Control Methods

This document provides detailed explanations of the various Screencap (screenshot) and Input (control) methods in MaaFramework and their configurations.

TIP

• For APIs, screencap/input uses int type (bitwise OR combination); for ProjectInterface V2, use string type (use the name directly).
• ProjectInterface V2 only supports configuring screencap/mouse/keyboard methods for Win32 controllers. For Adb controllers, screencap/input uses MaaToolkitAdbDeviceFind to automatically detect and select the optimal method, no manual configuration required.

Adb

Adb Input

Reference: MaaDef.h

Combine the selected methods below using bitwise OR to provide a single value. MaaFramework will try all provided methods in a fixed priority order and select the first available method.

By default, all methods except EmulatorExtras are attempted.

Priority: EmulatorExtras > Maatouch > MinitouchAndAdbKey > AdbShell

Name	API Value	Speed	Compatibility	Description
AdbShell	1	Slow	High
MinitouchAndAdbKey	2	Fast	Medium	Key input still uses AdbShell
Maatouch	4	Fast	Medium
EmulatorExtras	8	Fast	Low	Only supports emulators: MuMu 12

Adb Screencap

Reference: MaaDef.h

Combine the selected methods below using bitwise OR to provide a single value. MaaFramework will try all provided methods and select the fastest available method.

By default, all methods except RawByNetcat, MinicapDirect, and MinicapStream are attempted.

MinicapDirect and MinicapStream encode to jpg (lossy compression), which significantly reduces template matching effectiveness and are not recommended.

Name	API Value	Speed	Compatibility	Encoding	Description
EncodeToFileAndPull	1	Slow	High	Lossless
Encode	2	Slow	High	Lossless
RawWithGzip	4	Medium	High	Lossless
RawByNetcat	8	Fast	Low	Lossless
MinicapDirect	16	Fast	Low	Lossy
MinicapStream	32	Very Fast	Low	Lossy
EmulatorExtras	64	Very Fast	Low	Lossless	Only supports emulators: MuMu 12, LDPlayer 9

Win32

Win32 Input

Reference: MaaDef.h

Select one of the values below.

No default value. Client can choose one as the default.

Different programs on Win32 handle input differently, so there is no universal method.

Name	API Value	Compatibility	Requires Admin	Seizes Cursor	Background	Description
Seize	1	High	No	Yes	No
SendMessage	2	Medium	Maybe	No	Yes
PostMessage	4	Medium	Maybe	No	Yes
LegacyEvent	8	Low	No	Yes	No
PostThreadMessage	16	Low	Maybe	No	Yes
SendMessageWithCursorPos	32	Medium	Maybe	Brief	Yes	Designed for games like Genshin Impact that detect actual mouse position
PostMessageWithCursorPos	64	Medium	Maybe	Brief	Yes	Designed for games like Genshin Impact that detect actual mouse position

NOTE

• Admin privileges mainly depend on the target program's permission level. If the target program runs as administrator, running with admin privileges is required for compatibility.
• The WithCursorPos methods briefly move the cursor to the target position, then restore it after sending the message, hence "Brief" cursor seizure, but it does not block user operations.

Win32 Screencap

Reference: MaaDef.h

Select one of the values below.

No default value. Client can choose one as the default.

Different programs on Win32 handle rendering differently, so there is no universal method.

Name	API Value	Speed	Compatibility	Requires Admin	Background	Description
GDI	1	Fast	Medium	No	No
FramePool	2	Very Fast	Medium	No	Yes	Available on Windows 10 1903+
DXGI_DesktopDup	4	Very Fast	Low	No	No	Desktop duplication (full-screen output copy)
DXGI_DesktopDup_Window	8	Very Fast	Low	No	No	Desktop duplication cropped to window
PrintWindow	16	Medium	Medium	No	Yes
ScreenDC	32	Fast	High	No	No

NOTE

Windows stops rendering window content when the window is minimized. All screenshot methods cannot capture valid content from minimized windows, so please avoid minimizing the window.