Scan QR codes online with your camera or a screenshot
This free QR code scanner works on phones, tablets and laptops. Point your camera at a code, or upload a photo or screenshot that contains one — useful when the QR code is on your phone screen, in an email or inside a PDF you have screenshotted. The decoded content appears instantly with the right actions next to it.
Instead of jumping straight to a website, the scanner shows you what the code contains first. Links display their real domain with a safety check, Wi-Fi codes reveal the network name and password, UPI codes show the payee before you pay, and contact cards can be saved as a .vcf file. Camera frames and images are decoded on your device and never uploaded.
How to use the QR Code Scanner
- Choose “Camera” and press “Start camera”. Allow camera access when your browser asks — the rear camera is used on phones when available.
- Hold the QR code inside the white frame, about 15–30 cm away, until it is recognised. The camera stops automatically once a code is read.
- Or choose “Image or screenshot” and drop, choose or paste (Ctrl+V) an image containing the code.
- Read the result: the type of code, the full text and a tidy list of fields such as network, password, payee or phone number.
- Use the buttons to open the link, copy the text or password, save the contact, or scan another code.
QR Code Scanner features
Camera and image scanning
Live scanning with any webcam or phone camera, plus decoding from uploaded or pasted photos and screenshots.
Fast native detection
Uses the browser’s built-in barcode detector where available (Android, ChromeOS, macOS) and the proven jsQR decoder everywhere else.
Camera picker and torch
Switch between front and rear cameras, and turn on the flash on phones that allow it from the browser.
Smart results
Wi-Fi, vCard and MECARD contacts, UPI payments, email, SMS, phone and map locations are broken into readable fields.
Link safety checks
Shows the real domain and flags unencrypted http links, punycode look-alikes, raw IP addresses and short links that hide the destination.
Private by design
The camera turns off when you stop, switch tabs or leave the page, and nothing is recorded or sent anywhere.
Stay safe with QR codes (“quishing”)
Criminals increasingly paste fake QR stickers over genuine ones on parking meters, posters and restaurant tables, or send them in emails, to lead people to look-alike payment and login pages. This is called quishing (QR phishing). A few habits protect you:
- Read the domain before opening a link. “paypal.secure-login.co” is not PayPal — the part just before the first single slash is what matters.
- Be suspicious of codes stuck on top of other codes, and of codes in unexpected emails asking you to “verify” an account.
- For payments, check the payee name your UPI app shows. You never need to scan a code or enter your UPI PIN to receive money.
- Don’t enter passwords or card details on a page you reached through a QR code if anything feels off — type the official address yourself instead.
Tips when a QR code won’t scan
- Clean the camera lens and add light — or use the torch button on supported phones.
- Move closer so the code fills most of the frame, then slowly back off until it focuses.
- For a screenshot, crop close around the code before uploading; tiny codes in large images are harder to find.
- Very dense codes (long text or vCards) need a sharp, well-lit photo. Glossy surfaces cause glare — tilt the code slightly.
- Light-on-dark (inverted) codes are supported in image mode; try uploading a photo if the live camera struggles.
What the scanner can read
| Code starts with | Type | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| https:// or http:// | Link | Domain, safety check, Open link |
| WIFI: | Wi-Fi network | Network name, password, security, hidden flag |
| upi://pay | UPI payment | UPI ID, payee name, amount, note |
| BEGIN:VCARD / MECARD: | Contact card | Name, phone, email, company — save as .vcf |
| mailto: · tel: · SMSTO: | Email · Phone · SMS | Recipient and pre-written message |
| geo: | Location | Coordinates and an OpenStreetMap link |
QR Code Scanner FAQ
How do I scan a QR code on my laptop or PC?
Open this QR code scanner, press “Start camera” and hold the code up to your webcam. If the code is already on your screen — in an email, a document or a website — take a screenshot and use the “Image or screenshot” tab instead.
Can I scan a QR code from a screenshot or photo in my gallery?
Yes. Choose “Image or screenshot” and pick the image, drag it in, or paste it with Ctrl+V. This is the easiest way to read a QR code that someone sent you on WhatsApp or by email.
Is it safe to use an online QR scanner?
This one decodes everything locally in your browser; the camera feed and images are never uploaded. It also shows the destination of a link before you open it, which is safer than scanners that open links automatically.
Why does the browser ask for camera permission?
Websites can only use your camera after you allow it. Permission is used solely to read codes on this page, and the camera switches off when you stop scanning, change tabs or leave. If you blocked it by mistake, re-enable it from the camera or lock icon in the address bar.
How do I see a Wi-Fi password from a QR code?
Scan the Wi-Fi QR code (or a screenshot of it). The result lists the network name, the password and the security type, and a “Copy password” button lets you paste it on a laptop that has no camera.
Can this read barcodes as well?
It is built for QR codes. To make product barcodes such as EAN-13 or Code 128, use the Barcode Generator; to pull printed text out of an image, use Image to Text. You can create your own codes with the QR Code Generator.