How to Scan a QR Code on iPhone, Android, Windows, and Mac

Scan with the iPhone Camera app

iPhones and iPads have read QR codes with the built-in Camera app since iOS 11, so you rarely need anything else.

1. Open Camera and stay in the normal photo mode.
2. Hold the phone steady so the whole code is visible on screen. You don't need to press the shutter button.
3. When the code is recognized, a link or button appears with a short preview of where it leads. Check it, then tap it to open the link or action.

If nothing appears, open Settings › Camera and make sureScan QR Codes is turned on. It is on by default, but it is easy to switch off by accident.

iOS also includes a Code Scanner control for Control Center, which opens a dedicated full-screen scanner. If you don't see it, add it while customizing Control Center. On older versions of iOS this is done in Settings › Control Center; on newer versions you usually edit Control Center directly. The exact steps vary by iOS version.

Scan on Android

There is no single way to scan on Android because each manufacturer ships its own camera app. Most current phones offer at least one of these:

• The camera app: open the camera and point it at the code. Many phones show the link or a Google Lens suggestion automatically. On some models, QR scanning has to be turned on in the camera's settings first.
• Google Lens: open Lens from the Google app, the Google search bar, or the Lens app, and point it at the code. Lens can usually read codes in photos already in your gallery too.
• A Quick Settings tile: on many phones running Android 13 or later, swipe down from the top of the screen and look for a QR code scanner tile. If it is missing, edit the tiles and add it.

Menu, setting, and tile names vary by manufacturer and Android version, so the wording on your phone may be different. If none of these options work, open this scanner in Chrome or another browser and use your camera there.

Scan on Windows, Mac, and Chromebook

Computers are where a browser-based scanner helps most. Most laptops and desktops have no obvious built-in way to read a QR code with the webcam, but any modern browser can.

1. Open the scanner in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari and select Start camera.
2. Allow camera access when the browser asks. This only happens the first time.
3. Hold the code, on paper or on your phone's screen, about 15 to 30 cm from the webcam and keep it flat and centered.
4. If you have more than one camera, such as a built-in webcam and a USB camera, choose the one you want from the camera picker.

Some built-in options exist too. On Windows 11, some versions of the Camera app include a QR code scanning feature, which may need to be turned on in the app's settings. Many Chromebooks have a scan mode in the Camera app. On a Mac, the simplest options are this scanner or the camera on your iPhone.

Laptop webcams often have fixed focus and modest resolution, so small printed codes can be hard to read. If the webcam can't get a sharp picture, photograph the code with your phone and scan the photo as an image instead.

Scan a QR code from a screenshot or image

A QR code in an email, a PDF ticket, or a chat message is often already on the screen you would want to scan it with. You don't need a second device. Save or capture the code as an image and read it directly:

1. Take a screenshot or save the image. On Windows,Win+Shift+S copies a screenshot of an area to the clipboard. On a Mac, ⌘+Ctrl+Shift+4does the same.
2. Open the scanner and switch to Image.
3. Select Choose image, drag the file anywhere onto the scanner, or paste it with Ctrl+V (⌘+V on a Mac) or thePaste image button.

The picture is decoded in your browser and never uploaded. Any format your browser can open is accepted, up to 25 MB. If the first attempt finds nothing, the scanner retries at different sizes and adds a white margin, which helps with tightly cropped codes. The guide to scanning a QR code from an image has more tips for pictures that won't read.

Step by step with this online scanner

The scanner on the home page works in modern browsers on phones, tablets, and computers. It is free, needs no account, app, or extension, and decodes everything on your device.

1. Open the scanner

Go to the scanner at the top of the home page. ChooseCamera to use a live camera, or Image to read a saved picture or screenshot.

2. Start the camera and allow access

Select Start camera. The first time, your browser asks whether this site may use the camera; choose Allow. Phones start with the back camera. If your device has several cameras, a camera picker lets you switch, and a flashlight button appears when the device supports one. Select Stop camera when you are done; the camera also stops on its own when you switch to Image or leave the tab.

3. Point the camera at the code

Hold the code about 15 to 30 cm away so it fills a good part of the frame, keep it steady, and give it a moment. The scanner checks the video continuously and shows the result as soon as it reads a code, so there is nothing to press.

4. Check the result and choose an action

The result card names the type of content and offers a matching action, such asOpen link or Copy password. Nothing opens automatically, so you can read the full address first. Select Scan another to read the next code. Your last results appear under Recent scans, stored only in this browser, and Clear history removes them.

What a QR code can contain

A QR code stores text. Scanners recognize common formats in that text and offer a matching action. This scanner handles these types:

• Link: shows the website's host and the full URL, warns you when the link doesn't use HTTPS, and offers Open link (in a new tab) andCopy link.
• Wi-Fi network: shows the network name and security type, keeps the password hidden until you select the eye icon, and offersCopy password. Browsers can't join Wi-Fi networks for you, so you paste the password into your device's Wi-Fi settings. TheWi-Fi QR code guide explains the details.
• Email: mailto: and MATMSG codes open a prepared message with Write email.
• Phone number: tel: codes offer Call.
• Text message: SMSTO: and sms: codes offerSend text with the number and message filled in.
• Contact card: vCard and MECARD codes show the details and offerSave contact, which downloads a .vcf file your contacts app can import.
• Location: geo: codes show the coordinates and offerOpen in maps, which opens the spot on OpenStreetMap.
• Calendar event: event codes show the title, times, and place, and offerAdd to calendar, which downloads an .ics file.
• Text: anything else is shown as plain text that you can copy.

Codes that use any other kind of link, such as javascript:,data:, intent:, or app deep links, are shown as text with a warning and are never opened. Every result also includes the raw content and aCopy button, so you can always see exactly what a code contains.

The scanner reads QR codes only. It doesn't read the striped barcodes on product packaging, or other square formats such as Data Matrix and Aztec codes.

When a code won't scan

Most failed scans come down to a few physical problems. Try these first:

• Distance: move closer or further away until the code fills a good part of the frame. About 15 to 30 cm works for most printed codes.
• Light: tilt glossy paper or screens to remove glare, and add light in dim places. Use the flashlight button if your device shows one.
• Focus and motion: hold still for a second so the camera can focus. A moving or blurry code rarely reads.
• The whole code: all three corner squares and a little blank margin around the code must be in view.
• Try an image: if the camera keeps failing, take a sharp photo and scan it in Image mode, which tries several sizes.

If you see a message such as "Camera access was blocked" or "No QR code found", theQR code troubleshooting guide explains each one and how to fix it.

Stay safe with QR codes

You can't read a QR code until you scan it, which makes codes useful to scammers. Fake codes get stuck over real ones on parking meters and posters, and printed in phishing emails and letters. A few habits help:

• Read the address before you open it. The scanner shows the host on its own line, so check that it is the site you expect.
• Be suspicious of codes that ask you to log in, pay, or install an app, especially when they arrive unexpectedly.
• For parking, charging, or bills, use the official app or type the address you already know instead of following a code.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an app to scan QR codes?

No. Most phones scan QR codes with their built-in camera, and this online scanner works in any modern browser on phones, tablets, and computers without installing an app or extension.

Are my camera images or photos uploaded anywhere?

No. Camera frames and images are decoded by your browser on your own device and are never sent to a server. The scanner has no account, ads, analytics, or cookies.

Why does my browser ask for permission to use the camera?

Websites can only use your camera after you allow it, and only over a secure HTTPS connection. If you blocked access by mistake, you can allow it again in your browser's site settings, or scan a screenshot or photo in Image mode instead.

How do I scan a QR code that is on my own phone's screen?

Take a screenshot, open the scanner, switch to Image, and choose the screenshot with Choose image. The code is read from the picture, so you don't need a second device.

Can the scanner read product barcodes?

No. It reads QR codes only. The striped barcodes on product packaging and other square formats such as Data Matrix and Aztec codes are not supported.