QR Code Reader

This tool reads QR codes two ways: live, through your device's camera, or from an image file you already have. Both paths run the same decoder — jsQR, a JavaScript QR decoding library — entirely on your device, on video frames or an uploaded image, so nothing you scan or upload ever reaches a server.

When you start the camera, the tool asks the browser for the most compatible video stream it can get: it prefers the rear-facing camera on phones, requests a resolution only if your browser reports support for that, and falls back gracefully on desktops and browsers with a single camera. If your device has more than one camera, a switcher lets you cycle between them, and a flashlight toggle appears automatically when your camera and browser support it (mainly Android phones over an HTTPS connection).

Roughly five times a second while scanning, the tool grabs the current video frame, shrinks it for speed, and runs it through the decoder. As soon as a code is found, scanning pauses, a short beep confirms the read, and the result appears — press "Scan again" to keep going without re-requesting camera access.

No camera, or don't want to grant access? Drag an image onto the upload area, or pick a file — a screenshot, a photo, an exported QR code — and it decodes the same way.

Once you have a result, copy it, open it directly if it's a link, or use "Send to" to pass it straight into another tool in this toolbox, such as the QR generator to quickly rebuild a styled version of the same code.

For the most reliable reads, hold the code steady, let it fill a good part of the frame, and avoid strong glare on glossy screens or laminated labels. Each frame is also checked in inverted form, so light-on-dark codes decode just as well as the classic dark-on-light kind. Large photos are scaled down before decoding, which means a sharp, well-cropped screenshot usually works better than a huge but blurry picture. If the camera won't start, check that the browser has camera permission and that no other app is using it — the image upload stays available as a fallback either way, and the camera you picked is remembered for the rest of your browsing session.