To scan a QR code with your laptop camera, you can use the camera barcode scanner functionality available in Windows. Here are the steps you need to follow:

1. Add Capability Declarations: Ensure that your application has the necessary capabilities declared in the app manifest. You need to enable the Webcam capability to allow the application to access the camera.
   • Open your package.appxmanifest file in Visual Studio and check the Webcam capability.
2. Use the Barcode Scanner API: You can utilize the BarcodeScanner class in your application to access the camera and scan QR codes. Here’s a simple example of how to set it up:
   • Add the necessary using directives:

          using Windows.Devices.Enumeration;
          using Windows.Devices.PointOfService;
     

   • Get the device selector for the barcode scanner:

          string selector = BarcodeScanner.GetDeviceSelector();
          DeviceInformationCollection deviceCollection = await DeviceInformation.FindAllAsync(selector);
     

3. Initialize the Scanner: After obtaining the device information, you can initialize the BarcodeScanner object and start scanning.
4. Open the QR Code in DuckDuckGo: Once the QR code is scanned, you can extract the URL from the QR code data and open it in your preferred browser (like DuckDuckGo) using the appropriate method in your application.

Make sure your laptop camera is functioning properly and that you have the necessary permissions to access it.

References:

• Get started with a camera barcode scanner
• Camera barcode scanner