How to scan a QR code from a screenshot

Take the screenshot, then decode it from the image, on iPhone, long-press the code in Photos (Live Text); on Android, open it in Google Photos and tap Lens; on a computer, upload it to a browser-based scanner. The camera cannot scan its own screen, so image decoding replaces it.

Why the camera cannot help

A camera scans what is in front of the lens, and a phone cannot point its lens at its own display. So when the QR code is on the device you are holding (in an email, a chat, a web page, a ticket) the camera flow is physically impossible. The fix is to stop thinking "camera" and start thinking "image": screenshot the code, then run a decoder over the picture. Every current platform has a way to do exactly that.

iPhone: Photos and Live Text

Take the screenshot (side button + volume up).
Open it in Photos.
Long-press the code, or tap the Live Text icon in the corner.
Tap the link that appears.

Live Text needs iOS 15 (2021) and an iPhone XS/XR or newer. On older devices, skip to the upload route below. The other iPhone scanning paths are on the iPhone page.

Android: Lens on the screenshot

Take the screenshot (power + volume down on most devices).
Open it in Google Photos.
Tap the Lens icon.
Tap the decoded link.

Any gallery app that offers "share to Google Lens" works the same way. The full set of Android routes is on the Android page.

Computer: upload it to a scanner

On a desktop, screenshot the code (Win+Shift+S on Windows, Cmd+Shift+4 on macOS) and drag or paste the image into a browser-based scanner. Decoding happens in the browser (the screenshot is never uploaded to a server), and you get the decoded text back in about a second. No cropping needed; decoders locate a code inside a larger image on their own. More desktop options are on the computer scanning page.

The screenshot route is also the cautious route

There is a quiet security benefit to decoding an image instead of live-scanning: a proper decoder shows you the raw destination text first rather than bouncing you straight into a browser. That pause to read the domain is precisely the habit that defeats QR phishing. If a code arrived somewhere unexpected (a payment request, a "your parcel is waiting" message) screenshot it, read the decoded text, and only then decide whether to visit. There is a fuller checklist for vetting a code before you open it.

When the screenshot will not decode

Screenshots are the easy case (pixel-perfect, no blur, no glare), so failures are rare and almost always mean the code itself is tiny in the frame. Crop roughly to the code and retry. If the image came from a camera rather than a screen grab, angle and focus enter the picture; the photo scanning page covers rescuing those.

FAQ

How do I scan a QR code in a screenshot on iPhone?

Open the screenshot in Photos and long-press the code, or tap the Live Text icon and tap the link. This requires iOS 15 and an iPhone XS/XR or newer; on older phones, upload the screenshot to a browser-based scanner instead.

How do I scan a QR code in a screenshot on Android?

Open the screenshot in Google Photos and tap the Lens icon, then tap the decoded link. You can also share the image to Google Lens directly from any gallery app.

Can I scan a QR code that is on my own screen?

Not with the camera: it cannot see its own display. Screenshot the code and decode the image with Live Text, Google Lens, or a browser-based scanner on a computer.

Why will a screenshot of a QR code not scan?

Usually the code occupies too few pixels in the frame. Crop the screenshot roughly to the code and try again. Screenshots have no blur or glare, so size is nearly always the issue.