How to control your Android phone from Windows PC

1. Introduction
2. Steps enable control of your Android device from Windows PC
3. Read also

Introduction

Were you already using your computer when a friend decided to start an SMS conversation? You usually have to stop what you are doing on your computer, then pick up your smartphone and reply to the message. Then, if your friend replies with another message, you have to juggle between your mouse and your keyboard and your smartphone.

With a simple Virtual Network Computing (VNC) application on your Android smartphone, tablet or mini-PC, you can control your Android mobile phone from a browser window on your Windows computer and respond to SMS from this interface installed on your Windows PC.

VNC is an Android application that allows you to control your device remotely from your computer. If your device is charging in another room or out of range, or if you are really busy and do not take the time to take your device continuously to respond to notifications, this is a great way to stay connected without affecting your productivity.

Although the performance of this remote connection is too slow for a serious job or game, there are several reasons why you might want to control an Android device from your PC.
When entering complex parameters such as the name and password of your mail server, it is sometimes easier to enter text with the physical keyboard of your computer, available under VNC. With VNC, you can control an Android device on the other side of the house, by setting an alarm on the phone that charges in your room while you're sitting in the living room.

Best of all, if you want to turn your Android mini-computer into a server, you can control the stick on your laptop, without even having to plug it into a TV.

Recommended for you: How to enable Bluetooth connection in Windows 10

Steps to enable control of your Android device from Windows PC

Here's how to control an Android device from a Windows PC.

1. Search and Install the VMLite VNC Server App on your Android Device (Phone, Mini PC Tablet)

2. Next, enable USB debugging on your phone. You can find the USB Debug setting under Developer Options in the Android Settings menu.

3. Connect your phone to your PC. Your computer will try to install the ADB (Android Developer Bridge) drivers for your phone. If it cannot find them, you may need to download the appropriate drivers from the manufacturer.

4. Next, install and launch the VMLite Android App Controller on your PC. You can download it on vmlite.com.

5. Click the Launch VMLite VNC Viewer button in the App Controller program. If your phone is rooted, you can simply launch the VMLite VNC server on your phone and click the Start button.

The VMLite VNC Server application will launch on your phone with its server started. If the server does not start, you may have to try again and make sure you have the correct ADB driver.

6. Set up a connection between your PC and the device in one of two ways:

1. Click USB Connection and OK when the application controller asks you for port numbers if you plan to connect your Android device to your PC.

2. Unplug your Android device and connect it to the same Wi-Fi network as your PC to establish a wireless connection.

7. Navigate to the VNC server address in your browser. If you are connected via USB, go to http: // localhost: 5801 or, if you are connected via Wi-Fi, enter the IP address displayed under "Browser:" on your Android device.

If you prefer a stand-alone application, you can install a free VNC client such as VNC Viewer and use the address under "VNC Viewer" to connect.

8. Click Start HTML VNC Viewer or Start Java Applet VNC Viewer on the Web page that appears in your browser. The VNC HTML Viewer runs in a tab while the VNC viewer in the Java applet opens in its own window and requires the Java plugin to be installed. In our tests, both performed similarly.

Once you have launched one of the viewers, you will be able to control your Android device from a window on your desktop. You can browse the entire operating system and use the applications you want with a click of your mouse and enter text with your PC keyboard or drag gestures.

The disadvantage of this application is that the performance is extremely slow, so do not expect to make games or videos.

VMCLite VNC Server Settings

You can change some settings in the VMLite VNC Server application by entering the menu and selecting Settings

If your device is rooted and you want to start VMLite VNC Server every time it boots, check the Start server at start-up checkbox.

If the screen image is too large to fit in your PC's browser without forcing you to scroll, select Screen Scaling and go from 1.0 to 0.5.

Read also

How to troubleshoot a Bluetooth mouse problem in Windows 10

How to install Virtualbox for the creation of a virtual machine