So I recently downloaded the property tax bill for my residence and they have a QR Code for online payment on the billing statement. I thought I had found something on my computer the other day that could read the QR codes in a picture or PDF to get the resulting data (or URL) however now that I have opportunity to use it, I don’t remember where I might have seen that. Is there a way to decode QR images on a Mac (without special 3rd party software)? If not, what application(s) do others recommend?
Editing to add:
I’m aware of the IOS scanning capabilities with the camera (use them quite frequently) - I thought I was clear enough in my initial question that I’m referring specifically to desktop / MacOS environment only.
I’m gathering from the comments I’ve seen so far that scanning it with iOS device then utilize Apple’s Handoff feature to bring it back to the desktop would keep it within the Apple environment, or look for a 3rd party app to utilize on the desktop.
Unfortunately, I don’t believe macOS has built-in QR code-reading functionality. But if you search the app store, you should find several options that can use your webcam. You may also be able to find QR-reading add-ons for your favorite web browser (I found several for Firefox and Chrome, but didn’t notice any for Safari.
iOS has it built-in to the camera app. Just launch the app and aim at a QR code. A yellow bubble will appear at the bottom of the image. Tap on it to visit the link.:
And there are also web sites that can do it. Grant the site access to your camera, then let it scan the code and send you to the URL. But of course, you need to trust the site. Probably OK if the QR code doesn’t encode any personalized information, but I wouldn’t use a web service if account information or login credentials are part of that code.
For myself, I always either use the iOS Camera app. If I need the link, I can share it from Safari after following it to its destination.
Earlier this year I downloaded QR Code Reader by 2Stable on the app store. I don’t have frequent use for it, but it does the job and I think fits what you’re looking for @mpickard. As well as being able to use the Mac’s camera to scan a QR code, you can also scan the screen to decode a QR code that appears anywhere onscreen.
Unfortunately, when I tried to download it in the Mac App Store, I was informed it is not available in my country (US). So it appears to be a nice solution but not for US customers.
Hmmm, disappointing… I’m getting the same in the UK App Store. It must have been removed for some reason even though the developer’s website implies it’s still available. The copy installed on my Mac continues to work though. Maybe I’ll try emailing them to find out what’s going on (their other apps are still available on the App Store).
This. The trend of using QR code instead of a URL is annoying; it is assuming that everyone wants to view websites on a tiny phone instead of a full size desktop monitor. And they’re opaque – you’d can’t know where the QR code is going to take you, or if it is a scam.
This week I received a discount card that had a black QR code printed on a very dark blue background. It took me 5 minutes to get the iPhone to scan it. I could have typed in a URL in seconds. On my iMac.
True, although most code-scanner apps will show you the URL or at least its domain, giving you a chance to accept or reject the link. Still, it would be nice to make this decision before pulling out a phone to scan it.
That’s just rude. But badly-printed codes are nothing new. Not too long ago, my grocery store had signage with a UPC bar-code (for use with store-provided code scanners) that was on a black background without the white quiet zone bars on the left/right sides. So their scanner couldn’t read the code.
I’ve also seen inverted-color UPC codes (white bars on a black background) on products, which is also un-scannable.
In all cases, I’m sure somebody in the marketing department made the decision because it “looks better”.
