How to Scan a QR Code on Any Device

QR codes are on restaurant menus, concert tickets, payment terminals, and your Wi-Fi router. If your phone is from the last six years, you already have everything you need. Here is how scanning works on iPhone, Android, and desktop — plus fixes for stubborn codes and how to spot scams.

Scan on iPhone

Every iPhone from the iPhone 8 and iPhone X onward — anything running iOS 11 or later — has a scanner built into the stock Camera app. Nothing to enable.

1. Open Camera and point it at the code. Photo mode is fine; there is no special QR mode.
2. Hold steady for two or three seconds. A yellow notification banner appears at the top showing the destination, such as the domain name or wifi for a Wi-Fi login code.
3. Tap the banner to open it.

If nothing appears, check Settings > Camera and make sure Scan QR Codes is on. It is on by default, but a device profile or a curious relative can flip it.

Control Center's Code Scanner

For a dedicated scanner, add it to Control Center: Settings > Control Center, then add Code Scanner. Swipe down from the top-right corner, tap the icon, and point. This mode turns on the flashlight automatically, which the regular camera will not do — handy in dark rooms.

Scan codes in saved photos

When someone texts you a screenshot of a code, open the image in Photos, long-press directly on the code, and a context menu offers Open in Safari or Copy Link. Use this to inspect a suspicious link before opening it.

Scan on Android

Android varies by brand, but anything shipping with Android 9 or later can almost certainly scan with its stock camera app.

• Samsung: open Camera and point. If nothing happens, tap the gear icon for Camera Settings and switch on Scan QR codes — it shipped off by default on some older models.
• Pixel: the Google Camera app detects codes automatically in the main viewfinder; a link chip appears at the bottom.
• Other brands (Xiaomi, OnePlus, Motorola): check the camera modes menu for a Lens, Scanner, or QR mode if the main viewfinder ignores codes.

Google Lens as the universal fallback

Google Lens is preinstalled on nearly every Android phone. Open it (or long-press the Home button on newer Pixels), point at the code, and tap the shutter button. Lens does something the camera app often skips: it shows you the full URL before you open it, which matters for safety. To scan a saved image, open it in Google Photos and tap the Lens icon at the bottom.

Scan on a desktop or laptop

Windows and macOS have no built-in QR scanner — their camera apps will happily photograph a code and do nothing with it. The practical answer is a free web-based scanner, which needs no install and works on any machine with a browser.

Our QR Code Scanner gives you three ways to read a code on a computer:

1. Upload an image. Save the code with right-click, or take a screenshot, then drop the file into the scanner.
2. Paste from clipboard. Take a screenshot with Win + Shift + S on Windows or Cmd + Shift + 4 on a Mac, then paste straight into the tool with Ctrl + V or Cmd + V — no saving needed.
3. Use your webcam. Allow camera access when the browser asks, then hold a printed code about 20 cm from the webcam, steady for a second or two.

Everything runs locally in your browser: the image is never uploaded to a server, and there is no signup. That matters most for codes holding sensitive data, like a Wi-Fi password or a crypto wallet address.

When it won't scan

A code that won't read is almost always a physical problem, not a software one. Work through these in order:

• Dirty lens. Phone lenses collect pocket grease that softens fine detail. Wipe the lens on a clean shirt — this alone fixes a surprising number of failures.
• Glare. Glossy packaging and laminated signs reflect light straight back at the camera. Tilt the phone or the code until the reflection disappears, or shade it with your hand.
• Wrong distance. There is a sweet spot, and most people stand too far back. A 5 cm printed code reads best from roughly 15 to 50 cm away; as a rule of thumb, a phone reads a code from about ten times its width at most. Try moving closer.
• Too small. Anything under 2 × 2 cm in print is borderline. A code packed with data — a long URL — has tighter modules and must be printed larger than a short one to scan reliably.
• Damaged codes. QR codes include error correction: Level L survives about 7% damage, M about 15%, Q about 25%, and H about 30%. That is why a slightly torn ticket usually still scans. But the three big corner squares — the finder patterns — are special: if one is missing or obscured, the reader cannot orient the code and it will not scan at all.
• Low light. The scanner needs contrast between dark modules and light ones. Add light, or use the iPhone Control Center scanner's automatic flashlight.
• Curved surfaces. Codes wrapped around bottles and cans distort the grid readers expect. Rotate the bottle so the code faces you squarely.
• Inverted colors. Stylish white-on-black codes fail on many built-in camera scanners, which only read dark-on-light. Google Lens and web scanners usually handle both.

If it still fails, the code itself is likely the problem: a corrupted image, a code generated at low resolution and scaled up, or a decorative pattern that only looks like a QR code.

Stay safe: QR scams are real

Attackers love QR codes because they hide the destination. A link you would never click in an email becomes a harmless-looking square on a parking meter. Researchers call this quishing — QR phishing — and it is now one of the most common ways phishing links reach phones, because email filters cannot see inside a printed square.

• Preview before you open. A good scanner shows the URL first. Read the whole domain, character by character: paypaI.com (capital i) and paypa1.com (digit one) are not paypal.com.
• Beware stickers over real codes. A well-documented attack is a sticker pasted over the legitimate code on a parking meter or restaurant table, redirecting payment to the attacker. If a code looks layered on top of another code, peel it and check underneath.
• Pause at prompts. Codes can do more than open pages: they can start a payment, install an app, or auto-join a Wi-Fi network. Your phone confirms before anything irreversible — read the prompt instead of tapping through.
• Never log in from a random scan. A code on a flyer under your windshield wiper or in an unsolicited text should never lead you to type a password or card details. If the organization is real, go to their site yourself instead.

Common mistakes

• Tapping the banner without reading it. Most people tap the notification the instant it appears. Reading the URL in the banner first costs one second and defeats most quishing attempts.
• Screenshotting someone else's payment code. Payment apps show personal codes meant only for the person in front of you. A forwarded screenshot can be reused to charge the owner — treat it like a card number, not a photo.
• Assuming every square barcode is a QR code. Boarding passes often use Aztec codes, and small electronics parts use Data Matrix. Your camera's QR scanner may ignore them — that is normal; those codes usually open in the airline's or manufacturer's own app.
• Scanning table codes without glancing at the URL. Restaurant table stickers are a favorite target for the sticker-swap attack. If the URL does not match the restaurant's real domain, ask the staff.

Practice on a code you trust

The fastest way to get comfortable is to scan a code you made yourself. Create a test code with a free QR code generator — a link to your favorite site or a Wi-Fi code for your home network — then scan it with your phone. You'll learn what the notification looks like, how close to hold the phone, and what a safe URL preview looks like.