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Scan a QR code from an image, online

Drop a photo or screenshot of a QR code here and the scanner reads it in your browser, shows the link or text inside, and checks where that link really goes before you open it. Free, no app and no sign-up.

Read on this device. The image is never uploaded.

Read a QR code

Drop a QR code image, paste it, or choose a file

A photo or screenshot: PNG, JPG, WebP or GIF. Paste with Ctrl+V (⌘V on a Mac).

How to check a QR code before you open it

Look at the domain, not the whole address. The site a link opens is the name just before the first single slash: in https://pay.example.com.parking-help.net/meter that is parking-help.net, whatever comes before it. The scanner marks that part, so a code that claims to be your bank but goes elsewhere shows it at once.

Then look for the signs the scanner flags: a link shortener, which hides the final site until you follow it; http:// without the s, which isn't encrypted; letters from another alphabet in the name (shown as xn--), the classic lookalike trick; and a bare IP address. For a shortener, press Check where it goes: SendURL's redirect checker follows the link from our server and shows where it ends, so your browser never opens it.

Where you found the code matters as much. The FTC warns that scammers cover the codes on parking meters with their own and send codes by text and email, to steal personal information (FTC, December 2023), and has since warned about codes on packages you didn't order. The FBI has warned since 2022 that criminals tamper with QR codes to swap a real payment page for their own. A sticker over a printed code is a reason to stop.

What the QR code reader recognises

A QR code holds text, and most of it is a web address. The scanner tells these apart and shows each in the way you need it:

  • Website link. The address with its real domain marked, the warning signs in it, and Check where it goes.
  • Wi-Fi network. The network name, the security type and the password, with a button to copy the password.
  • Payment request. The text of the request (bitcoin:, upi: and similar) and a reminder to check who you're paying.
  • Two-factor (2FA) setup. A warning: the code holds your login secret, so the image shouldn't be shared.
  • Contact, email, phone, text message, calendar event, map location. The text in the code, ready to copy.

Limits

The scanner reads one code per image, so crop a picture with several. It judges a link by its address only: it can't tell a fake login page from a real one, and a site can answer our checker differently from a phone. Live scanning with a computer's webcam isn't built; take a photo or screenshot instead.

Codes made by SendURL end in ?q, which marks a visit as a scan. Reading one here counts nothing, because the link isn't opened; opening it, or checking where it goes, counts as one scan for the link's owner. How those scans are counted, and told apart from clicks, is in the guide to tracking QR code scans.

Frequently asked questions

How do I scan a QR code from a screenshot or image?

On an iPhone, open the image in Photos and touch and hold the code (iOS 15 or later). On Android, open it in Google Photos and tap Lens. On a computer, or on any phone, drop the image on this page, paste it, or choose the file.

Can I scan a QR code on my laptop?

Yes. Take a screenshot of the code (or save the image), then drop it on this page or paste it with Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac). The scanner reads it in the browser, so it works on Windows, macOS, Linux and Chromebooks without an app or a webcam.

How can I tell if a QR code is safe?

Read the address before you open it: the real site is the domain just before the first single slash, and a shortener, http instead of https, or odd letters in the name are reasons to stop. The scanner points these out, and Check where it goes follows the link to its last page without opening it in your browser.

Are short links safe? How to check one

Why won't my QR code scan?

The usual causes are blur, a crop that cuts into the code, a code too small in the image, or no white margin around it: QR codes need a quiet zone four modules wide. Crop closer with the margin kept, retake the photo in even light, or use the original file instead of a photo of a screen.

QR code size for print

Is the image uploaded anywhere?

No. The image is read in your browser and never leaves your device. Check where it goes sends the decoded link (not the image) to SendURL's redirect checker, which follows it from our server.

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