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Read a QR code

Pointing a camera at a QR code means following it blind: you see the address only afterwards. And a sticker with someone else’s code over the real one is a working way to redirect a payment. Upload a picture or point your camera here: we show what is inside and go nowhere.

Nothing is uploaded to a server — neither the picture nor the camera frames.

Drop in a picture with a code or · you can paste from the clipboard

The code is read with the browser’s built-in facility. Neither the picture nor the camera frames are sent anywhere.

What can be inside a code

Starts withWhat it isWhat to look at
https:// or http://a link to a sitethe domain. http without the "s" means the connection is unencrypted
WIFI:joining a Wi-Fi networkthe network name, and that the code connects you automatically
bitcoin: ethereum: ton:a cryptocurrency paymentthe address and the amount: once sent, it cannot be taken back
mailto: tel: sms:an email, a call or a messageto whom exactly, and with what text
BEGIN:VCARDa contactwhat exactly lands in your address book

Nearby: where a short link goes, if there is a shortener inside, and a QR code generator, if you need to make a code instead.

The code is read — the rest is up to the network

The address you go to is visible to your provider, and the site sees yours. 404 VPN closes both sides.

How it works →

FAQ

guest@404vpn:~$ cat qr-scan-faq.md
[01] $ Why does the button not work in my browser? ▸
> We read codes with BarcodeDetector, which is built into the browser. Chrome and browsers based on it have it, including on Android, but Safari and Firefox do not. There the page says honestly that it cannot read the code: we have not pulled in a hundred-kilobyte third-party library just for that.
[02] $ What can be dangerous about a QR code? ▸
> Exactly what can be dangerous about a link, except you do not see it. The most common story is a sticker with someone else’s code pasted over the real one — on a parking meter, on a cafe table, on a notice. A person pays the wrong party and finds out later. The second story is a code in an email or an advert leading to a fake sign-in page.
[03] $ What should I do once I see the address? ▸
> Look at the domain: it should match whoever the code belongs to. If the code promises parking payment and the domain is unfamiliar, do not go further. If the address is short and says nothing, expand it in the neighbouring tool — it shows the whole chain of redirects.
[04] $ Is the picture sent to you? ▸
> No. It is read inside the tab, and camera frames never leave the device at all: the page takes them from the video stream and parses them on the spot. No network requests happen while a code is being read.
[05] $ The code will not read even though it is clearly in the picture ▸
> Usually glare, a steep angle or cropped corners get in the way — a QR code has three square markers in its corners, and without them it does not assemble. Try a straighter shot with the whole code in frame, or photograph the code again.