On any iPhone since iOS 11 or Android since version 9, you scan a QR code by opening the normal camera app and pointing it at the code — no separate app needed. A notification appears; tap it to open the link. On a laptop, or when the code is in a screenshot or PDF rather than in front of you, you need to read it from the image instead, which a browser-based reader can do.
iPhone and iPad
There is no app to install. The built-in camera reads QR codes.
- Open the Camera app.
- Point it at the code so the whole code is in frame.
- Hold steady for a second. A notification banner appears at the top.
- Tap the banner to open the link, join the Wi-Fi network, or save the contact.
Android
Android has read QR codes from the camera since version 9, though the exact wording differs between manufacturers.
- Open the Camera app.
- Point it at the code. On some phones you need to tap the code once it is detected.
- Tap the link or prompt that appears.
- If nothing happens, look for a Google Lens or scan icon in the camera app, or open Google Lens directly.
Reading a code from a screenshot or a file
This is the case the phone camera cannot help with: the code is already an image. Someone has emailed you a ticket, sent a screenshot, or the code is inside a PDF, and there is nothing physical to point a camera at.
On a phone you can sometimes long-press the image and choose a lens or search option. On a laptop the reliable route is a reader that takes the image file directly. Our QR code reader does this in the browser: drop the image in, or paste a screenshot straight from the clipboard, and it shows the raw contents. Nothing is uploaded, so it is safe to use on tickets and codes that carry personal detail.
Windows and Mac
Neither desktop operating system has a general-purpose QR scanner sitting in the dock, so there are two routes depending on whether the code is physical or on screen.
If the code is physical and your machine has a webcam, Windows 11's Camera app has a Barcode mode that reads codes. On a Mac there is no built-in equivalent, so the practical approach is to photograph the code with your phone.
If the code is already on screen, take a screenshot and read it from the image, which works identically on both platforms.
Scanning from a screen rather than paper
Codes displayed on a monitor or another phone are harder to read than printed ones, and the reason is almost always brightness.
A screen is a light source, and a camera exposing for a bright screen loses the contrast between the dark and light modules. Counterintuitively, the fix is usually to turn the displaying screen's brightness down rather than up. Tilting slightly to avoid a reflection helps too.
If the code will not scan
Work through these in order, because each rules out a class of problem.
- Move closer or further away. A code needs to fill a reasonable part of the frame, but very close can defeat autofocus.
- Check the whole code is visible, including the plain margin around it. A cropped code often will not read.
- Clean the camera lens. This solves more scanning problems than any other single step.
- Improve the light, or reduce glare by changing angle.
- Hold the phone square to the code rather than at an angle.
- If it still fails, photograph it and read the image with a QR reader instead — that often works where a live camera does not.
Check where a code goes before you open it
A QR code hides its destination by design, which is convenient and also the risk. Codes placed over legitimate ones on parking meters, delivery lockers and restaurant tables are a known scam, because a printed code carries no visible clue about where it leads.
Both iPhone and Android show you the URL in the notification before opening it, so read it. If it does not match the business whose sign it is printed on, do not open it. Where you want to check without any chance of opening it, read the code from a photograph in a browser-based reader instead.
Create a QR code free
Dynamic codes you can edit after printing, with scan tracking. No card needed.
Open the generator