Ever been to a restaurant that has just a QR code on the table? While you’d ask the waiter only to discover that you’ll need scan the QR code using your phone to view the menu. That’s what you’d normally do the next time you’d see a QR code – use your phone or a computer. We’ve prepared a guide to scan QR codes on devices that run iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac.
Table of Contents
Scan a QR Code on an iPhone
After you’ve taken a screenshot or a photo of the QR code, open it in your iPhone’s Photos app, then tap the Live Text button. From there, tap the QR code to access available actions based on its content.
Scan a QR Code on a Samsung Galaxy Phone
Much like the iPhone’s Photos app, Samsung’s Gallery app can also scan QR codes from screenshots and photos. Open an image with QR code in the Gallery app, and tap the yellow (T) icon that appears in the bottom-right corner. After the image is processed, tap the QR code to view the associated information.
Also Read: Learn how to fix camera app not scanning QR code on Samsung Galaxy phone.
Scan a QR Code Using Google Photos App (Android and iPhone)
Many use Google Photos on phones since most Android phones have Google Photos app pre-loaded. That lets you easily open QR codes in photos. For that, launch a photo in Google Photos, tap the Lens icon, and it’ll scan the image. If it finds a QR code, it’ll show you all the info it holds.
Download: Google Photos (Android | iOS)
Read QR Code on Windows
Unlike smartphones, there is no native to scan QR codes from images on Windows computers. However, we found CodeTwo QR Reader works like a charm. With it, you can scan QR codes from images, besides from a screen, webcam, and clipboard.
Download: CodeTwo QRcode Desktop Reader
Install CodeTwo QR Reader on your computer. Then, open the app, click the ‘From file’ button, select the image, and the result will be shown in the ‘QR Code text’ field. From there, you can copy any information that you want.
Scan a QR Code on Mac
To scan the QR code on macOS, you can download the QR Capture app from the Mac App Store. After that, open the QR image that you want to scan and then launch the app. Next, position the phone frame on top of the QR code and click on the Shutter button (Camera icon).
Download: QR Capture
After that, a new pop-up window will appear displaying all the information related to your scanned QR code.
Bonus: Scan QR Code Online (All Devices)
If you prefer not to download any app for scanning a QR code, you can use an online tool instead. But be careful, if your QR code has important info, it’s better not to use this method as your data might be saved on other servers. Now that we’ve addressed the main issue, here’s how you can read a QR code online:
Open the Web QR website on your mobile or desktop browser. Next, tap the camera icon and select the file by clicking the ‘Choose file’ button. After that, all the information will be displayed in the bottom box.
Easily Scan a QR Code From an Image
Not all QR Codes just contain web links. If the QR Code you can redirects to something else, it may not open on your phone. Also, some app-specific QR codes work seamlessly within those apps only. For example, WhatsApp Web’s QR code works fine with just WhatsApp and will struggle with other QR code reader apps.
