How to scan a QR code from an image or screenshot
A phone camera can't point at its own screen. When the QR code is in a screenshot, a photo, a PDF or an email, you need to decode the image instead. Here is how to do that on every common device — including a reader on this site that works in any browser, with nothing uploaded.
Any device: decode it in the browser
The qr.technology reader decodes QR codes from image files without sending them anywhere — the image is processed by JavaScript on your device.
- Open the QR code reader and switch to Image mode.
- Drop the image onto the box, click to choose a file, or paste a screenshot straight from the clipboard (Ctrl+V / ⌘V).
- The decoded content appears as text. Links are shown — not opened — with basic safety signals, so you can check the destination first.
This works for PNG, JPEG, WebP and other image formats your browser can display. For a code inside a PDF, take a screenshot of that part of the page first.
iPhone and iPad
- Photos app (recent iOS versions): open the screenshot or photo, then touch and hold the QR code; a link or action appears. On some versions you tap the Live Text button (the small text-in-a-frame icon) first, then tap the code.
- Google app: tap the Lens (camera) icon, then choose the image from your photo library.
- Safari: open the reader, choose Image, and pick the screenshot from Photos.
Android
- Google Photos: open the image and tap Lens. The decoded link or text appears with a button to open or copy it.
- Samsung Gallery: recent One UI versions show a QR shortcut on images that contain a code; older versions offer it through Bixby Vision.
- Any browser: the reader works in Chrome, Firefox or Samsung Internet — choose Image and pick the file.
Windows, Mac and Chromebook
- Any browser: take a screenshot (Windows: Win+Shift+S; Mac: ⌘+Shift+4, hold Control to copy to the clipboard; Chromebook: Ctrl+Shift+Show windows), then paste it into the reader.
- Chrome: right-click an image on a web page and choose Search with Google Lens (wording varies by version).
- Mac: Live Text in Preview and Photos can recognise codes in images on recent macOS versions; the browser reader is the dependable fallback.
Codes in emails and messages are a favourite trick of phishing ("quishing") campaigns. Reading the link as text first — which the reader does by default — lets you confirm the real domain. See are QR codes safe.
If the image won't decode
- Crop closer to the code, but keep a white margin around it — the quiet zone is needed to find the code.
- Use the original file, not a thumbnail; heavy compression blurs the modules.
- Photograph flat and square-on if you are capturing a printed code; avoid glare and strong shadows.
- Check it is a QR code. Data Matrix, Aztec and PDF417 look similar but are different formats — see QR code vs Data Matrix, Aztec and PDF417.
More causes and fixes are in QR code not scanning.
Decode an image now
Drop, choose or paste an image — the result appears as text and nothing leaves your device.
Open the QR readerFrequently asked questions
How do I scan a QR code from a screenshot on my phone?
On iPhone, open the screenshot in Photos and touch and hold the code (or use Live Text). On Android, open it in Google Photos and tap Lens. On any phone you can also open the qr.technology reader in the browser and choose the image.
Can I scan a QR code on my computer screen without a phone?
Yes. Take a screenshot and paste it into an online reader such as the qr.technology reader, which decodes it locally in your browser.
Is it safe to upload a QR code image to a website?
With the qr.technology reader nothing is uploaded — the image is decoded on your device. Be careful with sites that send images to a server if the code contains private data such as a Wi-Fi password.
Why can't my phone read the QR code in a photo?
The image may be too small, blurred, cropped without a margin, or it may be a different 2D code such as Data Matrix. Try the original file, crop with a margin, or use a browser reader.