ToolsBench

Scan a QR Code from an Image

Read a QR code from a photo, screenshot or saved image.

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Scanning a QR code that's on your own screen

A QR code is meant to be pointed at with a second device — which fails the moment the code arrives on the only device you have. A ticket in an email on your laptop, a login code in a PDF, a payment code on a web page: your phone can photograph the screen, but that is awkward, and on a phone you simply cannot point the camera at itself.

Take a screenshot instead and drop it above. Screenshots are pixel-perfect — no glare, no blur, no angle — so they decode essentially every time, and you get the raw contents as text you can read before you act on it.

On Windows: Win + Shift + S and select the code, click the notification to save the snip, then drop the file above.
On macOS: Cmd + Shift + 4, drag a box around the code, then drop the file from your desktop.
On iPhone: Side button + Volume Up, then pick the screenshot from your photo library.
On Android: Power + Volume Down, then choose the screenshot.

Because decoding happens in your browser, the screenshot never leaves your device — which matters when the code is a ticket, a payment request or a one-time login.

How do I scan a QR code that's on my laptop screen?

Take a screenshot of the code (Win + Shift + S on Windows, Cmd + Shift + 4 on a Mac) and drop the image into the Tools-Bench QR Code Scanner. It decodes the code in your browser and shows the contents as plain text, so you can check a link before opening it. The screenshot is never uploaded.

About the QR Code Scanner

Drop in a photo, screenshot or saved image containing a QR code and get its contents back as plain text. This matters most when the code is already on the screen in front of you and there is no second device to point at it. Reading the text before you follow it is also the safe way to handle a code from a poster, a letter or an email: QR codes hide their destination, and this shows you exactly where one leads before you open it. Decoding runs entirely in your browser — the image is never uploaded.

How to use the QR Code Scanner

1
Capture or find the code
Screenshot a code that's on your screen, or pick a photo or saved image that contains one.
2
Drop it in
Drag the image onto the box above, or click to browse. Decoding starts immediately, on your device.
3
Read or copy the contents
The decoded text appears in full — check where a link actually goes before you open it, then copy it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I scan a QR code that's on my phone's own screen?
Take a screenshot (Side button + Volume Up on iPhone, Power + Volume Down on most Android phones), open this page on the same phone and pick the screenshot from your photos. A phone camera can't point at its own screen, but a screenshot is pixel-perfect and decodes almost every time.
Is my image uploaded?
No. The image is decoded by JavaScript running in your browser and never leaves your device — which matters when the code is a ticket, a payment request or a login.
Why does scanning my photo fail?
Blur, glare, low contrast and cropped corners are the usual culprits. Try a sharper, straighter shot with the whole code visible including its quiet margin — screenshots decode almost always.
Can I see where a QR code leads without opening it?
Yes, and it's worth doing. The decoded contents are shown as plain text, so you can read the full URL and judge it before you visit — QR codes otherwise give no hint of their destination.
Does it work with barcodes too?
No — this reads QR codes specifically, not one-dimensional retail barcodes such as EAN or UPC.