.
  • ARM processors are not supported. Building from source doesn’t seem to help.

Still this app is really good, I enjoy using it and appreciate the author's effort.

By the way:

If you use Arch and prefer the .AppImage version of Deskreen instead of the AUR package, you might want to create a .desktop file to launch the app quickly from the application menu:

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Deskreen Screencaster
Exec=/path/to/Deskreen-2.0.4.AppImage
Icon=/path/to/deskreen.png
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Replace /path/to/ with the actual paths on your system.

The deskreen.png icon can be downloaded from the official site by right-clicking (Save As...) or directly from here:

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