QR Code
How to check a QR without opening it
- Drop a photo of the square, paste one, or tap Use camera.
- We print the payload as text and label the type — link, email, Wi-Fi, phone, SMS, contact, or junk.
- If it is a link, the host is the headline. Shorteners, raw IPs, http, and punycode get a warning.
- Copy the exact string. Open it only if you still want to.
The camera is the same getUserMedia path as the
webcam test. We never navigate to the
decoded URL for you. Following a shortener would leave this tab and
tell that host you checked the code. We do not do that.
How to make a QR that does not phone home
Switch to Make a QR. Type a link, Wi-Fi, email, phone, SMS, or plain text. Download a PNG or SVG. The destination lives in the pixels. There is no TrashPandaKit redirect, no account, and no scan count — because there is nothing to count.
That is a static QR. Most “free generator” sites make a dynamic one: the square points at their domain, they log the scan, and they can change the landing page later. Useful for ads. It is also a tracker. Details: static vs dynamic QR.
Longer version of the inspect path: what’s actually in a QR code. The same “show it, don’t send it” idea as what websites know.
QR code FAQ
Do you upload the QR or the picture?
No. Decode and encode run in this tab. TrashPandaKit never receives the image or the payload.
Do you open the link inside the QR?
No. We show the exact string. If it is a normal http or https link, an “Open after you read it” button is optional and obvious. We do not follow short links to see the final page — that would leave this tab.
What types of QR can you read?
Whatever is in the square: websites, mailto, phone, SMS, Wi-Fi (including the password), geo, vCard, calendar events, and plain text. Unknown payloads show as text.
Is this a phishing / VirusTotal scanner?
No. Those services send the URL to someone else. We parse what is written in the pixels and flag obvious local tells — shortener, raw IP, http, punycode, credentials in the URL. We do not claim a malware score.
Does the QR you generate track scans?
No. It is a static QR. The destination is baked into the image. There is no TrashPandaKit short link and no scan log, because there is no server in the middle.
Why do other “free QR” sites want an account?
Most of them make a dynamic code that points at their domain so they can count scans and change the destination later. Handy for marketing. It is also a tracker. This page does not do that.
Does this work offline?
Yes, after you have opened this tool once. That tool stays cached on this device. Other tools download when you open them.