QR Code Decoder — Read a QR Code from an Image

What Is This Tool?

A QR code decoder reads the black-and-white pattern in a QR code image and extracts the text it encodes — a URL, plain text, Wi-Fi credentials, a vCard, whatever was originally encoded. Normally this needs a phone camera, but a saved image (a screenshot from a chat, a photo of a printed code, a downloaded file) can't always be pointed at a camera conveniently.

This tool decodes directly from the uploaded image file using the jsQR library, the same open-source decoding approach used in many camera-based scanner apps — just applied to a static image instead of a live camera feed.

Why Use It?

• Decode from any image file — screenshot, photo, downloaded PNG/JPG — no phone camera needed.
• If the decoded content is a URL, it's shown as a clickable link automatically.
• Local processing — the image never leaves your browser, safe for QR codes containing Wi-Fi passwords or private links.
• Pairs naturally with our QR Code Generator — encode here, decode there.
• Free, no account, no watermark.

How to Use

1. Click the box or drag an image containing a QR code onto it.
2. The decoder loads automatically and reads the code.
3. The decoded text appears below — if it's a URL, a clickable link is shown too.
4. Click Copy to use the decoded text.

Example

Input

A screenshot containing a QR code linking to a website

Output

https://codekithub.com

Recognized as a URL automatically, with a direct clickable link shown alongside the raw text.

Practical tips to decode a QR code from an image

• Screenshots decode more reliably than photos — a screen capture has clean, sharp pixel edges, while a phone photo of a printed code can suffer from blur, glare or an off-angle shot that distorts the square modules.
• If a photo won't decode, crop it tight around just the QR code first. Extra background around the code can confuse pattern detection, especially on smaller or lower-resolution images.
• Before you scan a QR code with your phone camera, decoding it here first lets you see the destination URL or content as plain text — useful when a code came from an unknown source and you want to check it before opening a link.
• Wi-Fi QR codes decode to a raw string like WIFI:T:WPA;S:MyNetwork;P:password;; — the network name and password are readable directly in that text, no need to re-scan with a phone to join.

Common reasons a QR code won't decode

The most frequent case people run into: a QR code that scans fine on a phone camera but fails when the same image is uploaded here (or vice versa) usually comes down to resolution — camera apps often add extra sharpening or auto-focus that a static image doesn't get. Re-saving or re-exporting the image at a higher resolution before uploading usually fixes it.

The second most common case is a code generated with low error correction and then compressed or resized, which damages just enough of the pattern to break decoding. QR codes have four built-in error correction levels — Low recovers about 7% of corrupted data, up to High at roughly 30%, per Wikipedia's QR code article — so a code made at Low tolerance has far less room for compression artifacts or partial occlusion before it stops scanning. If you generated the code yourself, regenerating it with a larger size and a higher error correction level avoids this.

→ QR Code Generator

Frequently Asked Questions