QR code scanner. Decoded on your device.

How to use the QR Code Scanner

This scanner reads a QR code from your camera or from an image file and shows the text stored inside it. Each camera frame or image is drawn onto a hidden canvas and passed to the jsQR decoder, which runs in your browser. Use it on a laptop with no phone handy, to check where a printed code leads before you open it, or to pull the text out of a screenshot.

Step by step

1. 1
   Pick a mode

   Choose Camera to scan live, or Image to read a code from a picture. Camera is selected when the page opens. Switching modes stops the camera and clears the last result.

2. 2
   Scan with the camera

   Press Start camera and allow camera access when the browser asks. Point the camera at the code, using the square frame as a guide, until it is read. The camera stops by itself as soon as a code is found, and Stop camera turns it off at any time.

3. 3
   Switch cameras if needed

   If your device has more than one camera, a Switch camera button appears while scanning. It swaps between the rear camera, which is tried first, and the front camera.

4. 4
   Or read an image

   In Image mode, drop a PNG, JPG or WebP file on Drop an image, or click it to browse. Only the first file is read. The picture shows in the preview and the result appears straight away.

5. 5
   Copy or open the result

   The Result card shows the decoded text. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard. If the code holds a web address, Open link opens it in a new tab.

6. 6
   Scan the next code

   Press Scan again. In Camera mode it restarts the camera; in Image mode it clears the preview so you can drop another file.

Reading the result

• The small tag next to Result names the type: URL, Email, Phone, SMS, Wi-Fi, Contact, Location or Text. It is based on how the text starts, for example https:// for URL, WIFI: for Wi-Fi and BEGIN:VCARD for Contact.
• Wi-Fi codes show the raw text, such as WIFI:T:WPA;S:network name;P:password;; where S is the network name and P is the password.
• Open link only appears for addresses that start with http:// or https://. Email, phone and other types are shown as text for you to copy.
• No QR code detected in that image means the decoder could not find a code. Try a sharper or closer picture.

Tips and common mistakes

• Read the address before you press Open link. A QR code can point anywhere, and this page shows you the full text first.
• If an image has several codes, crop it so only one is visible. The scanner returns a single code per image.
• Large photos are scaled down to 1400 pixels on the longest side before decoding, so a tiny code in a huge photo may be lost. Crop close to the code first.
• Camera permission denied means the browser blocked access. Allow the camera for this site in your browser settings, or use Image mode with a photo instead.
• The camera turns off when you switch to another tab, so press Start camera again when you come back.

Privacy and limits

Decoding happens in your browser with a copy of jsQR served from this site. The camera feed, your images and the decoded text are never uploaded or saved. Camera scanning needs a browser that supports camera access and your permission; Image mode works in any modern browser, even offline once the page has loaded.

Back to the tool

Everything a scanner should do.

• Scan via live camera, start your device camera and point it at any QR code for instant decoding.
• Decode from an image file, drop or browse a PNG, JPG or WebP photo that contains a QR code.
• Copy the decoded text in one click, or open a link directly in a new tab.
• Identify the QR type automatically, URL, email, phone, SMS, Wi-Fi, contact card, location or plain text.
• Switch between front and rear cameras on mobile or multi-camera devices.
• Stay fully private, the camera feed and images never leave your browser.

Frequently asked questions.

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