You don't need your phone to open a QR code. You probably already know how to scan a QR code with your phone. It's simple enough: just open the camera app, point your phone at the code, and tap ...

Do you want to quickly scan a QR code, but cannot find your phone? Then follow this easy guide to Scan QR Codes on Windows 11/10 PC.

QR codes are a close cousin of the bar codes on product packaging that cashiers scan with infrared scanners to let the checkout computer know what products are being purchased.

The technology itself only scans the codes -- you usually need a separate app to facilitate a data transfer from the scanner to your computer.

You could get a QR code scanner app. There are free and low-cost QR code scanners out there, where you open the app and then, with that, scan the QR code, and if it’s a fake, you’ll be alerted.

Malicious QR codes combined with a permissive reader can put a computer's contents and user's privacy at risk. They are easily created and may be affixed over legitimate QR codes.

QR codes are still a thing, apparently. Google has added a QR code scanner to the Chrome browser on iOS.

Here’s what happens when you scan one of those ubiquitous two-dimensional black-and-white patterns.

QR codes are a close cousin of the bar codes on product packaging that cashiers scan with infrared scanners to let the checkout computer know what products are being purchased.