Sometimes the QR code is already on your screen — in an email, a PDF, a webpage — and there is no second phone to point at it. You can still read it: upload the image and decode it in place.
TL;DR — Open the QR code scanner, switch to Image, and upload a screenshot or photo of the code. The decoded content appears, with its type recognized, ready to copy or open.
Camera vs image
The scanner works two ways. Use the camera when the code is in front of you on paper, a poster or a product. Use image when the code is a file: a screenshot you just took, a photo someone sent you, or a code embedded in a document.
The image route is the trick for codes on your own screen. Take a screenshot, upload it, and you skip the awkward dance of borrowing a second device.
Getting a clean read
A scan fails for boring reasons, almost always image quality. Give the decoder a fair shot:
- Include the whole code and the quiet margin around it. A cropped code often will not read.
- Keep it reasonably large and in focus. A blurry thumbnail rarely decodes.
- Avoid heavy glare or a steep angle when photographing a printed code.
If a photo will not scan, crop it tighter around the code and try again.
What the result tells you
Once decoded, the scanner recognizes what kind of content it is — a link, WiFi network, contact card, email or plain text — so you know what you are looking at before you act on it. You can copy the value, or open it when it is a link. Nothing leaves your device at any point.
Read one now
The QR code scanner runs entirely in your browser. Point your camera at a code, or upload an image of one, and read it instantly — no app, no upload.