QR Code Generator

What a QR code is

A QR code is a square barcode that stores text in a grid of black and white modules. Phone cameras read it in a fraction of a second, even at an angle. It was invented in 1994 by Denso Wave to track car parts, and today it is used for menus, tickets, payments, product labels and business cards.

A QR code is just text. What happens after scanning depends on how that text starts. A code that starts with https:// opens a web page. One that starts with WIFI: offers to join a network, and one that starts with mailto: opens a new email.

How to use the QR code generator

1. Pick what the code holds. Press one of the buttons at the top:

• Text or link for a web address or any plain text
• Wi-Fi for the network name, password and security type, with an option for a Hidden network
• Email for an address, subject and message
• Phone for a number to call
• SMS for a number and a ready-written text message

Write phone numbers with the country code, such as +44, so the code works abroad.

2. Adjust the look.

• Size sets the PNG width from 128 to 2048 pixels.
• Error correction sets how much damage the code can survive.
• Code colour and Background set the two colours. Transparent removes the background for use on coloured designs.
• Quiet zone (border) sets the blank margin around the code. Scanners need some margin, and 4 modules is the standard.

3. Download. Press PNG for an image or SVG for a vector file. Open Show the encoded text to check exactly what the code contains. Then scan it with your own phone before you print.

What each type stores

These are the exact strings this tool writes for some example details:

Special characters in Wi-Fi names and passwords are escaped with a backslash, so a network called Cafe;Guest is written as Cafe\;Guest. Spaces, brackets and dashes in phone numbers are removed.

Error correction levels

QR codes use Reed-Solomon error correction, so part of the code can be missing and it still scans.

These percentages come from the QR code standard. Higher levels add more modules, so the code gets denser for the same text.

Tips for codes that scan

• Keep the link short. Fewer characters means bigger modules and easier scanning. A tagged campaign link from the UTM generator works, but very long links make a crowded code.
• Contrast matters. Dark on light is safest. Many older scanners cannot read light codes on dark backgrounds.
• Size for distance. A rough rule is that the code should be at least one tenth of the scanning distance wide.
• Do not crop the border. The quiet zone is part of the code.
• Test it. Scan the printed proof with more than one phone.

Privacy and limits

The code is made in your browser. The text you type is never sent anywhere. Keep in mind:

• A Wi-Fi QR code contains the password in plain text. Anyone who scans it, or photographs it, can read the password. Only display it where you would be happy to show the password itself. A separate guest network is a good idea.
• Codes cannot be edited later. Changing the destination means making a new code. That is the trade-off for having no tracking service in the middle.
• There is a size limit. A single QR code holds a few thousand characters at most, and less at higher error correction. The tool tells you when the text is too long.

Other ways to make QR codes

On the command line, the qrencode program writes PNG and SVG files, for example qrencode -o code.png "https://example.com". In code, libraries exist for every major language, such as qrcode for JavaScript and Python. Many phones can also share a Wi-Fi network as a QR code from the Wi-Fi settings screen.

Related tools

Making a strong Wi-Fi password first? Use the strong password generator. To check how a link with special characters is encoded, try the URL encoder.