How to Build a QR Code Scanner in WPF

Curtis Chau

Updated: March 4, 2026

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  # How to Build a QR Code Scanner in WPF [Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/desktop/wpf/) is a .NET framework for building Windows desktop applications with XAML-defined UIs. IronQR integrates directly into WPF, enabling QR code scanning from user-selected image files with just a few lines of C#. In this guide, we'll build a WPF application that opens a file dialog, loads a selected image, and decodes any embedded QR code using IronQR. The approach supports PNG, JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, and other common image formats. <div class="hsg-featured-snippet"> <h2>How to Scan a QR Code in WPF</h2> <ol> <li>Install the IronQR C# library via NuGet</li> <li>Add a <code>Button</code> and <code>TextBlock</code> to the WPF window in XAML</li> <li>Open a file dialog with <code>OpenFileDialog</code> to select an image from disk</li> <li>Load the image with <code>AnyBitmap.FromFile</code> and wrap it in a <code>QrImageInput</code></li> <li>Call <code>Read</code> and display the decoded value in the <code>TextBlock</code></li> </ol> </div> ## Prerequisites 1. Visual Studio 2022 with the **.NET desktop development** workload installed 2. A WPF project targeting .NET 8 or later ## Install IronQR Install the IronQR library using the NuGet Package Manager Console in Visual Studio. Navigate to **Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console** and run: ```shell :ProductInstall ``` Alternatively, search for `IronQR` on [NuGet](https://nuget.org/packages/IronQR/) and install the latest version. ## WPF Window Layout The scanner UI uses a `Button` to trigger the file dialog and a `TextBlock` to display the decoded result. Add the following markup to `MainWindow.xaml`: ```xml <StackPanel Margin="28" VerticalAlignment="Center"> <TextBlock Text="WPF QR Code Scanner" FontSize="20" FontWeight="Bold" Margin="0,0,0,16"/> <Button x:Name="ScanButton" Content="Select Image and Scan QR Code" Click="OnScanButtonClicked" Padding="12,8" Margin="0,0,0,16" HorizontalAlignment="Left"/> <TextBlock x:Name="ResultLabel" Text="Select an image to scan." TextWrapping="Wrap" FontSize="14"/> </StackPanel> ``` ## Sample Input Use the QR code below as a test image. Save it to your device, select it through the file dialog, and click **Select Image and Scan QR Code**. The decoded value should display as **https://ironsoftware.com**.** <div class="content-img-align-center"> <div class="center-image-wrapper"> <img src="/static-assets/qr/get-started/wpf-qr-code-scanner/test-qr-code.png" alt="Sample QR code encoding https://ironsoftware.com for testing the WPF QR scanner" class="img-responsive add-shadow" style="max-width:200px;" /> <p class="content__image-caption content-align">Sample QR code - encodes <code>https://ironsoftware.com</code></p> </div> </div> ## QR Code Scanning with IronQR When the button is clicked, `OnScanButtonClicked` opens a file dialog to select an image. The selected file is loaded into an `AnyBitmap`, passed to `QrReader.Read`, and the first decoded value is written to `ResultLabel`. Add the following `OnScanButtonClicked` method to `MainWindow.xaml.cs`: ```csharp :path=/static-assets/qr/content-code-examples/get-started/wpf-qr-code-scanner.cs ``` `OpenFileDialog` provides native Windows file selection filtered to common image formats. `AnyBitmap.FromFile` handles format decoding for PNG, JPEG, BMP, GIF, and TIFF inputs, while `QrReader.Read` returns an `IEnumerable<QrResult>` containing one entry per detected QR code. `FirstOrDefault` safely returns `null` when no QR code is found, avoiding exceptions on images without a valid code. ## Output After selecting a QR code image and clicking the scan button, the decoded value appears in the `TextBlock` below the button. <div class="content-img-align-center"> <div class="center-image-wrapper"> <img src="/static-assets/qr/get-started/wpf-qr-code-scanner/output.gif" alt="WPF QR Code Scanner using IronQR — decoded result displayed in the window" class="img-responsive add-shadow" /> <p class="content__image-caption content-align">Decoded QR code value rendered in the WPF window</p> </div> </div> ## Download the Project [Click here to download the complete WpfQrScanner project.](/static-assets/qr/get-started/wpf-qr-code-scanner/WpfQrScanner.zip) ## Conclusion IronQR integrates into a WPF application with minimal setup - a single `QrReader.Read` call handles the entire decoding pipeline on the desktop. To scan multiple QR codes from a single image, iterate over the full results collection instead of calling `FirstOrDefault`. This same pattern extends to batch processing by looping through a directory of image files, or to real-time scanning by capturing frames from a webcam feed with a WPF media element. For more on reading QR codes and the available scan modes, see the [Read QR Codes from Image](/csharp/qr/how-to/read-qr-codes-from-image/) and [Read QR Codes with Scan Modes](/csharp/qr/how-to/read-qr-codes-with-scan-modes/) guides.

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Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a .NET framework for building Windows desktop applications with XAML-defined UIs. IronQR integrates directly into WPF, enabling QR code scanning from user-selected image files with just a few lines of C#.

In this guide, we'll build a WPF application that opens a file dialog, loads a selected image, and decodes any embedded QR code using IronQR. The approach supports PNG, JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, and other common image formats.

Prerequisites

1. Visual Studio 2022 with the .NET desktop development workload installed
2. A WPF project targeting .NET 8 or later

Install IronQR

Install the IronQR library using the NuGet Package Manager Console in Visual Studio. Navigate to Tools > NuGet Package Manager > Package Manager Console and run:

Install-Package IronQR

Alternatively, search for IronQR on NuGet and install the latest version.

WPF Window Layout

The scanner UI uses a Button to trigger the file dialog and a TextBlock to display the decoded result. Add the following markup to MainWindow.xaml:

<StackPanel Margin="28" VerticalAlignment="Center">

    <TextBlock Text="WPF QR Code Scanner" FontSize="20" FontWeight="Bold" Margin="0,0,0,16"/>

    <Button x:Name="ScanButton"
            Content="Select Image and Scan QR Code"
            Click="OnScanButtonClicked"
            Padding="12,8"
            Margin="0,0,0,16"
            HorizontalAlignment="Left"/>

    <TextBlock x:Name="ResultLabel"
               Text="Select an image to scan."
               TextWrapping="Wrap"
               FontSize="14"/>

</StackPanel>

<StackPanel Margin="28" VerticalAlignment="Center">

    <TextBlock Text="WPF QR Code Scanner" FontSize="20" FontWeight="Bold" Margin="0,0,0,16"/>

    <Button x:Name="ScanButton"
            Content="Select Image and Scan QR Code"
            Click="OnScanButtonClicked"
            Padding="12,8"
            Margin="0,0,0,16"
            HorizontalAlignment="Left"/>

    <TextBlock x:Name="ResultLabel"
               Text="Select an image to scan."
               TextWrapping="Wrap"
               FontSize="14"/>

</StackPanel>

Sample Input

Use the QR code below as a test image. Save it to your device, select it through the file dialog, and click Select Image and Scan QR Code. The decoded value should display as https://ironsoftware.com.**

Sample QR code - encodes https://ironsoftware.com

QR Code Scanning with IronQR

When the button is clicked, OnScanButtonClicked opens a file dialog to select an image. The selected file is loaded into an AnyBitmap, passed to QrReader.Read, and the first decoded value is written to ResultLabel.

Add the following OnScanButtonClicked method to MainWindow.xaml.cs:

using IronQr;
using IronSoftware.Drawing;
using Microsoft.Win32;
using System.Windows;

private void OnScanButtonClicked(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    // Open a file dialog to select a QR code image
    var dialog = new OpenFileDialog
    {
        Title = "Select a QR code image",
        Filter = "Image Files|*.png;*.jpg;*.jpeg;*.bmp;*.gif;*.tiff"
    };

    if (dialog.ShowDialog() != true) return;

    var imageSource = dialog.FileName;

    // Load the image into IronQR
    var inputBmp = AnyBitmap.FromFile(imageSource);

    // Load the asset into QrImageInput
    QrImageInput imageInput = new QrImageInput(inputBmp);

    // Create a QR Reader object
    QrReader reader = new QrReader();

    // Read the input and get all embedded QR Codes
    IEnumerable<QrResult> results = reader.Read(imageInput);

    // Display the first result
    var firstResult = results.FirstOrDefault();
    ResultLabel.Text = firstResult != null
        ? "Scanned Text: " + firstResult.Value
        : "No QR code found in the selected image.";
}

using IronQr;
using IronSoftware.Drawing;
using Microsoft.Win32;
using System.Windows;

private void OnScanButtonClicked(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
    // Open a file dialog to select a QR code image
    var dialog = new OpenFileDialog
    {
        Title = "Select a QR code image",
        Filter = "Image Files|*.png;*.jpg;*.jpeg;*.bmp;*.gif;*.tiff"
    };

    if (dialog.ShowDialog() != true) return;

    var imageSource = dialog.FileName;

    // Load the image into IronQR
    var inputBmp = AnyBitmap.FromFile(imageSource);

    // Load the asset into QrImageInput
    QrImageInput imageInput = new QrImageInput(inputBmp);

    // Create a QR Reader object
    QrReader reader = new QrReader();

    // Read the input and get all embedded QR Codes
    IEnumerable<QrResult> results = reader.Read(imageInput);

    // Display the first result
    var firstResult = results.FirstOrDefault();
    ResultLabel.Text = firstResult != null
        ? "Scanned Text: " + firstResult.Value
        : "No QR code found in the selected image.";
}

Imports IronQr
Imports IronSoftware.Drawing
Imports Microsoft.Win32
Imports System.Windows

Private Sub OnScanButtonClicked(sender As Object, e As RoutedEventArgs)
    ' Open a file dialog to select a QR code image
    Dim dialog As New OpenFileDialog With {
        .Title = "Select a QR code image",
        .Filter = "Image Files|*.png;*.jpg;*.jpeg;*.bmp;*.gif;*.tiff"
    }

    If dialog.ShowDialog() <> True Then Return

    Dim imageSource As String = dialog.FileName

    ' Load the image into IronQR
    Dim inputBmp As AnyBitmap = AnyBitmap.FromFile(imageSource)

    ' Load the asset into QrImageInput
    Dim imageInput As New QrImageInput(inputBmp)

    ' Create a QR Reader object
    Dim reader As New QrReader()

    ' Read the input and get all embedded QR Codes
    Dim results As IEnumerable(Of QrResult) = reader.Read(imageInput)

    ' Display the first result
    Dim firstResult As QrResult = results.FirstOrDefault()
    ResultLabel.Text = If(firstResult IsNot Nothing, "Scanned Text: " & firstResult.Value, "No QR code found in the selected image.")
End Sub

Imports IronQr
Imports IronSoftware.Drawing
Imports Microsoft.Win32
Imports System.Windows

Private Sub OnScanButtonClicked(sender As Object, e As RoutedEventArgs)
    ' Open a file dialog to select a QR code image
    Dim dialog As New OpenFileDialog With {
        .Title = "Select a QR code image",
        .Filter = "Image Files|*.png;*.jpg;*.jpeg;*.bmp;*.gif;*.tiff"
    }

    If dialog.ShowDialog() <> True Then Return

    Dim imageSource As String = dialog.FileName

    ' Load the image into IronQR
    Dim inputBmp As AnyBitmap = AnyBitmap.FromFile(imageSource)

    ' Load the asset into QrImageInput
    Dim imageInput As New QrImageInput(inputBmp)

    ' Create a QR Reader object
    Dim reader As New QrReader()

    ' Read the input and get all embedded QR Codes
    Dim results As IEnumerable(Of QrResult) = reader.Read(imageInput)

    ' Display the first result
    Dim firstResult As QrResult = results.FirstOrDefault()
    ResultLabel.Text = If(firstResult IsNot Nothing, "Scanned Text: " & firstResult.Value, "No QR code found in the selected image.")
End Sub

OpenFileDialog provides native Windows file selection filtered to common image formats. AnyBitmap.FromFile handles format decoding for PNG, JPEG, BMP, GIF, and TIFF inputs, while QrReader.Read returns an IEnumerable<QrResult> containing one entry per detected QR code. FirstOrDefault safely returns null when no QR code is found, avoiding exceptions on images without a valid code.

Output

After selecting a QR code image and clicking the scan button, the decoded value appears in the TextBlock below the button.

Decoded QR code value rendered in the WPF window

Download the Project

Click here to download the complete WpfQrScanner project.

Conclusion

IronQR integrates into a WPF application with minimal setup - a single QrReader.Read call handles the entire decoding pipeline on the desktop. To scan multiple QR codes from a single image, iterate over the full results collection instead of calling FirstOrDefault.

This same pattern extends to batch processing by looping through a directory of image files, or to real-time scanning by capturing frames from a webcam feed with a WPF media element.

For more on reading QR codes and the available scan modes, see the Read QR Codes from Image and Read QR Codes with Scan Modes guides.

Curtis Chau

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Technical Writer

Curtis Chau holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Carleton University) and specializes in front-end development with expertise in Node.js, TypeScript, JavaScript, and React. Passionate about crafting intuitive and aesthetically pleasing user interfaces, Curtis enjoys working with modern frameworks and creating well-structured, visually appealing manuals.

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