Scan a QR Code from an Image
Upload a screenshot or photo of a QR code and read it right here, with no app to install. It is the easy way to scan a code that is already on your own screen, in an email, a PDF or a social post, where you can't point a camera at it. The image is read in your browser and never uploaded.
Drop an image of a QR code here
or paste a screenshot with Ctrl+V (⌘V on a Mac)
PNG, JPG, WebP or GIF. The image never leaves your device.
How to scan a QR code from an image
- 1Get an image of the code: take a screenshot, save the picture from the email or web page, or photograph the code with any camera.
- 2Drop the image on the reader above, paste it with Ctrl+V (⌘V on a Mac), or choose it from your files or photo library.
- 3The reader finds the code and shows what it holds: a link, Wi-Fi details, a contact card or plain text.
- 4Check the address, then open the link or copy what you need.
Scanning a code that is on your own screen
A phone can't point its camera at its own screen, so a code in an app, an email or a social post needs another route. Take a screenshot, open this page in your phone's browser and choose the screenshot from your photos. It works the same on iPhone and Android, with nothing to install.
Your phone may have a shortcut too. On iPhone, open the screenshot in Photos and touch and hold the code (iOS 16 and later). On Android, open the screenshot with Google Lens. If neither offers to open the code, the reader above will read it.
On a computer, copy a screenshot of the code to the clipboard (Windows+Shift+S on Windows, Control+Shift+Command+4 on a Mac) and paste it straight into the reader with Ctrl+V or ⌘V.
Check a QR code before you open it
Nobody can read a QR code by eye, which is why scammers use them: a sticker over the code on a parking meter, or a code in an email saying a parcel is waiting. Reading the code here shows you the full address before anything opens.
- Read the domain: the name just before the first single slash. In shop.example.com.secure-pay.net/login, the site is secure-pay.net, not example.com.
- Watch for look-alike spellings, such as a zero in place of the letter o, or an extra word in a familiar name.
- Short links hide where they lead. Many genuine QR codes use one, so judge the code by where you found it: a code printed on a restaurant's own menu is not the same as a sticker on a parking meter.
- Never type a password or card number into a page you reached from a code you weren't expecting. Go to the company's website or app yourself instead.
Your image stays on your device
The reader runs entirely in your browser. Your image is not uploaded to QR Cake or anywhere else, and what the code contains is never sent or stored.
Frequently asked questions
How do I scan a QR code from a screenshot?
Open this page, then drop the screenshot on the reader, paste it with Ctrl+V (⌘V on a Mac), or choose it from your files. The reader shows what the code holds, and you can open the link or copy the text. There is nothing to install and the screenshot is not uploaded.
Can I scan a QR code on my phone's screen with the same phone?
Yes. Take a screenshot, open this page in your phone's browser, tap Choose an image and pick the screenshot. On iPhone you can also touch and hold the code in Photos (iOS 16 and later), and on Android you can open the screenshot with Google Lens.
Is my image uploaded anywhere?
No. The code is read by software running in your browser, so the image never leaves your device, and what the code contains is not sent or stored.
Why can't the reader find the QR code in my image?
The usual causes are an image that is too small or blurry, a code cut off at the edge, no white space around the code, very low contrast between the code and its background, or a heavily stylised design. Crop closer to the code, keep a little space around it and use a sharper picture. If the image holds several codes, crop it to the one you want.
Can it read Wi-Fi QR codes?
Yes. For a Wi-Fi code the reader shows the network name, the type of security and the password, each ready to copy, so you can join the network on a device that can't scan codes.
Which codes can it read?
Standard QR codes from any generator, including light codes on a dark background. It does not read other kinds of codes, such as Data Matrix, Aztec or the striped barcodes on products.
Is the QR code reader free?
Yes. It is free, with no sign-up and no limit on how many images you scan.