QR code scanner
Read a QR code or barcode with your camera, or from a picture.
Your camera stays on this device. No photo is ever uploaded.
Reading a code
Point the camera at a QR code or barcode and the contents are decoded on the spot. You can also pick a photo or a screenshot — useful for a code that arrived by email, or one on a screen you cannot photograph cleanly.
Where the browser provides a built-in barcode detector, that is used. Everywhere else a small decoder runs in the page instead, so the tool works the same on any modern browser.
It shows you the link — it does not open it
This is deliberate, and it is the most important thing here. A scanned code is untrusted input: you cannot see where it points until it is decoded, which is precisely what makes QR codes a phishing vector. Stickers get placed over real codes on parking meters, restaurant tables and payment terminals, sending people to convincing fake payment pages.
So the decoded address is shown as text, in full, and opening it is a separate deliberate click. Read the domain before you tap it. If a code on a parking meter points somewhere that is not the council or the operator, that is the whole attack, visible in one line.
Nothing leaves your device
Decoding happens entirely in the browser. The camera frame is not uploaded and the decoded contents are not sent anywhere or logged — which matters, because QR codes routinely carry Wi-Fi passwords, ticket references and payment details.
When a code will not scan
- Fill more of the frame with the code — distance is the usual problem.
- Codes need their blank margin. One cropped right to the edge often fails.
- Glare on a glossy surface or a screen defeats detection; tilt slightly to kill the reflection.
- A damaged code may still read: QR carries redundancy, so try a different angle.
Making one
The generator creates codes that encode your content directly, with no redirect that could expire or be repointed later.
Common questions
Does it open links automatically?
No, deliberately. The address is shown as text and opening it takes a separate click — that is your protection against QR phishing.
Is the code sent to a server?
No. Decoding happens in your browser, and the contents are never transmitted or logged.
Can it read barcodes too?
Yes, where the browser provides a barcode detector. QR codes work everywhere.
Why will my code not scan?
Usually distance or glare. Fill more of the frame, and tilt slightly to kill reflections on glossy surfaces.
Can I scan from a screenshot?
Yes, choose the image instead of using the camera.
Are QR codes dangerous?
The code itself is just text. The risk is where it points, which is why this shows you the address rather than following it.