QR code scanner
Read a QR code from an image file or your camera.
Runs in this tab. The file stays here.
This runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
About QR code scanner
Read a QR code from an image file or your camera and show the decoded text. The decoding happens in your browser and nothing is opened for you.
You have a screenshot of a QR code, or a printed one in front of you, and you want to know what it contains before you open it. This tool decodes it locally and shows the raw text, so you can read a URL in full, check the domain, and decide for yourself instead of tapping it blindly. Codes in posters, parcels and restaurant tables are not always what they seem.
Drop an image onto the page and it is scanned as soon as it loads, or press Scan with camera and hold the code in view. The camera path asks for the rear camera if your device has one, checks a frame about five times a second, and switches itself off after the first successful read. The decoder, jsQR, tries both normal and colour-inverted codes. The result panel shows the text with a Copy button, labelled QR CODE. If nothing is found you see a short message, and Scan image again re-runs the same file.
It reads one QR code per scan and shows the content as plain text, so a Wi-Fi code or a contact card appears in its raw encoded form rather than as a friendly button. URLs are never opened automatically. Damaged, very small, blurry or low-contrast codes can fail, and a photo taken at a steep angle is harder than a flat screenshot. Barcodes are a different format and have their own scanner page. Camera access needs a secure (HTTPS) page and your permission.
How to use QR code scanner
- 1Drop an image containing a QR code onto the page, or click Scan with camera.
- 2For the camera, hold the code flat, well lit and steady until it reads.
- 3Read the decoded text, then click Copy if you want it.
- 4Use Scan image again to re-run the same image, or load a sharper one.
What it won't do
- One QR code per scan; content is shown as raw text.
- Links are never opened automatically.
- Damaged, tiny or low-contrast codes may fail to decode.
Common questions
Does the QR scanner open the link for me?
No. It shows the decoded text only, which is safer for codes you do not trust. Copy it and decide yourself whether to visit.
Is the QR scanner's camera feed uploaded?
No. Frames are drawn to a canvas and read in the tab, then discarded. The camera stops after a successful read, when you click Stop camera, or when you leave the page.
Why won't my QR code image scan?
Usually the code is too small in the image, blurred, glared, or cropped so the corner squares are cut off. Crop tightly with a clear margin, use a larger or sharper picture, and try again.
Can the QR scanner read barcodes like EAN or Code 128?
No. This page decodes QR codes only. The Barcode scanner page handles the common retail and shipping formats.
Related tools
Why this one doesn't upload your file
There is no server to upload to. This page is a static file, and the work happens in your browser using the same graphics and WebAssembly code that renders every other site you visit. Your file is read from disk into memory, processed, and handed back as a download. Once the page has loaded you can disconnect from the network entirely and it keeps working. The longer explanation