QR Code Generator and Scanner Extension
Make a QR code for the page you are on, a link, text, Wi-Fi, or email, and read QR codes from any web page, screenshot, or image. It all happens in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.
Edge versions coming soon.
- content types: link, text, Wi-Fi, email
- 4content types: link, text, Wi-Fi, email
- largest PNG, or a scalable SVG
- 2048 pxlargest PNG, or a scalable SVG
- codes read from one image at once
- 16codes read from one image at once
- bytes of your data sent to our servers
- 0bytes of your data sent to our servers
Features
What the QR Code Generator and Scanner extension does
It does two jobs from one button: make QR codes and read them. Both work without leaving the page you are on.
QR codes for links, text, Wi-Fi, and email
The link field starts with the address of the page you are on. Wi-Fi codes support WPA/WPA2, WEP, open, and hidden networks. Email codes can carry a subject and message.
Style, colors, and error correction
Pick square, rounded, or dot modules, set any foreground and background color, choose error correction from L (7%) to H (30%), and set the border from 0 to 8 modules.
PNG, SVG, or copy to clipboard
Download a PNG from 128 to 2048 pixels, an SVG that stays sharp at any print size, or copy the image straight into a document or chat.
Scan QR codes on any web page
One click reads every QR code visible in the current tab. You can also drop, paste, or browse for an image or screenshot. Drag over part of the image to scan just that area.
Warnings on risky links
A scanned link is flagged when it does not use HTTPS, when the address uses look-alike characters, or when it hides a login in the address. Check before you open it.
Popup, side panel, and right-click menu
Use it from the toolbar popup, or dock it to the side panel so it stays open while you browse. Right-click a page, link, image, or selected text to start from there.
History of created and scanned codes
Keeps your last 100 codes with search and Created or Scanned filters. One click brings a code back. Turn history off or clear it at any time.
Reads hard-to-scan codes
If the first try finds nothing, it tries again with noise removal and then at double size, so small, blurry, rotated, inverted, and low-contrast codes still read.
Settings
How to customize your QR code in the extension
Every setting updates the preview as you change it.
- 1Open the extension and click Customize.
- 2Pick a style, error correction, and colors.
- 3Set the image size and border, then download.
Went too far? Click Reset to go back to the defaults.
Light and dark
How to switch the QR code extension to dark mode
It matches your system by default. To change it:
- 1Click the QR code icon in your toolbar.
- 2Click the sun or moon switch at the top right.
- 3Done. It remembers your choice.
How to make a QR code with the extension
- 1
Open the extension
Click the extension's button in the toolbar. In Chrome, pin it from the puzzle-piece menu so it is always one click away.
- 2
Choose what goes in the code
Pick URL, Text, Wi-Fi, or Email. The URL tab is already filled in with the page you are on.
- 3
Change the look (optional)
Open Customize to set the style, colors, error correction, image size, and border. A warning appears if the colors are too close to scan well.
- 4
Save or share it
Click Download PNG, SVG, or Copy. The code is also saved to your history unless you turned history off.
How to scan a QR code on a web page
- 1
Switch to Scan
Open the extension and choose Scan at the top, or right-click the page and pick Scan QR codes on this page.
- 2
Pick a source
Click Scan this page to read the visible part of the tab. For a screenshot or photo, paste it with Ctrl+V (⌘V on a Mac), drop it in, or browse for the file.
- 3
Help it find a small code
If a code is missed, drag a box around it in the preview. The extension enlarges that area and tries again.
- 4
Use the result
Copy the text, open the link, copy a Wi-Fi password, or click Edit in Create to make a new code from what you scanned.
QR code options in the right-click menu
Right-click instead of copying and pasting. Each item opens the extension with the link, text, or image already loaded.
| Menu item | Where you right-click | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| QR code for this page | Anywhere on a page | Makes a QR code for the address of the page. |
| QR code for this link | On a link | Makes a QR code for where the link goes. |
| QR code for this image link | On an image | Makes a QR code for the image's own address. |
| QR code for “your text” | On selected text | Makes a plain text QR code from the words you selected. |
| Scan QR codes on this page | Anywhere on a page | Opens the side panel and reads every code visible on screen. |
| Scan this QR code | On an image | Reads only the image you right-clicked, not the rest of the page. |
What the QR scanner shows for each kind of code
A QR code is only text. The scanner works out what that text is and shows it in a readable form, so a Wi-Fi code shows the network name and password instead of WIFI:T:WPA;S:….
- LinkOpens with a warning if the link looks risky
- Wi-FiNetwork name, password (hidden until you show it), security type
- Emailmailto: and MATMSG codes, shown as To, Subject, and Message
- Phone and SMStel:, sms:, and SMSTO: codes, with the number and message
- Locationgeo: coordinates, with a link to the spot on OpenStreetMap
- Contact cardvCard and MECARD, shown as name, phone, email, and company
- Plain textAnything else, ready to copy
Privacy
Extension permissions and why they are needed
Every permission is used only for the feature listed next to it. The two optional ones are asked for only when you turn on the feature that needs them.
storageRequiredSaves your settings, your unfinished code, and your history in the browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.
contextMenusRequiredAdds the six right-click menu items listed above.
activeTabRequiredOnly after you click the extension or a menu item: reads the current page address for the URL field, and captures the visible tab when you ask it to scan.
scriptingRequiredOnly for Scan this QR code: finds where the image you right-clicked sits on screen. It does not change the page or read anything else on it.
sidePanelRequiredLets the extension open in the browser side panel. Chrome and Edge only; Firefox uses its sidebar instead.
tabsOptionalAsked for only if you turn on Follow active tab in the side panel, so the URL field updates as you switch tabs.
Access to all sitesOptionalAsked for only if you scan a tab from the side panel after switching away from the tab you opened it on.
Your data stays on your device.The extension has no account, no analytics, and no server of its own. Page addresses, tab captures, and images are read in your browser and thrown away after use. Settings and history are kept in your browser's local storage and removed when you uninstall the extension. All code, including the WebAssembly QR reader, ships inside the extension. No code is loaded from the internet.
Browsers that support the QR code extension
The same features work in each browser. The only difference is where the docked view opens.
| Browser | Version | Docked view |
|---|---|---|
| Google Chrome | 123 or later | Side panel |
| Microsoft Edge | 123 or later | Side panel |
| Mozilla Firefox | 140 or later | Sidebar |
Compare
QR code extension or the web QR code generator?
Use the extension
When you want a code for the page you are on, or need to read a QR code you see on screen. It is always one click away.
Use the web generator
When you need a contact card (vCard), phone number, or SMS code, or want to add your logo to the middle of the code. Nothing to install.
QR code extension FAQ
- Does the QR Code Generator and Scanner extension upload my images or pages?
- No. QR codes are made, and images and page captures are read, inside your browser on your own device. The extension has no server, no analytics, and no account. The only time it downloads anything is when you right-click an image that is not visible on screen: it then fetches that image from the site it is already on, so it can read it.
- Why can't the extension scan some pages?
- Browsers do not let extensions capture their own pages, such as settings pages, the new tab page, and extension stores like the Chrome Web Store. On those pages, copy a screenshot of the code (Win+Shift+S on Windows, ⌘+Ctrl+Shift+4 on a Mac) and paste it into the Scan tab instead.
- Why didn't Scan this page find the QR code?
- It only reads what is visible in the tab at that moment, so scroll the code into view first. If the code is very small or blurry, zoom in on the page, or drag a box around the code in the preview to scan just that area.
- How do I keep the extension open while I browse?
- Click the dock button in the popup header. The extension moves into the side panel, and the toolbar button opens the side panel from then on. Click the undock button in the side panel to go back to the popup.
- Why does the side panel ask to read my tabs?
- The side panel stays open when you switch tabs, but the browser only gives the extension the address of the tab you opened it on. The optional tabs permission lets the URL field follow the tab you are on. If you say no, everything else still works and you can type the link yourself.
- Do QR codes made with the extension expire?
- No. The link, text, Wi-Fi details, or email address is stored inside the code itself, not behind a redirect, so the code keeps working as long as what it points to exists.
- Why does it warn about low contrast or inverted colors?
- Scanners need a clear difference between the dark and light parts. The extension warns you when the two colors have a contrast ratio below 3 to 1, and when the code is light on a dark background, which some scanner apps cannot read.
- Which image types can I scan?
- PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF, and SVG. It can read up to 16 codes in one image, including rotated, inverted, and Micro QR or rMQR codes.
- How do I turn off or clear the history?
- Open the History tab. Untick Save history to stop saving new codes, or clear the list. You can also delete single entries, and undo a delete right after.
- Is the extension free?
- Yes. It is free, has no ads, and does not ask you to sign in.
Add the QR code extension to your browser
Free, no account, and nothing leaves your device.
Edge versions coming soon.