How to Scan a QR Code from an Image or Screenshot

The quickest way on any device

Open our free QR code scanner in your browser and give it the image. You can drop the file onto the page, choose it from your files or photos, or copy the image and paste it. The scanner shows what the code contains, with a button to open the link or copy the text.

The image is read in your browser and is never uploaded. It works the same way on a phone, a tablet or a computer, and you do not need to install anything or create an account.

Using the free browser scanner

1. Save the QR code as an image or take a screenshot of it. Crop it if the image contains other codes, so only one is visible.
2. Open the QR code scanner.
3. Drop the image onto the page, tap to choose it from your photos or files, or paste it with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac).
4. Read the result. A link is shown in full, with an Open link button. Any other content, such as plain text or Wi-Fi details, is shown as text you can copy.
5. Check the address before you tap Open link. A QR code can lead anywhere.

What happens to your image

The scanner runs entirely in your browser. When you give it an image, the page draws it onto an invisible canvas and looks for a QR pattern there. Nothing is sent to our servers, and the result is not stored. Closing the page discards everything.

Large photos are scaled down first, and the scanner tries a few different sizes, because a code is sometimes found at one scale and missed at another. It also tries the image with light and dark swapped, so it can read codes printed light on a dark background.

On an iPhone

On most recent iPhones, the Photos app can read text and codes in pictures with a feature called Live Text. Open the screenshot or photo in Photos. If the phone recognizes the code, a Live Text button appears in the corner of the photo, and the content of the code can be tapped. On some versions you can also touch and hold the code itself to see the link.

If nothing appears, the image may be too small or blurry, or your iPhone may not support the feature. In that case, open the QR code scanner in Safari and choose the image from your photo library. It works on any iPhone with a current browser.

On an Android phone

On most Android phones, Google Lens reads QR codes in images. Open the screenshot or photo in Google Photos and tap the Lens button. Lens shows the link or text in the code, and you can tap it to open or copy it.

On some recent Android phones you can also use Circle to Search: while the code is on the screen, start Circle to Search and circle the code. Menus differ between phone makers and Android versions, so if you cannot find these options, use the browser scanner and choose the image from your gallery.

On a Windows or Mac computer

Computers rarely have a built-in way to read QR codes from images. The simplest option is the QR code scanner: take a screenshot of the area with the code, then paste it into the scanner page with Ctrl+V on Windows or Cmd+V on a Mac. You do not even need to save the screenshot as a file.

If the code is in a PDF or a document, zoom in until the code is large on the screen before you take the screenshot. A screenshot of a tiny code may be too blurry to read.

In Google Chrome you can usually right-click an image on a web page and search it with Google Lens, which also reads QR codes. That sends the image to Google. The browser scanner keeps it on your computer.

When the code is on another screen

If the code is on a different device, such as a computer monitor, a TV or a presentation, you do not need any of this. Point your phone camera at the other screen as you would at a printed code. Turn the screen brightness up if the camera struggles, and hold the phone straight on to reduce reflections.

The methods in this guide are for the case where the code is on the same device you want to use, or arrived as a file you want to check before opening.

Which method to use

If the code cannot be read

• Use a sharper image. Blurry, low-resolution or heavily compressed images are the most common problem. Ask the sender for the original file if you can.
• Make the code larger. Zoom in before taking the screenshot so the code fills a good part of it.
• Keep the edges. The code needs some empty space around it. If the screenshot cuts through the code or its margin, take it again.
• Show one code at a time. If the image has several QR codes, crop it so only the one you want is visible.
• Straighten the photo. A code photographed at a steep angle or on a crumpled page is harder to read. Take a new photo straight on if you have the original.
• Convert unusual formats. If the image will not open, save it as PNG or JPG and try again.
• Try another device. If one method fails, the browser scanner on a computer or a phone with Google Lens or Live Text may still read it, because each reader handles damaged codes a little differently.

Reading Wi-Fi and other non-link codes

Not every QR code holds a link. If the scanner finds plain text, it shows it with a Copy button. A Wi-Fi code shows its details as one line starting with WIFI: where the network name follows S: and the password follows P: You can copy the password and type or paste it into your Wi-Fi settings.

Contact codes, calendar entries and other formats are also shown as their raw text. You can read the details and copy what you need.

Check before you open a link

A QR code hides its destination until you read it, which makes it a popular trick for sending people to fake login pages. That applies to codes in emails and messages just as much as to stickers in the street. Reading the code from an image first gives you a chance to look before you go.

• Read the whole address, especially the part just before the first single slash. That is the website you will actually visit.
• Be careful with codes that ask you to log in, pay or confirm account details, especially when they arrive unexpectedly.
• Short links hide the final address. If you do not trust the sender, do not open them.
• When in doubt, go to the website by typing its address yourself instead of using the code.

Making a code that is easy to share as an image

If you send QR codes to other people, you can make them easier to read from a screen. Use a dark pattern on a light background, keep the quiet zone around the code, and send the PNG file rather than a photo or a screenshot of it. A short line of text next to the code saying where it leads helps people trust it.

A dynamic code is also easier to read from a small image, because it holds a short link and has fewer, larger squares. It lets you change the destination later and see how many people opened it. You can make one with the Website URL type, or add your logo with a QR code with logo.

Questions