Will this QR code scan?
Already have a code, from anywhere? Add a photo or the image file and we read it back with a real scanner, tell you where it goes, and flag the things that make printed codes fail: low contrast, a missing margin, and being too small for the distance.
- Free to use
- No account needed
- Nothing is uploaded
- Works on any code, not just ours
Step 1
Add a picture of the code
A photo of the printed code, a screenshot, or the image file you were given. It stays on your device.
Step 2
Where is it, or where will it go?
We work out how big it needs to be printed to scan from that distance.
What the checker looks at
- Does it read?
- The same decoder a phone uses, run on your image. If it cannot read the code, neither will most cameras.
- Where does it go?
- The exact web address, Wi-Fi network, contact or text inside the code. If it goes through a QR provider's redirect, we say so, because that code depends on their account staying paid.
- Contrast
- Dark modules against a light background, measured on the image. Under 4:1 fails in print; 7:1 is safe.
- Blank margin
- Four modules of clear space on every side is part of the code, not decoration. Thin margins are the most common printed failure.
- Print size
- How wide the code must be for the distance you chose, based on how dense the code actually is.
Common questions
- Does this upload my QR code anywhere?
- No. The image is read in your browser and never leaves your device. That is also why the result is instant.
- My code scans on my phone. Why does the checker warn me?
- A phone held close to a bright screen is the easiest possible test. Print, gloss, dim light, distance and older cameras all cost contrast and resolution. The warnings are about surviving those, not about the screen in front of you.
- What does 'goes through a redirect service' mean?
- The code does not contain your destination. It contains a short link owned by a QR provider, which forwards people on. That is how trackable codes work, and it means the code only keeps working while that provider account is active. If you were not aware your code depends on someone else's subscription, now you are.
- Can it tell me why a code failed to scan on a menu or a sign?
- Often. The three most common causes are visible in a photo: a thin blank margin, low contrast, and a code printed too small for the distance. If none of those show, the usual remaining culprits are gloss, a curved surface, or a logo covering too much of the pattern.
- Can I check a code from a photo of a poster or a table tent?
- Yes. Take it straight on, in reasonable light, with the whole code and some margin in frame. Choose where the code lives in Step 2 and the print-size advice adjusts for that distance.
- Is there a limit?
- No. Check as many codes as you like. There is no account and nothing to pay.