QR Code Scanner

A tool to scan and decode QR codes and barcodes. Point your camera at a code, upload a photo, or paste a screenshot — the scanner reads the content, tells you what it is (a link, Wi-Fi, a contact, and more), and shows the safe action to take next. It reads several codes in one image and highlights suspicious links before you open them.

How to scan a QR code

Choose how to scan

Use your camera, or switch to “Image / paste” to upload a photo or paste a screenshot.

Add the code

Point the camera at the code, drop an image, or press Ctrl+V to paste a screenshot you copied.

A link, a Wi-Fi password or a contact

The scanner shows what the code contains and the action to take — open a link, copy a Wi-Fi password, save a contact, and so on.

Read a QR code from a screenshot, photo, or your camera

Tap to start the camera

Point the camera at a QR code or barcode

1×

The browser blocked the camera

Tap the lock or settings icon next to the page address, choose “Camera” and allow access, then reload the page.

Reading the image…

No code found in this image

The code must fit in the frame whole, together with the white margin around it.
A screenshot reads better than a photo of a screen — no glare, no moiré.
Code too small? Select it on the picture below and try again.

Recent scans

What this QR scanner does

Scan from a screenshot or photo

Copy a screenshot and paste it with Ctrl+V, drop an image, or use your camera. Reading a picture works even when the on-screen code is too small for a live camera.

Reads difficult codes

Handles blurry, tilted, low-contrast, inverted and on-screen codes that simpler scanners miss — including a logo covering the middle of the code.

Several codes at once, or one after another

When an image holds more than one code, every one of them is listed. “Keep scanning” leaves the camera on after each code, and the scan history exports to CSV or JSON.

Reads what is inside the code

Links, Wi-Fi, contacts, events, phone, email, location, products — and GS1 marking codes, whose product number, batch, serial and expiry date are shown as separate fields instead of one digit string.

Warns about dangerous links

Shows the real destination domain, flags shortened, IP-address and other suspicious links, and spells out which address a look-alike (punycode) domain is imitating.

Works with 15+ code types

QR, Micro QR, Data Matrix, Aztec, PDF417, EAN, UPC, Code 128 and more — for products, tickets, documents and industrial labels.

We measured this: how small a code still reads - and why a phone screen is harder

Measured on 8 September 2026 on a bench of the same decoder that reads codes on this page: 96 camera frames at 1280×720 - 12 codes on each of four size steps, separately for a printed code and for a code shown on a phone screen.

A printed code reads down to three camera pixels per module - without a single miss

We measure the size of a code in the frame not in centimeters but in how many camera pixels fall on one QR module: that is what changes when a code is small or far away. The bench frame is not a clean scan but what a camera sees at a door: a dim room, the code tilted in an unsteady hand, slight focus blur and sensor noise.

Camera pixels per module	Printed code	Code on a phone screen
5	12 of 12	11 of 12
4	12 of 12	12 of 12
3.5	12 of 12	11 of 12
3	12 of 12	9 of 12

Below three pixels per module we publish no number: there the bench can no longer tell a small code from noise, and a figure would be a promise with nothing behind it. One miss in twelve is eight points, so "11 of 12" against "12 of 12" is noise, not a difference.

A phone screen reads worse - and that is a property of the screen, not of the scanner

A screen adds what paper does not have: a grid of scan lines that turns into moiré in the camera, and a glare spot from the room light. The bench reproduces both literally - translucent lines every three pixels and a bright patch over the frame. On a large code there is no difference; on the smallest, three pixels per module, the screen loses every fourth code and paper loses none.

In practice this means one thing: hold a code from someone else's phone closer than a printout, and get the glare out of the way. Until 29 August 2026 this page read with a different engine; on the same bench in the marginal band - three to three and a half pixels per module - it read 45% against 92% now (measured 2026-08-29; that engine is no longer on the page, so the figure was not re-run today).

The frames are synthetic: a real camera adds autofocus, compression and motion the bench does not model, so in real life the limit may sit slightly lower. Codes are of one format and one length - ticket codes; very long codes with a finer grid read worse. Twelve codes per step is a small sample; a one-code difference is not significant. One-dimensional barcodes were not measured here.

You can check this yourself: show the scanner a code on another phone and move it away until reading stops; then do the same with a printout - the printout will go further. The distance at which reading stopped is the difference between the two columns of the table.

QR scanner — questions & answers

Can it scan a QR code from a screenshot?

Yes. Copy the screenshot and paste it with Ctrl+V, or upload the image file. Reading a screenshot is often more reliable than pointing a camera at a screen, which causes glare and reflections.

The code has a logo in the middle — will it still read?

Yes. QR codes carry error-correction data, so a center logo covering part of the code usually still decodes.

It didn’t read my code. What can I do?

Try uploading a photo or screenshot instead of the live camera, make sure the whole code is in the frame with a little white space around it, and avoid heavy blur or glare.

Can it read more than one code in a picture?

Yes. Every code found in the image is listed, and you can open each one separately.

Is a scanned link safe to open?

The scanner shows the real destination domain and flags common warning signs — shortened links, look-alike characters, raw IP addresses and suspicious domains. It cannot guarantee a site is safe, so still only open links you trust.

Can it read the two-dimensional codes on parcels and tickets?

QR Code, Micro QR, rMQR, Data Matrix, Aztec, PDF417, MaxiCode, EAN-13/8, UPC-A/E, Code 128, Code 39, Code 93, Codabar, ITF and GS1 DataBar.

Does it read GS1 marking codes?

Yes. A GS1 DataMatrix or QR code is broken down into its fields — product code (GTIN) with its check digit and country, batch, serial number, production and expiry dates — each with its application identifier.

Are scanned codes saved?

The last scans are kept in this browser only and shown under the scanner. You can open any of them again, delete single entries, clear the whole list, or export it to CSV or JSON.

The code is tiny in a large screenshot — what then?

The scanner already tiles and upscales the picture on its own. If it still finds nothing, it shows the image back to you: select the area with the code and scan just that selection.

💡 Want us to improve this tool just for you?

We can! Just send us a quick message with your idea. If you'd like to discuss it in detail, leave your email and we'll get back to you. You can stay anonymous.

How do you rate this tool?

Thank you for your rating!

Change my rating

Want to leave a comment?

Want to share more? Leave a comment!

Thank you! Your comment will appear after moderation.

Who is this tool for?

Published 10 Jul 2026 Updated 16 Sep 2026 Author: The Supreme