You also get a quick safety check before you pay. It all runs on your device, so the image is never uploaded.
Four ways to get the UPI ID from a QR
1. Use the decoder above. Upload the image, paste a screenshot (Ctrl+V on a computer) or scan with your camera. The UPI ID appears with a copy button.
2. Scan it in your UPI app, but don't pay. The app shows who the code pays, with the bank-registered name. Back out without entering your PIN. Nothing moves until you authorise it.
3. Use your phone's camera or Google Lens. Most phone cameras recognise QR codes; Google Lens shows the text inside.
4. Look underneath. Most printed QRs show the UPI ID in small text below the code. If the printed ID and the scanned one differ, don't pay with that code.
The safety check
The decoder reads the code and flags anything unusual:
- Risky: the code isn't a normal payment (for example a mandate or collect request that could take money repeatedly), has no UPI ID in it, has a UPI ID in an odd format, or is a shortened web link that hides where it goes.
- Check: a fixed amount is filled in, the code carries a name of its own, or it's a website link rather than a UPI payment.
- Looks normal: an ordinary payment QR with no amount filled in.
A "Looks normal" result tells you the code is well formed, not who is behind it. The last check is always the name your UPI app shows before you enter your PIN.
What you'll see
A UPI QR is one line of text with labelled parts, in a format published by NPCI:
upi://pay?pa=rakesh@okhdfcbank&pn=Rakesh%20Sharma&am=250.00&cu=INR&tn=Order%2042
Every UPI payment code starts with upi://pay?. After that come the fields:
| Field | What it is | Usually present? |
|---|---|---|
pa | Payee address: the UPI ID that gets paid. The important one. | Always |
pn | Payee name, as typed by whoever made the code | Often |
am | Amount, if the code fixes one | Only on fixed-amount codes |
tn | Transaction note | Often |
cu | Currency, always INR | Often |
mc | Merchant category code | Merchant codes |
tr | Transaction reference, such as an order or bill number | Merchant systems |
tid | Transaction ID from a payment provider | Merchant systems |
mam | Minimum amount, if the payer may pay more | Rare |
url | A link to more details about the payment | Rare |
Spaces appear as %20 and an @ sometimes as %40; the decoder shows the readable version.
The name in pn is only a label. Since 30 June 2025, UPI apps don't show it to the payer at all: they show the name your bank returns for that UPI ID, which is the one worth reading.
Personal QR or merchant QR?
Personal or small-shop QR: a UPI ID, maybe a name, an amount and a note. That's what ezyupi makes.
Merchant QR from a bank or payment company: often carries mc, the merchant category code, and sometimes tr or tid references their system uses to track each payment.
Some bank-issued merchant codes use a different format, BharatQR, instead of a upi:// link. The decoder will say it found no UPI payment link in those; scan them in your UPI app instead.
Neither type is more "real" than the other. Both pay the UPI ID in pa.
Spotting a QR that's been tampered with
The UPI ID doesn't fit the business. A chemist's code that pays quickloans247@ybl deserves a question.
The UPI ID doesn't match the one printed under the code. Someone may have pasted a sticker over it.
An amount you didn't expect. A shop counter code usually has no fixed amount. If one appears, check it matches what you owe.
It isn't a UPI code at all. If the text starts with https://, it opens a website. A site asking for your UPI PIN or bank details is a phishing page. Close it.
The name on your payment screen doesn't match. The final check. In January 2025, a medical-store owner in Khajuraho discovered her QR had been covered when a customer said the name on screen had changed.
A QR that promises money. "Scan to receive your refund" or "scan to claim your prize" is always a lie. A UPI QR sets up a payment from the person scanning it.
Before you print your own
Decode your finished QR and check four things:
pais your UPI ID, spelled exactly right.pnis your bank-registered name, or absent.amis the amount you meant, or absent for an open code.tnis the note you meant.
Then scan it with your own UPI app and read the name before you print.
Questions
Can I get a UPI ID from a QR code?
Yes. The UPI ID is stored in the code as plain text. Upload, paste or scan the code and you'll see it.
QR code se UPI ID kaise nikale?
QR ki photo ya screenshot is page par upload kijiye, ya camera se scan kijiye. Andar likhi UPI ID, naam aur amount turant dikh jaate hain, copy button ke saath. Image aapke phone se bahar nahi jaati.
Can I find someone's phone number from a UPI QR?
Only if their UPI ID is their phone number, like 9876543210@ybl; then it's written inside the code. Otherwise a QR doesn't contain a phone number.
Does decoding a QR send money?
No. This only reads the code. Money moves only when you approve a payment in your own UPI app.
Is my image uploaded anywhere?
No. Decoding happens on your device; the image never leaves it.
How can I tell a merchant QR from a personal one?
Merchant codes usually carry a merchant category code (mc) and sometimes a transaction reference. Personal codes typically have just the UPI ID, perhaps a name, an amount and a note.
The QR won't decode. Why?
Usually a blurry or cropped photo, or it isn't a UPI QR at all: plenty of QR codes hold web links, and some bank merchant codes use the BharatQR format.
What if the printed UPI ID and the scanned one differ?
Don't pay with that code. Tell the shop: their QR may have been covered.
Sources
- NPCI UPI linking specification (field list)
- Bank-registered name shown instead of QR names from 30 June 2025 (NPCI circular OC 101-A): MediaNama
- QR swap case, Khajuraho: Deccan Herald, 13 January 2025
Last reviewed 29 October 2026