A QR code saved on your phone does not require a second device to read it. Open QR Code Reader, select Open QR image and choose the screenshot or photograph. The decoded content appears on the page, where you can inspect it, copy it or download a text file.

This workflow is useful for a QR code in a message, an event document or a photograph of a printed sign. It also lets you see a website address before deciding whether to open it. Reading a code does not automatically visit its link, connect to Wi-Fi or import a contact.

Save the complete code as an image

The image reader accepts PNG, JPG, JPEG and WebP. Keep the whole QR code inside the picture, including its clear outer border. A screenshot often gives you a straightforward starting point because it can preserve the code at the size shown on your screen.

Images can be up to 10 MiB and 16 megapixels, with a maximum of 16,384 pixels on either side. A photograph containing a very small QR code in a large scene can be harder to scan because the reader reduces large images for decoding. Crop closer to the code while preserving the border and all of the square pattern.

DENSO WAVE's QR code margin guidance describes the clear space around a QR symbol as its quiet zone and specifies a four-module margin on every side. Avoid cropping flush against the dark pattern or adding text and decoration directly beside it.

The reader decodes one QR code per scan. If your image contains several, crop it around the one you want and scan that image separately. It does not provide a batch list of every code in a document.

Open the screenshot on the same device

1. Save the screenshot or photo where your device's file picker can find it.
2. Open QR Code Reader and choose Open QR image.
3. Select the PNG, JPEG or WebP file.
4. Wait for the Decoded content field to display a result.
5. Read the contents, then choose Copy text, Download text or Open website when available.

You can perform these steps on the same phone that holds the image. There is no need to point its camera at its own screen. On a computer, choose the saved image through the same Open QR image control.

If you want a simple practice file, create a website QR with QR Code Generator, save the generated image and open it in the reader. Choose an address you can recognize so that you can compare the decoded result with your original input.

Understand what the result means

For a website QR, the text may include a full address with a path and query parameters. Read the hostname and compare it with the destination you expected. For example, a product link can contain an item identifier after the main address; copying the full text preserves that part too.

Only HTTP and HTTPS addresses receive an optional Open website button. Choosing it opens the address explicitly. Successfully decoding the text establishes what the code contains; it does not establish who owns the destination or whether it matches the printed description beside the code.

Wi-Fi details and contact cards stay visible as text. The tool identifies those payload types but does not connect your device to a network or add a contact. Plain text also remains available for copying and download. A code containing binary data can be displayed as hexadecimal text rather than a normal sentence.

Use Download text to save qr-content.txt. If Copy text cannot access the clipboard, the reader selects the text and asks you to use your browser's copy action. You can still keep the result without opening a website.

Use the camera for a printed code

For a QR code on paper, choose Start camera and allow your browser to use the camera. Keep one complete code visible and wait for a result. The camera stops when a QR code is successfully decoded; Stop camera lets you end the scan yourself.

Camera access requires HTTPS or localhost, a supported browser and permission. MDN's camera API documentation explains the secure-context and permission requirements. If permission is denied or the camera is unavailable, save or take a photograph through your usual device app and use Open QR image instead.

Zutilium also stops camera access when you leave the tool or hide the tab. To scan another code, open a different image or start the camera again. Clear removes the displayed result from the current reader view.

Fix a code that will not decode

If the page reports that no QR code was found, try a sharper photograph or a closer crop with the full border intact. Check for a clipped corner, reflections, blur or a pattern that has become tiny after the image was resized. A scan timeout also suggests cropping closer and trying again.

The reader can handle many rotated and inverted QR codes, but a heavily damaged or unusual design may still fail. It does not read other barcode formats, so a row of supermarket-style bars needs a different reader. Renaming an unsupported file to .png does not turn it into a valid image.

Images, camera frames and decoding stay in your browser; the reader does not upload them to the conversion server or keep a scan history. Copying, downloading or opening a link are actions you choose after viewing the result. If you need the printed words around a code instead, Image to Text / OCR is a separate server-based text recognition tool.