How to Scan a QR Code on a Computer or Laptop

Why scanning on a computer is different

Phones read QR codes with the camera app, which is built for it. Computers usually are not. Windows, macOS and ChromeOS each handle it differently, and many versions have no QR reader at all. Webcams are fixed in place, often low resolution, and pointed at your face, so holding a small printed code in front of one is awkward.

The good news is that most QR codes you need on a computer are already on its screen: in an email, a PDF, a web page or a message. For those, you do not need a camera. You need a way to read the code from an image.

The quickest way: screenshot and browser scanner

This works the same on Windows, Mac, Linux and Chromebook, and there is nothing to install. You do not need an account.

1. Make the code large on your screen. Zoom in on the page or document so the code is clear and sharp.
2. Take a screenshot of just that area. On Windows, press Windows + Shift + S and drag a box around the code. On a Mac, press Command + Control + Shift + 4 and drag. Both copy the screenshot to the clipboard.
3. Open our free QR code scanner in any browser.
4. Press Ctrl + V on Windows or Command + V on a Mac to paste the screenshot. You can also drop an image file onto the page or choose one from your files.
5. Read the result. A link is shown in full with an Open link button and a Copy button. Other content, such as plain text or Wi-Fi details, is shown as text you can copy.

Your image stays on your computer

The scanner reads the image inside your browser. It draws the picture on an invisible canvas and looks for a QR pattern there. The image is not uploaded to our servers, and the result is not stored. Close the tab and it is gone.

To find codes that are hard to read, it tries the image at a few different sizes, and it also tries it with light and dark swapped, so it can read codes printed light on a dark background. The scanner does not use your webcam. It only reads images you paste, drop or choose.

Google Lens in Chrome

If you use Google Chrome, you can usually right-click an image on a web page and choose the option to search it with Google Lens. Lens reads QR codes as well as text and objects. Recent versions of Chrome also let you select any area of the page with Lens, which works for codes that are part of a larger image.

The menu wording changes between Chrome versions. Keep in mind that Lens sends the image to Google to read it. If the code is in a private document, the browser scanner, which keeps the image on your computer, may be the better choice.

Using a webcam

Some computers can read a QR code held up to the webcam. On recent versions of Windows, the Camera app may include a barcode or QR option, sometimes found in its settings. macOS has no standard webcam QR scanner. Several browser extensions and apps offer webcam scanning, but check what they do with your camera and data before you install one.

In practice, the webcam is the slowest option. Laptop cameras struggle with small codes, glare and focus. If you have a printed code and a phone nearby, the phone is almost always faster.

On a Mac

Recent versions of macOS include Live Text, which recognizes text in images in apps such as Photos and Preview. On some versions it can also pick up QR codes in an image, so open the screenshot and try hovering over or right-clicking the code. Support varies by macOS version and Mac model, so if nothing happens, use the screenshot method above.

Send it to your phone instead

If the code is on your computer screen and your phone is in your hand, simply point the phone camera at the screen. Phones read codes from monitors and laptop screens well. Turn up the screen brightness, zoom so the code is a good size, and hold the phone straight on to avoid reflections. See the guides for iPhone and Android if the camera does not react.

This is also the right way to follow codes that are meant for a phone, such as a link to an app store, a Wi-Fi code or a mobile boarding pass. Opening those on a computer does not help much.

Which method to use on a computer

QR codes in PDFs and emails

Codes in PDFs, tickets and invoices are often small. Zoom in until the code is at least a few centimeters wide on the screen before you take the screenshot. A tiny screenshot gives the scanner too few pixels to work with.

If the code is an image attached to an email, save the attachment and drop the file onto the scanner instead of taking a screenshot. The original file is usually sharper. For more on reading codes from files, see how to scan a QR code from an image.

If the code cannot be read

• Zoom in further and take a new screenshot. Blurry or tiny images are the most common problem.
• Include the empty margin around the code. A screenshot that cuts into the code or its margin may fail.
• Show one code at a time. Crop the screenshot if there are several codes close together.
• Save unusual image formats as PNG or JPG and try again.
• Try another method, such as Google Lens or your phone. Each reader handles damaged codes a little differently.
• If nothing reads it, the code may be faulty. See QR code not scanning for the causes.

Check the link before opening it

Reading a code on a computer has one advantage: you see the full address before you open it. Use that. Look at the website name before the first single slash, and be careful with codes in unexpected emails that ask you to log in, pay or confirm account details. QR codes in phishing emails are common because many email filters do not read them.

Putting your own QR code on screens

If you show a QR code in slides, on a website or in an email signature, make it easy for both phones and computers to read: use a dark pattern on a light background, keep the empty margin, and use a PNG of 1024 pixels or more rather than a small, compressed image. A dynamic code keeps the pattern simple and lets you change the destination later. Make one with the Website URL type.

Questions