Scanning QR codes
How to scan a QR code
Open your camera, point it at the code and tap the link that appears. The camera app on an iPhone or an Android phone reads QR codes, so there is nothing to install.
- No app on iPhone or Android
- Windows, Mac and screenshots too
- Steps from Apple, Google and Microsoft
On this page
The short answer, by device
To scan a QR code, you need the camera you already have. Pick your device:
| Device | Quickest way | Then |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone | The Camera app, in Photo mode | Tap the link at the bottom of the screen |
| Android | The camera app, or the QR scanner in Quick Settings | Tap the notification or link that pops up |
| Windows | The Camera app, with the Barcode button selected | Select the link at the bottom of the Camera app |
| Mac, or a code on any screen | A screenshot pasted into the QR code decoder | Read the link, then open it if you trust it |
| A screenshot on your phone | The QR code decoder, or Circle to Search on Android | Check where it goes before you open it |
How to scan a QR code on iPhone
The Camera app reads QR codes. These are the steps in Apple's iPhone User Guide:
- Open Camera. Open it from the Home Screen, the Lock Screen or Control Center, or with the Camera Control on models that have one.
- Stay in Photo mode. Hold the iPhone so the QR code appears inside the camera frame.
- Tap the link. It appears at the bottom of the screen. Read it first: it tells you where the code goes.
Code Scanner in Control Center has its own flashlight, for dim light:
- Open Control Center and tap the Scan Code button.
- Hold your iPhone so the code appears on the screen. Tap the flashlight if you need more light.
- Tap the link to open the content.
No Scan Code button? Open Control Center, touch and hold the background, then tap Add a Control. In the Control Center gallery, tap the Scan Code control, then tap anywhere on the screen to return. The same steps work on an iPad.
Chrome on iPhone can scan too: open a new tab, tap Google Lens in the search bar, place the code in the highlighted box and tap the link that pops up.
How to scan a QR code on Android
Android phones read QR codes in the camera app. Start there, and use the other ways when it shows nothing.
- Open your camera app and point it at the code. Keep the whole code on the screen. You do not need to take a picture.
- Wait a moment. The camera recognizes the code and a notification or link pops up with the website, payment link or other details.
- Tap it to open what the code holds.
Nothing pops up on a Pixel? In the Camera app, tap Settings, then More settings, and make sure Camera scan suggestions is turned on.
The Quick Settings scanner: swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the QR scanner icon, called Scan QR code on a Pixel. If you do not see it, swipe left for more buttons, or tap the pencil icon to add it. A scanner opens: point it at the code.
Google Lens in Chrome: open Chrome, open a new tab, tap Google Lens in the search bar and place the code in the box. Tap the link that pops up.
How to scan a QR code on a computer
On Windows, the Camera app reads codes held up to the webcam. Microsoft's steps:
- Open the Camera app.
- Make sure the Barcode button is selected, on the right of the Camera app.
- Hold the code in front of the camera so it is in focus. The app scans it by itself.
- For a QR code, the link appears at the bottom of the Camera app. Select it to go to the website.
For a code already on your screen, on a Mac or a Windows PC, a screenshot is the quickest way. Paste it into the QR code decoder, which reads it in your browser:
- On a Mac: press Control, Shift, Command and 4 together, then drag across the code. Holding Control saves the screenshot to the clipboard instead of the desktop. In the decoder, press Command and V.
- On Windows: press Print Screen (PrtSc) to put a picture of the whole screen on the clipboard. In the decoder, press Ctrl and V. If the decoder finds nothing on a large screen, capture just the area around the code: press the Windows logo key, Shift and S, then save the snip with Ctrl and S and drop the file on the decoder.
The decoder shows the full text and, for a link, the website's domain. Nothing opens until you choose, and the image never leaves your computer.
How to scan a QR code from a screenshot or saved image
A camera reads what is in front of its lens, so it cannot read a code on its own screen. For a screenshot, a photo in your gallery or a code someone sent you, use one of these:
- Any phone or computer: open the QR code decoder. On a phone, tap the box and choose the image from your photos; on a computer, drop or paste it. You see the text and the link before anything opens.
- Android with Circle to Search: open the image, then press and hold the home button. With gesture navigation, long press the navigation button instead. Circle the QR code with your finger to see the link. Circle to Search is on select Android phones; search for it in the Settings app to switch it on.
- A second screen: show the image full screen on another device and scan it with your camera. Turn the brightness up and tilt the screen to cut glare.
To find a code you saved on an iPhone, open Photos, tap Collections, scroll down and tap Utilities, where Photos keeps receipts, QR codes and more.
A saved code can still fail: a tight crop cuts its margin, a chat app compresses it, or a ticket's code is replaced after you saved it. Do screenshots of QR codes work? covers each cause and its fix.
How to scan a WiFi QR code
A WiFi QR code holds the network name, the security type and the password, written like this:
WIFI:T:WPA;S:CafeGuestWiFi;P:sunnyday42;;
S is the network name, P the password and T the security type: WPA (which covers WPA2 and WPA3), WEP, or nopass for an open network. An extra H:true marks a hidden network. If the name or password contains a semicolon, comma, colon, quote mark or backslash, the code puts a backslash before it.
- iPhone and Android: scan it as you would any code, then tap what appears to join the network.
- Windows: open the Camera app and select the barcode mode icon. Point the camera at the code and select the link that appears. Settings opens; confirm there that you want to add and connect to the network.
- Sharing your own network from Android: open Settings, tap Network & internet, then Internet. Tap your network, then Share. Your phone shows a QR code for a friend to scan.
When a WiFi code scans but will not connect, the code and the router disagree:
- The password or network name changed after the code was made. Make a new code; the old one cannot update.
- Capital letters differ. Network names and passwords are case sensitive, so GuestWiFi and GuestWifi are 2 different networks.
- The security type is wrong. The type in the code has to match the router's setting.
- The network is hidden. Hidden networks can behave differently across devices. Add it by hand instead: on Android, open Settings, tap Network & internet, then Internet, then Add network at the bottom of the list. Tap Advanced options, set Hidden Network to Yes and tap Save.
To make one for your own network, use the WiFi QR code generator. It is a static code: it never expires, and you replace it when you change the password.
What to do when a QR code will not scan
Start with light, distance and a steady hand. Work down this list:
- Hold steady so the camera can focus.
- Get good light, with no shadow or glare on the code. In Code Scanner on an iPhone, tap the flashlight.
- Clean the lens with a soft cloth.
- Move closer, but keep the whole square on the screen, with the white margin around it.
- Tilt the phone or the code to move a reflection off glossy paper, lamination or a screen.
- Try another way in: Code Scanner, the Quick Settings scanner, Google Lens, or a photo of the code in the decoder.
If no phone and no app can read it, the code itself is the problem. Scanners look for the 3 large squares in the corners, then read the small squares between them, so these break a code:
| What you see | Likely cause | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing reads it, on any phone | A corner square is torn, folded or covered | Flatten or clean it; the owner needs to reprint it |
| Reads only from very close | The code is too small for the distance, or holds a long link | Get closer in better light |
| Reads at one angle only | Glare, or a curved surface bending the squares | Tilt until the reflection moves, or flatten the surface |
| Fails on a cropped image | The white margin around the code is cut off | Take a wider screenshot or photo |
| Fails on a pale or colored code | Too little contrast between the squares and the background | Try more light; only a darker reprint fixes it for good |
| Fails on a light code on a dark background | Some scanners read dark squares on light only | Try the decoder, which also reads light on dark |
A QR code can lose part of its pattern and still scan: about 7% at error correction level L, up to about 30% at level H. The margin, called the quiet zone, should be 4 squares wide on every side.
For a screenshot or a code on a screen, work through the quick fixes for saved QR codes: crop, compression, glare and codes replaced after you saved them.
If the code scans but opens an error page, the code works and the page behind it does not, or a dynamic code's plan has ended. What to do when a QR code has stopped working walks through both.
Check where a code goes before you open it
Your phone shows the link before it opens anything. Use that moment:
- Read the domain. A bank, a council or a restaurant links to its own website.
- Check the spelling. Look for swapped letters and extra words on a familiar name.
- Look at what is under the code. A sticker over a real code on a parking meter or a menu can point somewhere else.
- Stop at a login or card form. Be wary of any page that asks for a password, a card number or an app install straight after a scan.
To read a code without opening it, use the QR code decoder: it shows the full text and opens nothing. More on the risks in can scanning a QR code infect your phone.