Run Samsung DeX inside Windows Again With This Program
If you miss running Samsung DeX natively inside Windows, you are definitely not alone. When Samsung pulled the plug on the official DeX for PC app, it left a pretty big hole for anyone who loved having their phone’s desktop interface running right inside a window on their desktop or laptop.
While you could technically launch DeX using standard scrcpy in the past, key features like full keyboard and mouse integration were always pretty clunky. Enter scrcpyDeX, a new open-source utility that leverages AI-assisted code to package scrcpy into a dedicated tool designed specifically to bring the DeX for PC experience back to life.
Here is a quick walkthrough of how it works and how to set it up on your own machine.
Setting Up USB Debugging on Your Galaxy Device
Before the desktop software can communicate with your phone, you need to enable USB Debugging on your Galaxy device.
First, open your phone's System Settings and scroll down to select About Phone. From there, tap Software Information and locate the Build Number. Tap Build Number repeatedly until a pop-up confirms that Developer Options have been enabled.
Next, head back to the main Settings menu, open the newly unlocked Developer Options, scroll down to USB Debugging, and toggle the switch to turn it on.
Downloading the Required Files
You will need to download two separate open-source tools to get everything running properly.
First, head over to the scrcpyDeX GitHub Releases page and download the executable application. Because this is a newly released, community-made utility, your Windows browser or security settings may throw a safety warning when you run it, which is standard for unsigned open-source tools.
Second, you need the underlying engine itself from the official scrcpy GitHub Releases page. Download the latest release zip file, extract it, and place the extracted folder somewhere permanent where it won't get accidentally moved or deleted. A simple location like C:\ADB\scrcpy works great.
Configuring and Launching Your DeX Session
Once both items are downloaded, open scrcpyDeX. On your first launch, the application will notify you that the base scrcpy executable was not found.
Click through the prompt to configure the path, navigate to the folder where you saved scrcpy, and select the executable file inside.
Now, connect your phone to your computer using a reliable USB-C cable. If your phone displays a prompt asking to allow USB Debugging from this computer, accept it. The scrcpyDeX window should now recognize your device as connected. Click the button to start your DeX session.
Performance and Usability
Once connected, your Samsung DeX desktop interface launches right in a Windows frame. You can access your full app drawer, open multiple mobile apps, drag and resize windows, snap windows to screen edges, and hit Alt + F to enter full-screen mode.
The keyboard and mouse integration works surprisingly well out of the box. Hitting the left Alt key releases your mouse cursor from the DeX window so you can move back to your regular Windows desktop effortlessly, and clicking back inside captures the input again. It even supports native DeX features like using your phone screen as a touchpad.
When pushed to heavier tasks, such as running mobile games like Minecraft controlled via mouse and keyboard, there are a few clear trade-offs. You may notice subtle input latency and a slight drop in image resolution or bitrate compared to a direct monitor connection. However, for everyday productivity, managing apps, or controlling your phone directly from your PC desktop, the convenience is hard to beat.
Give it a try for yourself, tweak the bitrate settings in the app if you want to smooth out the video feed, and see how it fits into your workflow.
