How to use QR Code Scanner
- Choose a picture or PDF with the code, paste a screenshot, or tap Scan with camera.
- The code is read on your device. When one picture holds several codes, each one is listed in reading order.
- Check what is inside: a link shows its real domain, Wi-Fi shows the network and password, a contact shows its details.
- Open the link, copy the text or password, or save the contact or event. Nothing opens until you tap it.
Why use QR Code Scanner
- Reads a code you already have
- Choose a screenshot, a photo in your gallery, a picture sent on WhatsApp or a page of a PDF. Your phone’s camera cannot be pointed at any of those.
- See the link before it opens
- The real domain is shown in bold. Your browser flags shortened links, lookalike addresses, a hidden second address after “@” and plain http. Nothing is looked up online.
- Wi-Fi, contacts, events and invoices
- The network name and password to copy; a vCard or MeCard saved to your contacts; an event saved to your calendar; a Saudi e-invoice’s seller, VAT number and total as text.
- Works on a PC, laptop or Mac
- Choose a saved picture, paste a screenshot with Ctrl+V or Cmd+V, or hold the code up to the webcam. There is nothing to install.
- Several codes at once
- A sheet of tickets or a page of labels is read in one go, and each code comes with a small picture of it so you can tell them apart.
- Barcodes in pictures too
- EAN-13 and UPC product barcodes and Code 128 or Code 39 labels are read from a photo or screenshot. The live camera looks for QR codes.
About this tool
Every phone camera reads a QR code held in front of it. It cannot read a code that is already on the phone: a screenshot, a picture someone sent you, a code inside a PDF, or a code on the phone’s own screen. Many laptops have no QR code reader at all. This page reads all of those from a file, a pasted screenshot or the webcam, in the browser of a phone, a PC or a Mac. It also reads a code on a computer screen photographed with another device.
What the code holds is shown as text before anything happens. A web link is split into its domain and the full address, and your device warns you when it is shortened, mixes alphabets to imitate a known site or is not encrypted. A Wi-Fi code gives the network name and password to copy, because a web page cannot join a network for you. A contact becomes a .vcf file saved the way your phone or computer saves files, and a number on a bill is shown so you can paste it where the bill asks for it. The reader, ZXing, downloads once (about 1 MB) and then stays on your device.
Frequently asked questions
How do I scan a QR code from a picture or screenshot?
Tap “Choose a picture or PDF”, drag the picture onto the page, or copy a screenshot and paste it here with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac). What the code holds appears under the picture’s name. On a phone, take a screenshot of the code first, then choose it from your gallery.
Can I scan a QR code on my PC or laptop without an app?
Yes. This QR code scanner works online in Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox on a Windows PC or a Mac. Save or paste a screenshot of the code, or click Scan with camera and hold the code up to the webcam.
Is it safe to scan a QR code here? What happens when I scan?
Nothing opens by itself. You see the domain a link goes to, with a warning when it is shortened, imitates a known site or is not encrypted, and the link opens only when you tap Open. The picture is read on your device and never uploaded, and nothing about the code is sent anywhere. A clean-looking link can still lead to a scam, so open only what you expected to get.
Why is my QR code not scanning?
Crop the picture closer to the code, avoid glare and shadows on it, and keep the white margin around a printed code. For a code shown on a screen, a screenshot reads better than a photo of the screen. A damaged, blurred or very small code may not read at all; ask for the link or a clearer copy.
Can it read a WiFi QR code and show the password?
Yes. A Wi-Fi code shows the network name, the security type and the password, hidden until you tap Show, with a button to copy each. Open your Wi-Fi settings, pick the network and paste the password: a web page cannot join a network for you.
Does it read barcodes too?
Yes, as a QR and barcode scanner for pictures: EAN-13, EAN-8 and UPC product barcodes, Code 128 and Code 39. It shows the number under the bars but does not look the product up, which would mean sending the number to a server. The live camera looks for QR codes only, so photograph a barcode and choose the photo.
Can I scan a WhatsApp Web login code here?
No. The code on WhatsApp Web links your account and must be scanned from WhatsApp on the phone that owns it (Settings › Linked devices). Scanned here, it only shows as text.
Does it read the QR code on an electricity bill?
Yes. It shows what the code holds, usually a reference number or a payment link. Copy the number into your bank or wallet app where it asks for the bill reference. This page never pays anything.
QR code scan kaise karte hain? (How do I scan a QR code on a mobile or a PC?)
Mobile se ya computer se, is page par “Scan with camera” dabayen aur code ko camera ke saamne rakhen, ya uska screenshot choose karen: QR code scan kaise kare online, bas itna hi. Tap Scan with camera and hold the code in the frame, or choose a screenshot or photo of it. The code is read on your device and what it holds appears on the page.
Built and maintained by Saad Naeem
AI engineer, Doha · Updated