In your browser
- Take a screenshot of the QR code, or save the image.
- Open the QR Code Scanner and choose the image.
- The link or text inside the code appears. Check a link's address before opening it.
The image is read on your device; it is not uploaded. The scanner can also use your camera if the code is on paper or another screen.
On Android
Open the screenshot in Google Photos and tap Lens. Google Lens reads the code and offers to open the link.
On an iPhone
In the Google app, tap the Lens (camera) icon and choose the screenshot from your photos. Recent versions of iOS can also detect codes in photos: open the screenshot in Photos and look for the QR code button, or tap and hold the code.
Stay safe
A QR code can hide any address. Before opening a link, read the domain carefully, especially from codes in emails, text messages or stickers stuck over official ones, which are common scams. Never enter passwords or payment details on a page you reached this way unless you are sure it is genuine.
When a code will not scan
- It is too small or blurred. Crop the screenshot to the code with a little white margin around it, or take the screenshot again zoomed in.
- There are several codes in the image. Crop to the one you want.
- The colors are reversed. A light code on a dark background confuses some scanners. Invert the colors in a photo editor and try again.
- Part of it is covered or damaged. QR codes carry spare data, so up to 7–30% of a code can be missing and it still scans, depending on the level it was made with. Beyond that, nothing can read it.