How to scan a QR code from a screenshot or a photo on the same phone

You cannot point your phone's camera at its own screen, so take a screenshot and open it in the QR code reader. It finds the code in the picture, shows what it says, and gives you a Copy text button. On a laptop, you can also hold a printed code up to the webcam with Use camera.

Steps

1. Take a screenshot of the QR code, or save the photo or image that contains it.
2. Open the QR code reader and drop the picture onto the box, or press Choose a picture. PNG, JPG, WebP and other images your browser opens all work.
3. The picture is searched for a code straight away. When one is found, a panel names what kind of code it is (Web link, WiFi network, Contact card, Email address, Phone number or Text) and shows the full text.
4. Press Copy text and paste it wherever you need it.
5. For a link, the panel also says which website it goes to. Read that before visiting; the reader never opens links by itself.

To read a code with a camera instead, press Use camera, allow access when the browser asks, and hold the code inside the frame. The first code seen is read and the camera switches off. Frames are checked on your device and are not recorded or sent.

Common situations

Reading a WiFi code on a device without a camera

A WiFi code holds the network name and password as text. The reader shows that text in full, something like WIFI:T:WPA;S:Cafe Guest;P:espresso42;H:false;;. The part after S: is the network name and the part after P: is the password, up to the next semicolon. Copy the password and type or paste it into the laptop's WiFi settings.

When it says no QR code was found

The message is "No QR code found in this picture". The usual causes, and fixes:

• The code is cut off. Include the whole square and the plain margin around it. Codes need that quiet border to be found.
• The code is tiny in a big photo. Crop the picture down to the code, then try again.
• There are several codes in the picture. Crop to the one you want.
• It is a photo of a screen. Screens in photos pick up glare and stripes. A screenshot from the device showing the code reads far better.
• It is blurred. Retake the photo straight on, in good light, close enough that the code fills much of the frame.
• It is a striped barcode. This reader reads QR codes only, not product barcodes.

Why a reader that shows text is useful

A phone camera that finds a link often offers to open it in one tap. The reader here takes a step back: it shows the whole address as text and names the website, so you can see where it leads before you decide. That is handy for codes from unfamiliar sources. The guide on checking where a QR code goes covers what to look for.

Questions

Is my screenshot uploaded?

No. The picture is read in your browser on your own device. Nothing is uploaded, stored or recorded, which matters when a code holds a WiFi password or someone's contact details.

Does it work on iPhone and Android?

Yes, in the browser. Choose the screenshot from your photos with Choose a picture.

Can it read more than one code at once?

It reads one code per picture. Crop a picture with several codes so only the one you want is left.

Is it free?

Yes, with no sign-up and no limit.