Barcode and QR code scanner tool
Scan a QR code or barcode
Upload one or more images, or use your camera. Everything decodes on this device.
Drop one or more images here
or click to browse — select multiple files to scan them all at once
JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF · QR Code, EAN-13, Code 128, and 12 more formats
Supported formats
Why a decoded result isn't just a wall of text
Most scanners hand you the raw decoded string and stop there. This one looks at what that string actually is, and gives you the action that content type needs.
If the code contains a url
Shows an Open button that launches the link in a new tab, instead of leaving you to copy and paste it manually.
If the code contains wifi credentials
Displays the network name and password as structured fields, with a one-click Copy Password button.
If the code contains a contact card
Parses name, company, phone, and email, then offers a Save Contact button that downloads a real .vcf file.
If the code contains a calendar event
Reads the event summary and location, then can build a downloadable .ics file ready to add to any calendar app.
If the code contains a phone number
Shows a Call button that opens your device's dialer with the number already filled in.
If the code contains an email address
Opens your default email client with the address, and any subject or body encoded in the code, pre-filled.
Two ways to scan, and when to use each
Neither method is strictly better — they solve different situations.
Upload an image
Works on any device, including one with no usable camera. A saved screenshot, a downloaded product photo, or an old picture in your camera roll all work the same as a new photo.
Best for: screenshots, files you already have, batches of several codes at once, and scanning from a desktop computer.
Use the live camera
Faster when a physical product, label, or printed code is right in front of you — no need to take a photo first and then upload it. Scanning happens continuously without pressing a button.
Best for: a product on a shelf, a poster, a badge, or scanning several physical items back-to-back with "Keep scanning" turned on.
Every format this reads
Fifteen formats across three real-world categories — not just QR codes.
QR codes and 2D formats
QR Code: The most common 2D code, storing URLs, text, contact cards, WiFi credentials, and more. High error correction survives up to 30% damage.
Data Matrix: A compact code used in healthcare and electronics manufacturing, often on medicine packaging and circuit boards.
Aztec Code: Common on transport tickets and boarding passes. It doesn't need a quiet border zone, so it works on very small labels.
PDF417: A stacked code used on driver's licenses and boarding passes, storing far more data than any 1D barcode.
Retail and point-of-sale formats
EAN-13 and EAN-8: The global retail standard on most consumer products sold outside North America, plus the compact version for small packages.
UPC-A and UPC-E: The North American retail equivalent, found on products sold in US and Canadian stores.
Logistics and industrial formats
Code 128: The most versatile 1D format, encoding full ASCII text. Common on shipping labels, hospital wristbands, and warehouse tags.
Code 39 and Code 93: Older alphanumeric formats still used in automotive and industrial inventory systems.
ITF and Codabar: ITF appears on corrugated shipping cartons. Codabar shows up in blood banks and library systems.
When a scan doesn't work
The real cause, not just "try again."
The image uploads but nothing gets decoded
Almost always a focus or lighting problem — a blurry photo, heavy glare, or a code that's too small in the frame gives the decoder too little contrast to work with.
Retake the photo with the code filling at least 40% of the frame, in even light, straight-on rather than at an angle.
The camera scanner won't start at all
Most commonly the browser blocked camera permission, or the site isn't loaded over HTTPS — camera access requires a secure connection by browser policy, not a limitation of this tool specifically.
Check your browser's site permissions for camera access, and confirm the page URL starts with https://. The Upload tab works as a fallback either way.
A batch upload decodes some images but not others
Each image is scanned independently, so a mix of results usually means some photos in the batch are sharper or better-lit than others, not a failure of the tool itself.
Check the toast message after a batch run — it lists which filenames failed, so you know exactly which photos to retake.
A partly damaged or covered barcode won't scan
How much damage a code tolerates depends entirely on its format. QR codes with high error correction can lose up to 30% of the pattern and still decode; most 1D formats like EAN-13 need the full code visible.
For a QR code, try scanning from a slight angle or with the damaged corner cropped differently. For 1D barcodes, there's no substitute for a clean, undamaged code.
Why privacy actually matters here
A barcode isn't always harmless. A scanned QR code can contain a WiFi password, a personal contact card, or a private URL. Many online scanners upload your image to a server to decode it, which means that sensitive content travels over the network and sits on infrastructure you don't control, even briefly.
This scanner decodes everything, both uploaded images and the live camera feed, directly in your browser using the open-source html5-qrcode library. No image, video frame, or decoded result is ever sent anywhere. Your scan history lives in your browser's own storage, visible only to you, and you can clear it at any time.
The other half of the workflow
This scanner reads codes. These tools create them.
QR Code Generator
Build a custom QR code for a URL, WiFi network, contact, or event, with a logo and a frame style.
URL Shortener
Shorten a link before encoding it — fewer characters means a simpler, more reliable QR code.
Image Optimizer
Compress a photo before uploading it here — a smaller file scans exactly as well and processes faster.
Questions people ask before scanning a code
Direct answers on privacy, formats, batch scanning, and troubleshooting.
Yes. Use the Upload tab and select any image from your gallery or file system — a screenshot works exactly like a photo you took yourself. JPG, PNG, WebP, and GIF are all supported.
Yes, in any modern mobile browser, including Safari on iPhone and Chrome on Android. Both image upload and live camera scanning work without installing an app.
No. Every scan, from an uploaded image or a live camera feed, is decoded entirely inside your browser using the open-source html5-qrcode library. Nothing is sent to a server.
The most common causes are a blurry or out-of-focus image, a code that's too small in the frame, glare or shadow on the code, or low image resolution. A clear, well-lit photo with the code filling a good portion of the frame usually fixes it.
It automatically detects and parses URLs, WiFi credentials, contact cards, phone numbers, email addresses, calendar events, and GPS coordinates, then shows the specific action that content type actually needs — like Open, Call, or Save Contact — instead of just raw text.
Yes. Select multiple files in the Upload tab and every one gets scanned in the same pass, with a CSV export available once there's more than one result.
Yes — turn on "Keep the camera on for multiple scans" before starting, and the camera keeps running after each successful scan instead of stopping, building a running list you can export.
It depends on the format. QR codes with high error correction can still decode with up to 30% of the pattern obscured. Most 1D barcodes like EAN-13 and Code 128 need the full code visible to read correctly.
Scan your first code
No app. No signup. Nothing leaves your device.