WiFi · Decode

WiFi QR Code Reader

Get the password out of a WiFi QR code. Upload a photo of your router sticker or a screenshot someone sent you, and the network name and password come back as text you can read and copy — not just a connection your phone makes silently.

🔒 Never uploaded — decoded in browserPhoto or screenshotShows SSID + passwordWPA3 & hidden networks

Why Your Phone Camera Won't Show You the Password

This is the part that sends most people looking for a tool like this. Point any modern phone at a WiFi QR code and it will offer to join the network — then join it, and never tell you what the password was. Both Android and iOS hand the credentials straight from the camera to the system network settings and discard them from view. It is a sensible default and a genuine nuisance when you need to type that password into a second device, a smart TV, or a printer that has no camera at all.

The password is not hidden inside the code, though. A WiFi QR code is plain text — it just looks like a pattern of squares. Uploading the image here runs the same decoding your camera does and shows you the result instead of acting on it.

How to Read a WiFi QR Code

Get the code as an image

Photograph the sticker underneath your router, screenshot the code a friend or hotel sent you, or export the page from a PDF welcome pack. A straight-on, in-focus shot decodes far more reliably than one taken at an angle.

Upload it above

Drop the file on the upload area or click to browse. If the code is printed in front of you right now, the camera button reads it live instead. Either way the image stays on your device.

Reveal and copy

The network name shows immediately; the password stays masked until you click Show, so you can use this in an office or cafe without the whole room reading it over your shoulder. Copy either field with one click.

What Is Actually Inside a WiFi QR Code

A WiFi QR code stores one short line of text in a standard format that both Android and iOS understand:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:MyNetwork;P:hunter2;H:false;;

S is the network name, P is the password, T is the security type (WPA covers WPA2 and WPA3, or nopass for an open network), and H marks a hidden network. Nothing here is encrypted or signed.

That last point is worth pausing on before you print one. Anyone who can photograph your WiFi QR code — across a room, or from a photo posted online — can read the password exactly as this tool does. A code on a guest-network card is fine. A code taped to the front of the router in a shared lobby is the same as writing the password on the wall.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get the WiFi password from a QR code?

Upload a photo or screenshot of the QR code above. The tool decodes it in your browser and shows the network name and password as text you can copy. Nothing is uploaded to a server — the decoding happens on your device.

Why does my phone camera connect me but never show the password?

That is deliberate on both Android and iOS. When the camera recognises a WIFI: code it hands the credentials straight to the system network settings and joins, without ever displaying the password. The password is inside the code — the camera just will not print it. Upload the same image here and you can read it.

Where do I find my WiFi QR code?

Three common places. On many routers it is printed on the sticker underneath, next to the default SSID. On Android, Settings → Network → your network → Share produces one. On iPhone (iOS 16+), hold the network in Settings → Wi-Fi and choose Share Password, or ask whoever set up the network to share theirs.

Can I read a WiFi QR code from a photo or screenshot?

Yes — that is the main use. A phone camera can only scan a code that is physically in front of it, so a screenshot someone sent you, a photo of a cafe sign, or a PDF of a welcome pack is unreadable that way. Uploading the image here works because the decoding happens on the picture itself.

Is it safe to upload my WiFi QR code here?

The image never leaves your device. Decoding runs in JavaScript in your browser, so no upload happens at all — you can confirm this by disconnecting from the internet after the page loads and the tool will still work. Nothing about the network is logged or transmitted.

What does the WIFI: text inside the code mean?

A WiFi QR code stores a short plain-text string like WIFI:T:WPA;S:MyNetwork;P:hunter2;H:false;;. S is the network name, P is the password, T is the security type, and H marks a hidden network. It is not encrypted — anyone who can photograph the code can read the password, which is worth remembering before printing one on a public sign.

Why does my password have a semicolon or backslash in it?

The format uses ; : , and \ as separators, so a password containing any of them is escaped with a backslash inside the code. This reader unescapes them, so what you see is the real password. Tools that split the text naively truncate exactly these passwords.

The code decoded but says it is not a WiFi QR code — why?

Not every QR code near a router holds credentials. Many print a support URL, a serial number, or a setup-app link instead. If the decoded text appears and it is a link or plain text, use the general QR code scanner instead — the content is shown there in full.

Does this work for WPA3 and hidden networks?

Yes. The reader shows the security type exactly as encoded, including WPA3/SAE and WPA2-Enterprise, and flags hidden networks. For an open network with no password it says so rather than showing an empty field.

Can I make a WiFi QR code instead of reading one?

Yes — use our WiFi QR Code Generator at /wifi-qr-code-generator. Enter the network name and password and download a code guests can scan to join without typing anything.