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Read a QR code from an image or your camera

Drop in a screenshot or photo, or use your camera, and see exactly what the code says. It is read on your device, and links are shown, never opened.

Drop a picture of a QR code, or click to choose

A screenshot or a photo works. The picture stays on your device.

How it works

  1. Choose a picture, or turn on the camera. Drop a screenshot or photo that shows the QR code, or press Use camera and allow access when your browser asks.
  2. The code is read on your device. The picture is drawn onto a canvas in your browser and its pixels are searched for a QR code. Nothing is sent to a server.
  3. Check and copy what it says. The decoded text appears with a Copy button. A link is shown as text with its address called out, so you can check it before you visit.

Why a link is shown, not opened

A QR code can point anywhere, and the printed square gives no hint of where. Stickers placed over real codes on parking meters and posters are a known trick for sending people to fake payment pages. This reader shows the full address as text and calls out the website it goes to, and it never opens the link itself. Read the address, and only visit it if it is the site you expect.

What a QR code can hold

  • A web link. The most common kind. The reader shows the address and the website it goes to.
  • A WiFi network.Text starting with “WIFI:” that holds the network name, the security type and the password.
  • A contact card. A vCard with a name, phone number, email and more, which a phone offers to save to its contacts.
  • Plain text. A note, a serial number or a code. It is shown exactly as stored.

Getting a clean read

  • Keep the whole code in view, including the plain margin around it.
  • A screenshot reads better than a photo of a screen, which picks up glare and lines.
  • For a photo, hold the camera straight on, in good light, and close enough to fill the frame.
  • Crop a busy picture down to the code if it holds more than one.

It runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded

The picture is read on your device with the browser's own canvas, and the camera feed, if you use it, is checked frame by frame in the same way. Nothing is recorded, stored or sent to a server. That matters when a code holds a WiFi password or someone's contact details.

Need to make one instead?

The free QR code generator makes codes for a link, WiFi network, contact card or plain text, with your colours and an optional logo, also entirely in your browser.

Common questions

How do I scan a QR code from a screenshot?
Drop the screenshot onto the tool or click to choose it. The code is found and decoded straight away, and the text it holds appears under the picture.
Can I scan a QR code with my laptop camera?
Yes. Press Use camera, allow access when the browser asks, and hold the code up to the camera. The first code it sees is read and the camera switches off.
Is the picture uploaded anywhere?
No. The picture and any camera frames are read in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, stored or recorded.
Why doesn't the reader open the link?
A QR code can lead anywhere, including to fake sites. The reader shows the address as text and names the website it goes to, so you can check it first and open it yourself only if it looks right.
Why does it say no QR code was found?
The code may be blurred, cut off, too small in a large photo, or missing its plain margin. Try a sharper, closer picture with the whole code in view, or crop the picture down to the code.
Can it read a WiFi QR code?
Yes. It shows the text the code holds, which includes the network name and the password, so you can copy the password and type it in on a device that has no camera.
Does it read barcodes too?
No. This tool reads QR codes only, not the striped barcodes found on products.
Is it free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no limit and nothing to install.