This guide is for reading a QR code you already have. That might be a screenshot on a laptop, a photo of a proof, a Wi-Fi card on the counter, or a code in a PDF. The QR code scanner does that in the browser. No app, no account, and the image is not uploaded.
The phone camera is still the right tool when you are standing in front of a poster. It is a poor tool when you need to see the address, the password, or the contact fields without visiting the page or joining the network.
Phone camera, or a QR code scanner online
Pick the tool from the job, not from whichever app is already open.
| The job | Use this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Open a menu, a poster, or a window sticker | iPhone Camera or Android camera | It is one tap, and the person scanning does not want a report. They want the page. |
| Read a screenshot, a PDF, or a photo already on the computer | Browser scanner, upload or paste | There is no phone in the loop. Paste the image and read the panel. |
| Check a proof before you print 200 cards | Browser scanner | You need the payload on screen: the URL, the UTM tags, the phone number, the Wi-Fi password. |
| Look at a code you were sent and do not trust | Browser scanner, then decide | You see the site name before anything opens. A camera app often opens the page as the scan succeeds. |
| A code across a room, on a wall | Phone camera | A laptop webcam is a weak scanner. Hold the phone at the distance the print was designed for. |
On Android, Google Lens can read a QR code from a saved photo. That is useful. It still tends to offer “open” rather than “show me the Wi-Fi password and the campaign tags”. Use Lens to open a code you trust. Use a reader when you need the contents.
How to scan a QR code from an image
Four steps. The same sequence works for a camera frame.
- Open the free QR code scanner. No app and no account.
- Upload the photo, paste a screenshot, or start the camera and hold the code in frame.
- Read the matching panel. For a link, read the site name. For Wi-Fi, read the network. For a contact, read the phone number and email.
- Copy what you need, or open the link only after the address is one you expected. Nothing opens on its own.
Paste works with Ctrl+V on Windows and Linux, and Command+V on a Mac. On a phone, the file picker can take a picture from the camera roll. PNG, JPG, WEBP, GIF, and SVG all work. A screenshot of a code on a white page is enough. You do not need to crop it to the pixel, though a tighter crop helps a blurry photo.
The camera only starts after you press the button, and only on a secure page. If the browser refuses, upload the picture instead. iPhone users should open the scanner in Safari if another browser will not share the camera.
What a useful QR code reader shows
A raw text box is not enough. WIFI:T:WPA;S:CafeGuest;P:correct-horse;; is a network login. BEGIN:VCARD is a contact. geo:51.5074,-0.1278 is a pin. A reader that understands the type lets you check the thing you meant to print.
- Website. The panel leads with the site name, then the full address. UTM tags such as
utm_source,utm_medium, andutm_campaignare listed on their own, which is the check that matters for a tracked poster. See tracking QR codes with UTM and GA4. - Map. Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, OpenStreetMap, and
geo:pins get a map panel, not a generic link. Build those codes in the Google Maps QR generator. - Wi-Fi. Network name, security, and password. The password is hidden until you ask for it. The page cannot join the network. That limit is useful: you can proof a guest card on a desktop without connecting the office laptop to the guest SSID. The format is the one described in the guest Wi-Fi guide.
- vCard and MeCard. Name, phones, emails, organisation, website. Download a .vcf if you want it in the address book. The vCard generator writes version 3.0 with the name, phone, email, organisation, and URL.
- Email, SMS, and phone. You see the recipient and the prefilled message before the mail or messages app opens. A prefilled SMS that says something you did not write is a reason to stop.
- Calendar. Title, start, end, location, and an .ics download.
- Plain text. Left as text. A one-time-password setup code is treated as a secret. A crypto address is shown for comparison, and the page will not open a wallet.
Use cases that are worth the extra step
Proof the print, not the preview. Export the code, drop it into the artwork, and scan a screenshot of the PDF page. Confirm the host and the UTM tags before the printer runs. A preview in the generator shows what you typed. A scan shows what the modules actually contain, including a link you pasted with a stray space or the previous campaign’s tags.
Guest Wi-Fi cards. Generate the code, scan it back, and read the SSID and password against the router. Do this when the password contains a semicolon, a colon, or a quote. Those characters have to be escaped in the payload, and a bad escape is invisible until a phone refuses to join. The Wi-Fi generator escapes them. Scanning the result is the check.
Business cards. A vCard that is one digit out will be saved by every person who scans it. Read the phone and email from a photo of the proof. If the code is only a link to a contact page, you will see a URL panel instead of a contact panel, which is a different product. The vCard guide covers which fields are worth encoding.
Maps on invitations and shop windows. A short Google Maps link and a geo: pin both belong in the map panel. If you see a website panel and a host you do not recognise, the code is not the venue pin you thought it was.
Codes you did not print. A parcel sticker, a parking poster, a QR on a pop-up that says you must pay. Read the host. If it is a short link, you still only know the short link. Opening it is a separate decision. The scanner does not fetch the destination, so it will not “check the page is safe” for you. It stops one step earlier, which is the useful step.
Check a link before you open it
Read the site name. example.co.uk is a different decision from example.co.uk.signin-alert.com. A long query string does not make a link dangerous by itself. A host you do not know does.
Short links are labelled. bit.ly, tinyurl, and a maps.app.goo.gl pin can be changed by whoever owns the short link. Static codes that point at a short link on your own domain are a different arrangement: you own the redirect. That pattern is covered in the short link guide. A short link on someone else’s domain is not yours.
The scanner will not open an address that hides the real site after an @ sign, and it will not open javascript: or data: links. Plain HTTP is marked because it is not encrypted. None of that is a virus scan. It is a chance to look.
When the picture will not scan
A reader fails for ordinary reasons.
- The photo is soft, or the code is twenty pixels wide in the corner of a table.
- Glare has blown out a band of modules. Move the light, or shoot at an angle that is not a mirror.
- The JPG is compressed until the squares bleed together. A PNG of the same code usually reads.
- The quiet zone, the white margin around the code, was cropped in the artwork. The camera cannot find the edge.
- The print is pale, tiny, or on a glossy card under a spotlight. That is a print fault. Another scanner will not fix it.
The guide to printed codes that will not scan is the checklist for contrast, module size, and margin. If you are making the code, keep the link short and leave the margin alone. The print size guide has the distances.
A laptop webcam is the last resort for a code on paper. It hunts for focus. Use it for a code on the screen in front of you, or take a photo on a phone and upload that photo.
What stays on the device
The picture and the decoded text are handled in the browser. They are not sent to a QR server and they are not stored. If a tool asks you to upload the file so their server can decode it, a Wi-Fi password or a contact card has left the machine.
This site still loads fonts, icons, and analytics, the same as the generator pages. Analytics is told the type of code, such as URL or Wi-Fi, and the fact that you used the camera or an upload. It is not told the address, the password, or the file name. Do not put a secret in a QR code you are not willing to have anyone with the picture read. The code is not encrypted.
Questions about scanning
How do I scan a QR code from a picture?
Open the QR code scanner, then upload the photo or paste the screenshot. The page reads the code in your browser and shows the link, Wi-Fi login, contact, or map that was stored in it.
Can I scan a QR code on a computer without a phone?
Yes. Paste a screenshot or upload the image. A laptop webcam also works if the browser is allowed to use the camera and the code is held steady in frame. A phone camera is still better for a code across the room.
How do I read a Wi-Fi QR code without joining the network?
Scan it with the QR code scanner. The Wi-Fi panel shows the network name and the password. A website cannot join the Wi-Fi for you, which is what you want when you are only checking a card before it is printed.
Does this online QR code scanner upload my image?
No. The picture is decoded on your device. The text inside the code is not sent to a server. Fonts, icons, and site analytics still load, and analytics records the type of code, not its contents.
Why is the address in the code different from the page that opens?
The code often stores a short link. The short link redirects in the browser after you open it. The scanner shows the address in the code, and it does not follow that redirect.
What if the photo of the QR code will not scan?
Crop closer, use a PNG if you have one, and avoid glare on the paper. If the print itself is pale, tiny, or missing the white margin, a scanner will not invent a result. The troubleshooting guide covers those print faults.
Related: the QR code scanner, the print troubleshooting guide, guest Wi-Fi codes, and email QR codes if the payload should open a draft rather than a page.
Read the code before you open it.
Camera, photo, or pasted screenshot. The panel matches the payload, and the image stays on this device.
Open the QR code scanner