Scan a QR Code
Point your camera at a code, or upload a photo or screenshot. Everything is decoded in your browser — the image never leaves your device.
You can also drag an image here, or paste a screenshot with Ctrl+V / Cmd+V.
Scan a QR Code From Your Camera or a Photo
Free online QR code scanner. Use your camera or upload a photo or screenshot to read any QR code instantly. Works on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac. Everything decodes in your browser — nothing is uploaded. No app, no signup.
Quick Answer
To scan a QR code online, click 'Use camera' above and hold the code inside the frame — it reads automatically. If the code is in a photo, screenshot, PDF, or email, click 'Upload image' instead, or paste a screenshot with Ctrl+V. The decoded text or link appears immediately. Everything runs inside your browser, so the image never leaves your device, and no app or signup is required.
How to scan a QR code in your browser
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Step 1: Click 'Use camera' and allow camera access when your browser asks. On a phone the rear camera opens by default.
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Step 2: Hold the QR code inside the white frame, roughly 15–30 cm from the lens, so all four corners are visible.
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Step 3: Wait for the code to read — it scans continuously, so there is no shutter button to press.
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Step 4: If the code is already saved as a photo, screenshot, or file, click 'Upload image' instead and pick the file.
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Step 5: You can also drag an image onto the page, or paste a screenshot directly with Ctrl+V on Windows or Cmd+V on Mac.
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Step 6: Read the decoded result. We label what kind of code it is — a website link, Wi-Fi network, contact card, phone number, or plain text.
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Step 7: Check the destination before opening it. If the link is shortened, the real destination is hidden, so only open it if you trust the source.
Every QR code your phone camera cannot read
Modern phone cameras scan QR codes natively, and for a code printed on a poster in front of you that is the fastest route. The gap is everything that is not in front of you. A QR code inside an email, a screenshot a colleague sent you, a code embedded in a PDF invoice, a ticket on the same screen you are reading this on — your camera cannot photograph a code that is already on your own display.
That is what this scanner is for. Upload the image, paste the screenshot, or drag the file in, and the code is decoded the same way a camera would decode it. It also handles the reverse problem: a desktop computer with no camera at all, where the code arrived by email and there is no phone nearby.
Nothing you scan is uploaded
The decoding happens entirely in your browser using your device's own processor. The image is drawn to an invisible canvas, the pixel data is read locally, and the QR pattern is decoded on your machine. No image, screenshot, or decoded result is ever sent to a server, ours or anyone else's.
This matters more than it sounds. QR codes routinely carry Wi-Fi passwords, two-factor authentication seeds, boarding passes, and payment details. A scanner that uploads your image is asking you to hand those to a third party. Turn off your internet connection after this page loads and the scanner still works — which is the simplest proof that nothing is leaving your device.
What we can tell you about a code before you open it
A QR code is just encoded text, and the text can say anything. Malicious codes work by displaying one thing and encoding another — a sticker placed over a real parking-meter code, a flyer pointing at a lookalike login page.
- •We show you the full decoded text before you act on it, never auto-opening a link.
- •We label the payload type — website link, Wi-Fi network, contact card, calendar event, phone number, payment request, or plain text — so a code that claims to be a menu but encodes a Wi-Fi join is visible as a mismatch.
- •For website links we display the actual hostname, which is the part that matters. 'g00gle-login.com' and 'google.com' look similar in small print and nothing alike when read carefully.
- •We flag shortened links. If a code resolves to bit.ly or tinyurl, the address tells you nothing about the destination, and we say so rather than pretending the link is transparent.
When a code will not scan
If nothing reads, the cause is almost always one of four things, and all four are fixable in a few seconds.
- 1Not all four corners are in frame. A QR code needs its three large position squares plus the full quiet zone around the edge. Crop wider, not tighter.
- 2The image is too small or too compressed. A code screenshotted at thumbnail size loses the module detail entirely. Ask for the original file rather than a forwarded, re-compressed copy.
- 3The code is blurred or angled. Our scanner retries at several scales automatically, but a heavily motion-blurred photo has genuinely lost the data.
- 4It is not a QR code. Barcodes, Data Matrix codes, and Aztec codes look similar to a casual glance and are read by different decoders.
Free, private, and permanent
WebsitesQR runs entirely in your browser. Codes you create are static and never expire; images you scan are never uploaded. Learn about QR code safety →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this QR code scanner really free?
Yes, with no account, no email, no trial, and no scan limit. There is nothing to sign up for because there is no server-side component to meter — the scanning happens on your own device.
Do I need to download an app to scan a QR code?
No. This runs in any modern browser on any device — iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS. Most standalone QR scanner apps in the app stores exist to show you ads or collect scan data, and offer nothing a browser cannot do.
Can I scan a QR code from a screenshot or a photo in my gallery?
Yes, and this is the main reason to use a browser scanner rather than your camera. Click 'Upload image' and choose the file, drag the image onto the page, or copy the screenshot and paste it with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on Mac). Your camera cannot scan a code that is already on your screen; this can.
Can I scan a QR code on my laptop or desktop computer?
Yes. If your computer has a webcam, click 'Use camera' and hold the code up to it. If it does not, or the code arrived by email, upload the image or paste the screenshot instead — no camera is needed for that route.
Are my scans private?
Completely. The image is processed by your browser and never transmitted. We do not store the image, the decoded text, or a record that a scan occurred. You can verify this by disconnecting from the internet after the page loads — the scanner keeps working.
Why does my QR code say it is a Wi-Fi network instead of a link?
Because that is what it encodes. QR codes carry several standard formats, and a Wi-Fi code contains the network name, security type, and password rather than a URL. We show you the type so you know what you are looking at before you act on it. If a code you expected to be a menu link turns out to be something else, that is a reason to be careful, not to scan again.
Is it safe to open a link from a QR code?
Only if you trust where the code came from. QR codes can be printed by anyone and stuck over legitimate ones — a documented tactic on parking meters and restaurant tables. Read the hostname we display before opening anything, be especially careful with codes asking for payment or a login, and treat shortened links as unknown destinations.
Can ChatGPT scan a QR code?
Not reliably. ChatGPT and other AI assistants can sometimes describe an image of a QR code, but they cannot decode the module pattern into its underlying data with any accuracy, and will frequently invent a plausible-looking URL instead. If an assistant sent you here to read a code, upload the image above and you will get the actual encoded text.