How to scan a QR code from a screenshot or picture (on the same phone or computer)
Phone cameras are great at QR codes on paper and useless for a code that is already on the phone's own screen. The fix is to read the code from a picture instead of through the camera, and there is a way to do that on every device.
Step 1: get the code into a picture
| Device | Screenshot | Copy straight to the clipboard |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone | Side button + volume up | Tap the preview, then Copy and Delete |
| Android | Power + volume down | Usually saved to the gallery; share it from there |
| Windows | Win+Shift+S, drag round the code | Already copied: paste with Ctrl+V |
| Mac | ⌘+Shift+4, drag round the code | Add Ctrl: ⌘+Ctrl+Shift+4 |
| Linux (GNOME) | Print Screen or Shift+Print Screen for an area | Copy from the screenshot tool |
Crop to the code if you can, and keep the plain white border around it in the shot: readers use that quiet zone to find the edges.
Step 2: read the picture
Any device: in the browser, without uploading
Open the QR scanner and drop, paste or choose the screenshot. It finds every code in the picture, outlines each one, and shows what is inside in plain words: the real website behind a link (with warning signs), a Wi-Fi name and password, a contact card and so on. Links are not opened until you press Open. The decoding happens on the page, so the picture is never sent anywhere.
iPhone and iPad
On recent versions of iOS, open the screenshot in Photos, then press and hold the code; if a link is recognised you get an option to open it. If your version does not offer that, use the browser method above.
Android
Open the picture in Google Photos and tap Lens, or use Circle to Search on phones that have it. Some camera apps also have a gallery button inside their QR scanner. Note that Lens and Circle to Search send the picture to Google to analyse it.
Windows and Mac
Neither has an obvious built-in QR reader for pictures. In Chrome you can right-click an image and choose Search with Google Lens, which uploads it to Google. The browser scanner above does the same job locally.
Linux, scripts and lots of files
# Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install zbar-tools
zbarimg --raw -q screenshot.png # prints just the contents
for f in *.png; do printf '%s: ' "$f"; zbarimg --raw -q "$f"; done# Python with OpenCV (pip install opencv-python)
import cv2
text, points, _ = cv2.QRCodeDetector().detectAndDecode(cv2.imread("screenshot.png"))
print(text or "no code found")When the code will not read
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| The code is tiny in a big screenshot | Zoom in before taking the screenshot, or crop to the code |
| Blurry or taken at an angle | Retake straight on, in good light, holding still; avoid glare stripes across it |
| Cut off at an edge, or no white border | Capture the whole square plus a margin; readers need all three corner squares |
| Light code on a dark background | Most readers cope; if not, invert the colours in a photo editor |
| Several codes in one picture | The Tooltern scanner lists each one; other apps may only read the largest, so crop |
| Large logo in the middle | The designer covered too much; there is no fix from the picture side |
| It is not a QR code | Barcodes (lines), Data Matrix (small square with an L-shaped edge) and Aztec (bullseye centre) need a different reader |
If the code reads but the content looks broken, the code itself may be damaged or badly made: see why a QR code will not scan.
Before you open what it says
Reading the code is harmless; the risk is what happens next. Check the website the link really goes to before you sign in or pay, especially for codes from stickers, parking meters, parcel notices and unexpected emails. How to check a QR code before you open it walks through the warning signs.
Related
Cover a QR code or password before posting a screenshot · Is this QR code safe? Check before you open it · How to tell who really owns a link · How Wi-Fi QR codes work · Contact card QR codes · Try it: scratch a QR code until it stops scanning, then spot a fake sticker
Questions
How do I scan a QR code that is on my own phone?
Take a screenshot of it, then read the screenshot: open the Tooltern QR scanner in your browser and choose the screenshot, press and hold the code in the iPhone Photos app on recent iOS versions, or open it in Google Photos and tap Lens on Android.
How do I scan a QR code on my computer screen without a phone?
Copy a screenshot of the code (Win+Shift+S on Windows, Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4 on a Mac) and paste it into a browser-based QR scanner. On Linux, zbarimg --raw screenshot.png prints the contents.
Is it safe to upload a QR code picture to a website?
It depends on the site. Many online scanners upload the picture to their server. The Tooltern scanner decodes it in your browser, so the picture is never sent anywhere. Google Lens and Circle to Search send the picture to Google.
Why won't my screenshot of a QR code scan?
The code is usually too small, blurry, cut off or missing its white border, or there is glare across it. Zoom in or crop to the code and try again. Barcodes, Data Matrix and Aztec codes are not QR codes and need another reader.
Published .