# Manual QR code decoding guide works through versions 1-5 without a phone

> **Key takeaway:** Noel Friedrich published a method to decode QR codes by hand for versions 1-5, including error correction handling and artistic code techniques.

**Published:** 2026-10-22T05:00:35+00:00 
**Source:** Hackaday Hardware 
**Category:** open-hardware 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/manual-qr-code-decoding-guide-works-through-versions-1-5-wit.html 

## Summary
A new guide by Noel Friedrich explains how to read QR codes without any electronic device, working through versions 1-5 on paper. The method includes identifying error correction patterns marked by slashes in a template and flipping bits back to their original values. Friedrich also demonstrates how understanding QR code generation enables creating artistic and even human-readable codes.

## How manual decoding works
- Covers QR code versions 1 through 5, which range from 21x21 to 37x37 modules
- Uses a paper template with slash marks to indicate where error correction has modified bits
- Requires flipping corrected bits back to their pre-error-correction state
- Exploits knowledge of QR generation algorithms to create artistic and human-readable variants
- Human-readable codes remain challenging due to text quality limitations