Reticle
Tools

QR Code Scanner

Point your camera at a code, or drop, choose, or paste an image. Reticle decodes it right here in your browser: no sign-up, and nothing is ever uploaded.

Scan a QR code
Drop an image, click to choose, or paste PNG · JPEG · any QR image, decoded on your device, never uploaded

Everything happens locally in your browser; the image and its contents are never sent anywhere.

Need to make one instead? Create a QR code →

How the QR scanner works

Drop in any image with a QR code (a screenshot, a photo of a poster, a file) or paste it straight from the clipboard, and the code is decoded on the spot. On phones and laptops with a camera you can also scan live, just like a camera app. Decoding uses your browser's built-in barcode detection where available, with a bundled fallback everywhere else, so it works without installing anything.

It reads more than links: Wi-Fi network details, contact cards (vCard), calendar events, email, SMS, phone numbers, map locations, and crypto payment addresses are all recognized and displayed as what they are, not just raw text.

See where a code points before you go there

A QR code is unreadable to a person, which is what makes a swapped sticker on a parking meter or a fake code on an invoice work at all. Decoding one here shows you the full address it contains without visiting it, and every result comes with a short inspection report covering the things that are easy to miss at a glance.

Every check that applies is listed with its result, so you can see what was looked for rather than just what was found. On a web address that means eight checks: whether it runs code or embeds a file instead of opening a page, whether the connection is encrypted, whether text is hidden before the @ so the visible part is not the destination, whether the domain uses characters from another alphabet that can imitate familiar letters, whether it is a link shortener whose real destination is hidden, whether it points at a bare IP address, whether the port is a standard one, and whether a long chain of subdomains pushes a familiar-looking name away from the domain that actually controls the address. Wi-Fi, contact, and cryptocurrency codes are checked for what they disclose to anyone who photographs them instead.

It is not a safety verdict, and it never says a code is safe. The checks run entirely on your device, and this page never opens the link or contacts the destination, so it cannot know anything about the site at the other end. A scam link on an ordinary-looking domain raises nothing at all. What the report gives you is the ability to read a code before you act on it, which is the part a camera app skips.

Private by design

Everything happens locally in your browser. Images and camera frames are never uploaded; the decoded contents never leave your device. The camera runs only while you're scanning: it shuts off the moment a code is found or the tab is hidden, and there's no account or sign-in.

From scan to edit

Found a code you want to reuse? Open in Studio carries the decoded contents into the Design Studio with the right fields pre-filled, so you can restyle it with your own colors, shapes, and logo, then download a fresh copy.

Frequently asked questions

Can I scan a QR code from a screenshot without an app?

Yes, that's exactly what this page is for. Upload, drag in, or paste any image containing a QR code (a screenshot, photo, or saved file) and it's decoded right here in your browser. Nothing to install.

How can I check a QR code before tapping the link?

Decode it here first. Every scan shows the full address the code contains, plus a list of every check that was run and how it came out. On a web address that is eight checks, covering a plain http link, a link shortener hiding the real destination, a domain using lookalike characters from another alphabet, text hidden before the @ in an address, a raw IP address, a non-standard port, a long chain of subdomains pushing a familiar name to the left, and whether the code runs code or embeds a file rather than opening a page. The checks run on your device and this page never opens the link, so you see where a code points without going there.

Does the inspection report tell me whether a QR code is safe?

No, and it deliberately does not claim to. It lists what was checked and what each check found, flagging patterns commonly used to disguise a destination. A scam link on an ordinary-looking domain passes every one of them, so a report where everything passes means exactly that, nothing matched, and not that the site is trustworthy. Treat it as a way to read a code before you act on it, not as a verdict.

Why won't my QR code scan?

The usual culprits are blur, low contrast between the code and its background, a missing quiet zone (empty margin) around the code, damage to the corner squares, or an image where the code is simply too small. Try a sharper, closer, straight-on picture.

Can it read Wi-Fi QR codes? Will it join the network for me?

It decodes Wi-Fi codes and shows the network name, security type, and password. Actually joining the network with one tap is a feature of your phone's camera app; use it if you want to connect rather than read the credentials.

Are my images or camera frames uploaded anywhere?

No. Decoding happens entirely in your browser using the device's own barcode detection. Images, camera frames, and decoded contents never leave your device, and there's no account or sign-in.

Why does the camera ask for permission, and when does it stop?

The browser requires your explicit permission before any page can use the camera. The live scanner stops the camera as soon as a code is found, when you switch away from the tab, or when you drop in an image instead.