FAQ and troubleshooting

An Android phone running Android 6.0 or newer, a Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC (x64 or ARM64), and either a USB data cable or Bluetooth on both. Install the phone app from Google Play and DeckPad for Windows on the PC.

No. DeckPad works like a Stream Deck, with similar pages, grid sizes and editor, but the buttons are on your phone's screen. It isn't made by or connected with Elgato or Corsair, and it doesn't use Stream Deck plugins.

Not today. The phone app is for Android, and the PC app is for Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Not yet. Today DeckPad connects over a USB cable or Bluetooth. Wi-Fi is planned.

Yes. Each phone pairs with its own code, and they share the same buttons. If several phones are plugged in by USB at once, right-click the DeckPad icon and choose which one to use under Use phone. Manage paired phones under Paired devices.

On your PC, in %AppData%\DeckPad, with a backup copy saved each time they change. The phone keeps a copy so the deck appears instantly. If you reset or replace the phone, install DeckPad, pair again, and your buttons come back from the PC.

Hover over the DeckPad icon next to the PC's clock: it says what it's waiting for. Then work through this list:

1. Is DeckPad running on the PC? Look for its icon next to the clock, under the ^ arrow if hidden. If it's not there, start DeckPad from the Start menu.
2. Does the cable carry data? Many charging cables don't. Try another cable, and plug straight into the PC rather than through a hub or monitor.
3. Is USB debugging on? See how to turn it on. Some phones turn it off after an update.
4. Did you allow this computer? Unlock the phone and look for “Allow USB debugging?”. If the DeckPad icon says approve USB debugging on the phone, that prompt is waiting.
5. Samsung phone? Check that Auto Blocker is off.
6. Still nothing? Unplug the phone, right-click the DeckPad icon → Quit, start DeckPad again from the Start menu, then plug the phone back in.

Or skip the cable and use Bluetooth.

1. Unlock the phone; the prompt only shows on an unlocked screen.
2. In Developer options, tap Revoke USB debugging authorizations, then unplug and plug in again.
3. Pull down the notification shade, tap the USB notification and try File transfer mode.
4. Try another cable or USB port. If Windows doesn't react at all when you plug the phone in, see the next answer about drivers.

Most phones work with the drivers built into Windows. Some need the phone maker's USB driver before USB debugging works on Windows.

• Open Device Manager (right-click Start) with the phone plugged in. A device under Other devices or with a yellow warning sign means a driver is missing.
• Install the USB driver from your phone maker's website. Search for your brand plus “Android USB driver”, for example Samsung's Android USB Driver for Windows, or Google's USB driver for Pixel phones.
• Unplug the phone, plug it back in and approve “Allow USB debugging?”.

DeckPad installs its own copy of the Android USB tool. If that message appears, the copy is missing or was removed by security software. Download DeckPad again and reinstall it. If your antivirus quarantined adb.exe, restore it and add an exception for DeckPad's folder.

No. DeckPad shares whichever adb server is already running and never restarts one it didn't start, so your other tools keep working alongside it.

DeckPad reconnects by itself within a second or two, and the keys grey out while it does. If it happens often, the cause is almost always the cable or port: try a shorter cable, a different USB port on the PC (one on the back of a desktop), and avoid hubs. Loose phone connectors cause it too.

• DeckPad only lists devices already paired with the phone. Pair the phone and PC first in their Bluetooth settings (how).
• Tap Show all paired devices if your PC is listed under an unusual name.
• On Android 12 and newer, allow the Nearby devices permission. If you denied it, enable it in Android Settings → Apps → DeckPad → Permissions.

1. Check that DeckPad is running on the PC and the PC's Bluetooth is on.
2. Right-click the DeckPad icon and make sure Allow Bluetooth connections is ticked. Hover over that item: if Bluetooth isn't usable on the PC, it says why.
3. Move the phone closer to the PC.
4. Remove the pairing on both the phone and the PC, pair them again, and choose the PC again in DeckPad.

Bluetooth adapters that rely on their own driver software instead of Windows' built-in Bluetooth may not work. If you have one, USB is the reliable choice.

It is: a press takes tens of milliseconds over Bluetooth, against a few over USB. For the snappiest response, and to charge the phone, use the cable. DeckPad switches to USB whenever it's plugged in.

• The app is running as administrator. Windows doesn't let normal apps send keys to windows that run with administrator rights, so DeckPad reports that the window in front is running as administrator. Start that app normally, without “Run as administrator”, if you can.
• The app isn't in front. Hotkeys and text go to whichever window has focus. Click into the app first, or put an App button before the hotkey in a multi-action so the app comes to the front.
• Another app owns the shortcut. Some apps grab global shortcuts first. Try a different key combination.
• Games and some other apps ignore simulated keys. Some games, especially those with anti-cheat, and some apps built on frameworks such as Electron react only to certain keys or only while focused. That's up to the app; try another shortcut or the app's own settings.

For safety, Website buttons open only these kinds of links: http, https, mailto, ms-settings, steam, spotify and discord. To open a file or folder, use the File or folder action; file: links are never allowed. Advanced users can add other link types to allowedUrlSchemes in %AppData%\DeckPad\agent-settings.json.

Some Microsoft Store apps show their icon on a coloured tile, and a few older apps only include small icons, so they look plain. You can pick a different icon for any key in the editor.

The phone has lost its connection to the PC, for example because the PC is asleep, DeckPad was closed, or the cable was unplugged. It reconnects on its own as soon as the PC is reachable again. If it doesn't, see the phone can't find my PC.

OBS Studio 28 and newer have the remote control (WebSocket server) DeckPad uses built in; older versions don't. Update OBS Studio from the official OBS website, then try again.

Start OBS on the same PC. Then in OBS go to Tools → WebSocket Server Settings, tick Enable WebSocket server and click OK. See OBS setup.

DeckPad normally reads the WebSocket port and password from OBS's own settings on the PC. If it can't (for example with a portable copy of OBS), add them to DeckPad's settings file:

1. Right-click the DeckPad icon → Quit.
2. Open %AppData%\DeckPad\agent-settings.json in Notepad.
3. Set "obsPassword" to the password shown in OBS under Tools → WebSocket Server Settings → Show Connect Info. If you changed the port from 4455, set "obsPort" too.
4. Save the file and start DeckPad again.

If OBS refuses the password, the one in "obsPassword" is probably out of date: update it or remove it. More in the OBS setup guide.

The list shows the scenes OBS has right now, so OBS must be open. You can also type the scene name exactly as it appears in OBS.

DeckPad is telling you what to change: OBS isn't open, it's too old, its remote control is off, the password doesn't match, the scene name doesn't match, or you're using Streamlabs Desktop. Each message and its fix is listed in OBS troubleshooting.

No. The OBS keys need OBS Studio 28 or newer, which has the remote control (obs-websocket 5) built in, and DeckPad says so: “This PC has OBS 26.0.2. OBS buttons need OBS 28 or newer…”. Update OBS Studio from obsproject.com (export your scene collection first to be safe), then turn on the WebSocket server.

Yes, through hotkeys. DeckPad's OBS keys control OBS Studio, not Streamlabs, so give each scene a hotkey in Streamlabs (Settings → Hotkeys), for example Ctrl+Alt+1, and make a DeckPad Shortcut key that presses it. Step by step: Streamlabs setup. Direct Streamlabs control (a live scene list without hotkeys) is planned.

Create the four scenes in OBS, then on the phone make a key for each with OBS Studio → Scene and pick the scene from the list; DeckPad titles the key for you. The OBS Studio setup covers every step, and Streaming with DeckPad shows the whole deck.

Streamlabs listens for its hotkeys while other apps are in front, so they should; test once with your game running. Pick combinations your game doesn't use. If the game runs as administrator, Windows stops DeckPad from sending keys while it's in front, and DeckPad says “The window in front is running as administrator, so DeckPad can't send keys to it.” Start the game normally if you can.

Yes. In the deck menu (⋮) tap Add page → Developer. DeckPad fills a page with VS Code, Terminal, Slack, Claude and Grok, plus keys to snap windows left and right, open Task view, show the desktop, take a screenshot, move between virtual desktops, and open clipboard history and File Explorer. Every key can be changed or deleted afterwards. See DeckPad for developers for the full list.

That app isn't installed on the PC yet. The key is still there and opens the app's web version (Slack, Claude, Grok, Postman) or its download page (VS Code, Terminal, Git Bash, Docker) in the meantime. Long-press it and choose Get … on the PC to open the download page on the PC, Choose an app to use a different app, or Keep the website to keep it as a website key without the badge. Once the app is installed, the key switches to it on its own the next time the phone connects, and DeckPad tells you.

A new Developer page uses the plain key style. To make a key glow, long-press it, switch on Glow in the editor and pick a colour.

Not yet. You choose the page: swipe, tap the page dots, or use a profile and a Switch profile key.

No. There's no account, no ads and no analytics. Your buttons and settings stay on your PC and phone and travel only between the two, over the USB cable or Bluetooth. Details are in the privacy policy.

USB debugging lets a computer you approve control the phone over USB, so only approve your own computers. You can withdraw every approval at any time in Developer options → Revoke USB debugging authorizations, and turning USB debugging off stops DeckPad's USB connection. If you'd rather not use it at all, connect with Bluetooth.

See Delete your data and how to uninstall.