QR Code Scanner

About this tool

This QR code scanner reads a QR code from an image on your computer or phone: a screenshot, a photo, a downloaded PNG or an image copied to the clipboard. It can also scan live through your camera if you allow it. The decoded content is shown as plain text, web addresses get a safety check before you choose to open them, and Wi-Fi, email, phone, SMS and contact codes are split into readable fields. Decoding runs in your browser with the open-source jsQR library, so your images are never uploaded.

How to use the QR code scanner

1. Give it an image. Drag a picture onto the drop area, click the file button and choose one, or copy an image (for example with a screenshot tool or Copy image in your browser) and press Ctrl+V or Cmd+V anywhere on the page.
2. Or use the camera. Click Scan with camera and allow access when your browser asks. On phones the rear camera is requested. Point it at the code and hold steady; scanning stops as soon as a code is read.
3. Read the result. Detected type tells you what kind of code it is. The preview outlines the code that was found, and the raw text box shows exactly what the code contains.
4. Check links before opening. For a web address, the domain is shown in large type above the full address. Nothing opens automatically; the Open link button appears only for http and https addresses.
5. Copy what you need. Copy result copies the raw text, such as a Wi-Fi password or a long URL, without retyping.

How QR codes work

QR Code is a two-dimensional barcode developed by DENSO WAVE and standardized as ISO/IEC 18004, first approved as an international standard in June 2000; the current edition was published in 2024. A code is a grid of dark and light squares called modules. The three large squares in the corners are finder patterns that let a reader locate the code and work out its angle, and a light border called the quiet zone separates the code from its surroundings.

Codes come in 40 sizes, called versions. According to DENSO WAVE, Version 1 is 21 × 21 modules and each higher version adds 4 modules per side, up to 177 × 177 for Version 40. More data needs a larger version.

QR codes also store extra error correction data using Reed-Solomon codes, so a reader can rebuild the content when part of the code is dirty, damaged or covered. The person making the code chooses one of four levels:

The percentages come from DENSO WAVE's standards page. Higher levels make the code denser for the same content, which is why logos placed over a code usually need level Q or H.

A QR code just stores text. Phones decide what to do with it by its prefix. The common formats this scanner recognizes are:

The Wi-Fi, SMS and contact layouts follow the conventions documented by the ZXing barcode project, which most phone scanners use. A Wi-Fi code such as WIFI:T:WPA;S:mynetwork;P:mypass;; holds the security type, network name and password, with \, ;, ,, " and : escaped by a backslash.

QR code safety: links, phishing and what this tool does

Because you cannot read a QR code by eye, it is easy to hide a harmful link in one. The FTC warned in December 2023 that scammers hide harmful links in QR codes, and advises you to inspect the URL before opening it and not to scan an unexpected code in an email or text that urges you to act fast. The FBI's January 2022 public service announcement adds that you should check physical codes for stickers placed over the original, avoid downloading apps from a QR code, and be careful about paying through a site you reached from one.

This scanner helps with that by design. It never opens anything on its own. The decoded text is displayed as plain text, so code hidden in it cannot run on the page. Only http and https addresses get an Open link button, and the link opens in a new tab without passing on where you came from. Other link types, including javascript: and data:, are shown as text only with a warning. Addresses are also flagged when they use plain http, point to a raw IP address, include a user name before an @ sign (as in https://yourbank.com@other.example, which really goes to other.example), or contain internationalized characters shown in their xn-- form, which can imitate a familiar domain. No warning means none of these checks matched; it does not mean the site is safe.

Worked example

When the page opens, and whenever you click Load sample, the tool creates a test code with the same library used by the QR Code Generator and scans it. The code contains:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:CafeGuest;P:latte-2026;;

The status line reports a version 3 QR code, which is 29 × 29 modules. Detected type is Wi-Fi network, and the fields read: Network name (SSID) CafeGuest, Security WPA, Password latte-2026, Hidden network No. Wi-Fi codes store the password as plain text, so the tool shows it in plain text too. Anyone who can see your screen can read it.

Why a QR code will not scan

• Blur. A shaky or out-of-focus photo merges neighboring modules. Retake it closer, with the code filling more of the frame.
• Glare and shadows. Light reflecting off a glossy screen or laminated sign can wipe out part of the pattern. Tilt the phone slightly or move out of the shadow.
• Low contrast. Pale codes, colored codes on busy backgrounds and faded prints are hard to separate into dark and light.
• Inverted colors. Light modules on a dark background confuse some readers. This tool retries with the colors inverted.
• Too small or too cropped. A code a few dozen pixels wide in a large photo may not have enough detail, and a screenshot cropped right up to the edges loses the quiet zone. The tool tries several scales and adds a white border before giving up.
• Unsupported image format. Some browsers cannot open HEIC photos from iPhones. Convert them first with the HEIC to JPG converter.
• Not a QR code. This scanner reads QR codes only, not product barcodes, Data Matrix or other types. When an image holds several codes, it returns the first one it reads, so crop to the one you want.

Common mistakes

• Opening a link because the code looks official. A sticker on a parking meter or a code in an unexpected email can lead anywhere; read the domain first.
• Assuming a scanner app is needed. Most phone cameras read QR codes directly, and this page covers screenshots and images that a camera cannot point at.
• Sharing a screenshot of a Wi-Fi code without realizing the password is inside it.
• Editing a URL from a code and losing its query string. Copy the raw text instead of retyping; the URL Encoder can decode percent-escaped parts if you need to read them.

Use cases

• Reading a QR code in a screenshot, PDF page or email on the same phone or computer you are using.
• Checking where a code on a flyer, menu or invoice leads before opening it.
• Recovering a Wi-Fi password from a router sticker photo or a shared Wi-Fi code.
• Testing codes you made yourself, for example after resizing them with the Image Resizer, to confirm they still scan.