How to scan a QR code on a computer

The short answer

A computer does not scan QR codes on its own the way a phone camera does, but it does not need to. A QR code is just an image, so any picture of it can be decoded. If the code is on your screen (in an email, a PDF, a web page or a video call), take a screenshot and paste it into a QR reader. If it is on paper or on another device, either take a photo of it or point your webcam at it.

The reader below accepts all of these: drop or choose an image file, paste a screenshot straight from the clipboard, or press Use camera. The content appears with its type (link, Wi-Fi, contact, email, phone, SMS or text), and links are only opened when you press Open link.

Why a code on your own screen is awkward to scan

QR codes were designed for phones pointing at printed surfaces. When the code is on the laptop you are working on, the usual trick of grabbing your phone means pointing it at a glowing screen, fighting moire patterns and reflections, and then reading the result on a small display instead of the computer where you actually need it.

A screenshot avoids all of that. The pixels are perfectly sharp, there is no glare, and the decoded text lands on the computer where you can copy it into a browser, a password field or a document. Screenshots are usually PNG files with hard edges, which makes them the easiest QR images to read.

Step by step on Windows, Mac and Chromebook

The only system specific part is taking the screenshot. Every method below copies the picture to the clipboard, so you can paste it into the reader without saving a file first.

• Windows 10 and 11: press Windows + Shift + S, drag a box around the code, then click on the reader and press Ctrl+V.
• Mac: press Command + Control + Shift + 4, drag a box around the code (the Control key sends it to the clipboard instead of the desktop), then press Command + V on the reader.
• Chromebook: press Ctrl + Shift + Show windows, select the area, and the capture is copied to the clipboard; paste it with Ctrl+V.
• Code inside a PDF or image file you already have: drop the file onto the reader. For a PDF, take a screenshot of the page area or convert the page to an image first.
• Printed code, or a code on someone else's phone: press Use camera, allow camera access once and hold the code inside the frame. On a laptop with several cameras, use Switch camera.

Built in options and what they cost you

Some systems now include their own QR scanning, and it is worth knowing what each one does with your image.

The Camera app on recent versions of Windows 11 has a barcode mode that recognizes QR codes held up to the webcam, but it only works with the camera, not with screenshots. On recent macOS versions, Live Text in Preview and Photos can detect a QR code inside an image and offer to open it. Chrome and Edge offer visual search from the right click menu, which sends the image to Google Lens or Bing to analyze it.

That last point matters when the code contains something private: a Wi-Fi password, a two factor authentication setup key, a payment request or a contact card. A reader that runs in your browser, like the one on this page, decodes the image locally and sends nothing anywhere.

Check the link before you open it

Fake QR codes are a real problem: stickers placed over the genuine code on parking meters and restaurant tables, and codes in emails that pretend to come from a bank or a delivery company. This kind of phishing is often called quishing. Because a QR code hides the address, you cannot tell where it goes by looking at it.

The reader on this page shows the domain a link points to in large letters under This link goes to, and nothing opens until you press Open link. Look at the part right before the first single slash. A code on a bank letter that leads to a domain you do not recognize, or to a short link service, deserves a second look before you type any password or card number.

When the code will not scan

If the reader says No QR code found, the problem is almost always the picture rather than the code. These fixes solve most cases:

• Include the margin. A QR code needs a light border around it, called the quiet zone (four modules wide in the standard). Crop with some space around the code rather than tight to its edge.
• Avoid tiny captures. If the code is small on screen, zoom the page in (Ctrl and plus) before taking the screenshot so each square is several pixels wide.
• One code per image. The reader decodes one code per picture, so crop around the code you need when a page shows several.
• Dark mode and inverted colors: some apps show light codes on a dark background. Most readers handle this, but if one fails, switch the app to light mode and capture again.
• Blurry webcam images: laptop webcams often have fixed focus. Hold the code about 20 to 30 cm away instead of right in front of the lens, and add light.
• Damaged or partly covered codes: QR codes carry error correction, so a logo in the middle or a small scratch is fine, but a code missing a corner square (the three large position markers) cannot be read.

What a QR code can contain

Most codes hold a web address, but the format also stores Wi-Fi details, contact cards, email drafts, phone numbers and SMS messages. The reader recognizes each type and shows it in a readable form instead of raw text.

A Wi-Fi code shows the network name, password and security type, with a Copy password button, which is handy for connecting a laptop, TV or printer that cannot scan codes itself. A contact card shows name, phone, email and company, and Save contact turns it into a file your phone or address book can import. Anything else appears as plain text with Copy text.