QR Code Reader
Read a QR code from an image
Upload a screenshot or photo and see exactly what a QR code contains before you open it. Works on links, WiFi credentials, contact cards and plain text. Decoding happens in your browser, so the image never leaves your device.
Quick answer
To scan a QR code from an image, upload the file to a QR code reader rather than pointing a camera at it. Drop the image into the box below, or paste a screenshot with Ctrl + V, and the contents appear as readable text. Reading a code this way also lets you check where a link goes before committing to it.
Drop a QR code image here
Upload a screenshot or photo, drag a file in, or paste from your clipboard with Ctrl + V. PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF and BMP all work.
Your image never leaves your device — decoding runs entirely in your browser.
Step by step
How to Read a QR Code From an Image
Add the image
Drag a file into the box, choose one from your device, or paste a screenshot straight from your clipboard with Ctrl + V. PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF and BMP all work.
Let it decode
The reader finds the code, corrects for rotation and contrast, and retries on an inverted copy so light-on-dark codes still resolve.
Read what is inside
Links, WiFi credentials and contact cards are broken out field by field, with the raw contents shown underneath so nothing is hidden from you.
Check before you open
Look at the destination first. A shortened link or a bare http address is flagged, because the point of reading a code before scanning it is to see where it actually goes.
When you need it
Why Read a Code Instead of Scanning It
A QR code arrives in an email or PDF on the same device you would scan it with, so there is no second phone to point at the screen.
You want to know where a code leads before opening it — the whole reason to decode on a desktop rather than tap through on a phone.
A printed code stopped working and you need to see whether the data is wrong or the print is simply too damaged to scan.
You are checking a supplier, invoice or parking-meter code that looks like it may have been covered with a sticker.
A code is embedded in a slide deck or screenshot and cropping it out to test it is quicker than rebuilding it.
You are auditing your own printed material and need to confirm every code still resolves to the right destination.
Someone sent a WiFi QR code and you want the password as text rather than joining blind.
You inherited marketing collateral with no record of what its codes point to.
What works in practice
Getting a Difficult Code to Decode
Include the quiet zone. The blank margin around a QR code is part of the code — crop to the outer edge of the white border, not to the pattern itself.
Screenshots beat photographs. A direct screen capture has no glare, no angle and no motion blur, so it decodes far more reliably than a photo of a screen.
If a photo will not read, retake it square-on. Extreme angles distort the three corner squares the reader uses to lock on.
Damaged codes often still work. QR codes carry Reed-Solomon error correction that can rebuild 7% to 30% of missing data, so a torn or partly covered code is worth trying.
Very small images lose module definition. If a code is under about 200 pixels across, re-export it larger rather than upscaling.
Treat a decoded link as untrusted until you read it. A QR code is just an address — it cannot tell you whether the destination is safe.
Be cautious with codes on stickers in public places. Overlaying a fraudulent code on a genuine one is the most common QR scam, and reading before opening is the defence.
A WiFi code hands out your password in plain text to anyone who scans it. Use a guest network rather than your main one.
QR Code Reader QR Code FAQ
Common questions about generating, printing, and deploying these codes.
How do I scan a QR code from an image instead of with a camera?
Upload the image to the reader at the top of this page. It finds and decodes the code in your browser and shows you the contents. This is the usual way to handle a code that arrives on the same device you would otherwise scan it with, where pointing a camera at your own screen is not an option.
Can I read a QR code from a screenshot?
Yes, and a screenshot is the most reliable input. Copy it and paste directly into the page with Ctrl + V, or drag the file in. Because a screenshot has no glare, angle or blur, it decodes more consistently than a photograph of a screen.
Is my image uploaded to your servers?
No. Decoding runs entirely in your browser using your own device. The file is never sent to EZQR, which also means the reader works on codes containing information you would not want to transmit, such as WiFi passwords or contact details.
Why does it say no code was found?
The three most common causes are a crop that cuts into the code, a missing quiet zone, and blur. Crop to just outside the white border so the whole code and its margin are visible, and prefer a screenshot to a photo. Very low-resolution images can also fail because individual modules are no longer distinguishable.
Does this work on a damaged or partly covered QR code?
Often, yes. QR codes carry Reed-Solomon error correction that can reconstruct between 7% and 30% of the data depending on the level chosen when the code was made, so codes with tears, smudges or a logo over the middle frequently still decode.
Can it read a QR code with a logo in the middle?
Yes. A logo covers modules that error correction rebuilds, which is why codes with logos should be generated at error correction level Q or higher. If you are making one yourself, our logo QR code generator raises the level automatically.
What formats does the reader accept?
PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF and BMP. Files up to 10 MB are accepted, and larger images are scaled down before decoding, so a high-resolution photo does not need resizing first.
Can it read barcodes as well as QR codes?
This reader handles QR codes specifically. Linear barcodes such as EAN, UPC and Code 128 encode data in a different symbology and are not decoded here.
Is it safe to open a link from a QR code?
Reading the code first is exactly the right instinct. A QR code is only an address, and it cannot tell you whether the destination is trustworthy. Check the domain before you open it, and be especially careful with shortened links, which hide the real destination, and with codes on stickers in public places.
Why would someone read a QR code instead of scanning it?
Because scanning commits you to the destination and reading does not. On a desktop there is frequently no camera pointed at the code anyway, and for anything involving payment, parking or a login the safer order is to see the address first and decide second.
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