QR code scanner

When to use this scanner

Use it when a QR code is already on your screen, when you want to inspect a destination before opening it, or when you need to read non-link QR content:

• A QR code already on your screen. In an email, a PDF, a web page or a slide — you can’t point a phone at the screen you’re reading. Screenshot it and drop it here.
• A QR code you don’t trust. See where it goes before your browser goes there.
• Checking your own work. Confirm a QR code you generated or received encodes exactly what you expected, character for character.
• Reading a non-link QR code. Wi-Fi credentials, a contact card or plain text, shown as raw text rather than acted on.

QR codes and phishing

You cannot tell where a QR code leads just by looking at the pattern. The pattern has become common enough to have a name — “quishing” — and the usual forms are a sticker placed over the real code on a parking meter or restaurant table, or a printed code in a letter or email that leads to a convincing fake login page.

• Check the domain, not the page. A copied login page is trivial to make. The address bar is what tells you the truth, and this tool shows you that address before you commit to visiting it.
• Check physical QR codes for stickers placed over the original code, especially on public signs, payment terminals, or parking equipment — usually visible if you look for an edge or a slight misalignment.
• Be suspicious of urgency. A QR code arriving with a warning about an account closing, an unpaid fine or a parcel held at customs deserves more skepticism than one on a menu.
• Be cautious if a QR code unexpectedly leads to a login page. When in doubt, open the organization’s website or app directly instead.

Making QR codes, not just reading them

If you got here wanting to create a QR code rather than decode one, the main generator covers links, Wi-Fi, contact cards, email, SMS, calendar events and plain text — all built in your browser, with no account and no expiry.

Common questions