Free QR Code Scanner

Read a QR code with your camera, or from a photo, SVG, or screenshot. The page shows what is inside: a website, a map, a Wi-Fi login, a contact card, an email, a text, or a phone number. It is free, it needs no account, and the image is decoded on this device. Use it to check a code before you open the link or print a batch. To make a code, use the QR code generator.

Scan a code

Start the camera, or switch to upload and choose a picture.

Nothing scanned yet

A link shows the site name before you open it. Wi-Fi shows the network and password. A vCard lists the contact. A map link stays a map, instead of being treated as a random URL.

How to scan a QR code in the browser

No app and no account. The phone camera app is still the fastest way to open a poster in the street. This page is for checking a code, or for reading one that is already a picture.

Choose a camera or an image

Start the camera and point it at the code, or upload a photo, SVG, or screenshot. You can also paste an image from the clipboard.

Read the panel for that code

A link shows the site name, a map shows the place, Wi-Fi shows the network, and a vCard shows the contact. The raw text is there as well.

Copy or open it yourself

Nothing is opened automatically. Copy a password, download a contact, or open a link after you have checked the address.

What the scanner shows for each QR code

The same square can hold very different instructions. The panel matches the payload, so a Wi-Fi login is not presented as a website.

What is in the code	What you see	What you can do
Website link	Site name, full address, and any UTM campaign tags	Copy it, or open it after you have read the host. Short links are labelled as short links.
Map link or geo pin	The map address, and coordinates when they are in the code	Open the original map link, or open a `geo:` pin in Google Maps or Apple Maps. Make one with the Google Maps QR generator.
Google review or Business link	The review or g.page address stored in the code	Open it yourself. The scanner does not post a review.
Wi-Fi	Network name, security, and password	Copy the password. A browser cannot join the network. See the Wi-Fi QR generator.
vCard or MeCard	Name, phone, email, organisation, and website	Download a .vcf and open it on your phone. See the vCard generator.
Email, SMS, or phone	Recipient, subject, message, or number	Open the mail, message, or call action on your device.
Calendar event	Title, start, end, and location	Download an .ics file.
Plain text	The text, unchanged	Copy it. One-time-password secrets and crypto addresses stay masked or blocked from a one-click send.

Campaign codes often hide the useful part in the query string. This scanner lists utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign when they are present, and it does not visit the page. That is the check to make before a poster goes to print. The UTM and GA4 guide covers how those tags should be built.

Check the code before you open it

A camera app that jumps straight to Safari is convenient, and it is also how a bad code gets the first tap. Read the panel first.

The site name is the part that matters. An address can be long, or it can be a short link such as bit.ly. This page shows the address inside the QR code. It does not follow redirects, so it cannot tell you the final page. If the host is not one you recognise, do not open it.

A link that hides the real site after an @ sign is refused. javascript: and data: links are shown as text and are not opened. Plain HTTP is marked, because the page is not encrypted. A Wi-Fi password is plain text in the code. Treat it like a password written on a card.

If a printed code will not read at all, the usual causes are contrast, size, glare, or a cropped quiet zone. The troubleshooting guide walks through those. The scanning guide covers photos, screenshots, and when the phone camera is the better tool.

Need to make the code, not read it?

Static codes are built in the browser as well. No account, no scan limit, and the payload is not sent to a generator server.

Create a QR code

Frequently asked questions

Upload, camera access, Wi-Fi, and what the scanner will not open.

Is the picture uploaded when I scan a QR code?

No. The photo or camera frame is decoded on this device. The picture and the text inside the code are not sent to a server. The page loads fonts, icons, and a site analytics script, as the other QRFree pages do. Analytics receives the code type, such as URL or Wi-Fi, and never the contents.

Can I scan a QR code from a screenshot or a photo?

Yes. Upload a PNG, JPG, WEBP, GIF, or SVG, or paste a screenshot. On a phone, choose the picture from your camera roll.

Does the camera scanner work on iPhone and Android?

Yes, in a browser that can use the camera on a secure page. The rear camera is requested when the phone has one. If permission is refused, upload a photo instead.

Can this page join a Wi-Fi network or save a contact for me?

It can show the network name and password, and it can download a vCard file. A web page cannot join Wi-Fi or write to the address book by itself. The phone camera app is what joins a network straight from a printed code.

Why should I read the panel before I open a link?

The panel shows the address stored in the code. It does not follow redirects, so a short link still looks like a short link. Check the site name first. Links that use javascript or data URLs are shown and not opened.

What if no QR code is found?

Move closer, crop the picture so the code fills more of the frame, and avoid glare. A heavy JPG can smear the modules. Printed codes that fail for contrast, size, or a missing margin need a new print, not a different scanner.

Can one picture contain more than one QR code?

When the browser has a built-in barcode detector, each code is listed and you can switch panels. Otherwise the scanner shows the code it could read.