DEVICE GUIDE

How to scan a QR code from a screenshot

If a QR code is already on your screen — in a message, an email, a presentation, or a social post — pointing your camera at your own display rarely works well. Screenshotting the code and reading it from the saved image is the reliable fix, and it works the same way on iPhone, Android, and desktop.

Save the code as a screenshot or image

Take a screenshot of the QR code, or save the image directly if one was sent to you as a file. Make sure the whole square, including its white border, is visible and not cropped or covered by other content.

Upload it to scan QR

Open scan QR and select Upload Image, then choose the screenshot from your gallery or files. The image is decoded inside your browser — it is not sent to a server — and you'll see the exact destination and a basic safety check before you decide whether to open anything.

iPhone: Live Text is a quick alternative

On iOS 16 and later, open the screenshot in Photos and tap the QR code — Live Text can open it directly without leaving the Photos app. This works well for a quick, one-off scan; upload it to scan QR instead if you want to inspect the destination first.

Android: Google Lens or Circle to Search

Open the image in Google Photos and use the Lens icon to detect and decode the code, or use Circle to Search if your phone supports it. Availability varies by manufacturer and Android version, so if neither option appears, uploading the image is the dependable fallback.

Getting a clean scan

Crop out unnecessary background, avoid screenshots taken at an angle or with glare, and make sure the code isn't so small that the squares blur together. If a screenshot won't decode, a straight-on photo of the same code is usually easier to read than a compressed screenshot.