QR code reader online that decodes QR images directly in your browser. Upload a QR code image or paste a screenshot and the tool extracts the encoded text or URL instantly. Free to use with no signup required and no image uploaded to external servers.
The QR Code Scanner reads QR codes using your device's camera or from uploaded image files, decoding the embedded data and displaying it as text. To use the camera scanner, grant camera permission and point at a QR code: it decodes automatically without requiring a button press. The file upload option lets you scan QR codes from saved screenshots or downloaded images. The decoded content is displayed immediately and, for URLs, a direct link is shown for easy navigation. The scanner supports all standard QR code data types: URLs, plain text, contact cards (vCard), WiFi credentials, email addresses, phone numbers, and calendar events. This tool is useful when your phone cannot scan a QR code (due to poor lighting or a damaged code), when you need to check what a QR code contains before visiting the URL, or when working with QR codes in images on a desktop computer.
QR (Quick Response) codes are a type of two-dimensional barcode that can encode up to about 3 KB of data in a 29x29 to 177x177 grid of black and white modules. They were invented by Denso Wave in Japan in 1994 for tracking automotive parts and became globally ubiquitous after smartphone camera integration made scanning frictionless. The scanner uses the browser's Media Devices API (getUserMedia) to access the camera stream and a QR code decoding library to process frames from the video feed in real time. No frames or images are sent to any server: all decoding happens in your browser. QR codes contain error correction data using Reed-Solomon codes at four levels (L: 7%, M: 15%, Q: 25%, H: 30% of data is redundant), which is why a partially damaged or obscured QR code can still be decoded. When scanning from an image file rather than a camera, the tool processes the image at its original resolution, which generally gives better results than camera scanning where focus and lighting affect quality. For security, it is always worth checking the decoded URL before visiting it: QR codes have been used in phishing attacks where a fake QR code overlaid on a legitimate one redirects to a malicious site. This tool shows the raw decoded URL before you follow it, giving you the opportunity to verify the domain.