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QR Code Reader
Decode a QR code from an uploaded image or your camera.
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A QR code is just a container — the interesting part is whatever text, link or data is packed inside it. This reads that content back out, from a photo you already have or straight from your camera, and shows it as plain text you can copy or open.
Finding and decoding a QR code in a real photograph is a proper piece of computer vision — locating three corner markers under whatever angle and lighting the photo happens to have, then correcting the perspective and running error correction over the result. This uses jsQR, a well-tested open-source decoder, for exactly that part, the same way the QR Code Generator on this site is itself checked against jsQR to prove its own output decodes correctly.
How to use it
- Upload an image containing a QR code, or press Start camera to scan live.
- The decoded text appears as soon as it is found — camera mode keeps scanning continuously.
- Press Copy to copy the text, or Open link if it is a URL.
- Press Stop camera when you are done; the camera is released immediately.
Questions
Why did my photo not decode?
The most common causes are blur, glare, or the code being too small in the frame — the finder patterns in the three corners need to be sharp enough to locate. Try a closer, better-lit shot, or use the camera mode and move slowly until it locks on.
Is any part of this sent to a server?
No. The image never leaves your browser — it is decoded on a canvas in this tab using a local JavaScript library. The camera stream is likewise only ever attached to a hidden canvas here, never recorded or transmitted.
Can it read damaged or partially covered codes?
QR codes carry Reed-Solomon error correction, so a moderately damaged, smudged or partially obscured code can often still decode correctly — that redundancy is a deliberate part of the format, not a trick of this tool.