Marketing · Free tool
QR Code Generator
The QR code generator turns a web address, a short text, an e-mail, a phone number, an SMS, your Wi-Fi details or a contact card into a QR code that phones can scan. Choose what the code should do, fill in the details, check the live preview and download it as a PNG for screens or an SVG for print. It is free, needs no account and runs entirely in your browser.
Free, no sign-up Runs in your browser
QR Code Generator
Your QR code appears here as you type.
Scan the preview with your phone to check it before you print.
This is a static code: the content is written into the pattern itself, so it works without our website and does not expire. To change the content, make and print a new code.
The code is made in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to our server or stored.
How to use the QR Code Generator
- 1 Choose what the code should do: open a web page, show text, start an e-mail, call, send an SMS, join Wi-Fi or save a contact.
- 2 Fill in the details. The preview and the content stored in the code update as you type.
- 3 Pick the colours, the PNG size and the error correction level. Dark on a light background scans best.
- 4 Scan the preview with your own phone to check it.
- 5 Download a PNG for screens and documents, or an SVG for print and signage.
What it does
- Seven content types: web address, text, e-mail, phone, SMS, Wi-Fi and contact card (vCard 3.0)
- Correct formats and escaping for each type, shown so you can check exactly what the code contains
- Input checks for addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and Wi-Fi passwords
- Custom colours with a contrast warning for codes that may not scan
- PNG from 256 to 2048 pixels, or SVG that scales to any size
- Error correction levels L, M, Q and H
Useful for shops and restaurants printing menus, flyers and posters, businesses sharing guest Wi-Fi, people putting contact details on business cards and marketers linking print to a web page.
Limitations
- These are static codes: the content is part of the pattern. To change it, you make and print a new code.
- How a phone handles a code depends on its camera app or scanner. Some leave out a pre-filled SMS message, and support for Wi-Fi and contact codes varies, so test with a few phones before you print.
- A Wi-Fi code contains the password in readable form. Anyone who scans it, or photographs it, can read it.
- The more content you add, the denser the code and the harder it is to scan from a distance or when printed small.
What each type of code does
| Type | What is stored | What the phone does |
|---|---|---|
| Web address | The address, for example https://www.example.com/menu |
Shows the address and offers to open it |
| Text | Your text, exactly as typed | Shows the text; nothing is opened |
A mailto: link with the address, subject and message |
Opens a new e-mail ready to send | |
| Phone call | A tel: link, for example tel:+233241234567 |
Opens the dialler with the number filled in |
| SMS | An sms: link with an optional message |
Opens a new text message |
| Wi-Fi | WIFI:T:WPA;S:network;P:password;; |
Offers to join the network, where supported |
| Contact card | A vCard 3.0 contact | Offers to save the contact |
The box under the preview shows exactly what is stored, so you can check it before you print. For contact cards and Wi-Fi details, characters with a special meaning in the format (such as ;, , and :) are escaped with a backslash, as the formats require; without that, a password like cafe;2026 would be read as cafe.
Getting a code that scans
- Contrast: use a dark colour for the code on a white or light background. Light-on-dark (inverted) codes and pale colours may not scan on every phone.
- Quiet zone: QR codes need a clear border four squares wide on every side. The downloads include it; do not crop it off or place the code on a busy photo.
- Less is more: every extra character adds squares. Use a short web address, and on a contact card include only the details people need.
- Error correction: level M suits most uses. Choose Q or H for codes that may get dirty, wet or scratched.
- Test before printing: scan a printed proof with an iPhone and an Android phone, at the distance and in the light where people will use it.
PNG or SVG?
Download a PNG for websites, social media, documents and presentations; 1024 pixels suits most screen uses. Download an SVG for print, signage and anything that may be enlarged: it is vector artwork, so it stays sharp at any size. Designers can place either file in a layout; keep the colours and the quiet zone as they are.
Measuring a printed campaign
A static code does not count scans. To see how many people visit from a flyer or poster, build the link with our UTM Link Builder first (for example source flyer, medium print), then make the code from that tagged link. Visits then appear under your campaign in Google Analytics.
If you would like help designing print that works with your website, or a campaign that is measured from the start, see our digital marketing and branding and design services.
Frequently asked questions
Do these QR codes expire?
No. The content is stored in the code itself, so it keeps working as long as what it points to exists. A code that opens a web page stops being useful if that page is removed or its address changes.
Which error correction level should I choose?
Medium (M) is the usual choice: about 15% of the code can be restored if it gets damaged. Choose Q (about 25%) or H (about 30%) for codes that may get dirty or scratched, such as stickers outdoors. Higher levels make the pattern denser.
Can I make a coloured QR code?
Yes, as long as the code stays clearly darker than its background. Dark colours on white or a light background scan best. The tool warns you when the contrast is low or when the code is lighter than its background, which not every scanner app can read.
How does a Wi-Fi QR code work?
It stores your network name, security type and password in a standard text format (WIFI:T:WPA;S:name;P:password;;). Many phone cameras offer to join the network when they read it; otherwise a scanner app shows the details. Special characters such as ; and : are escaped so the password is read correctly.
How big should I print a QR code?
It depends on how far away people will scan it and how much content it holds: more content means smaller squares. Keep the white border around the code (the tool includes it), use the SVG for large prints, and test a printed proof at the distance people will stand.
Can I see how many people scan my code?
The code itself does not record anything. For a web address, add campaign tags to the link with our UTM Link Builder before you make the code; visits then appear under that campaign in Google Analytics.
Sources
- ZXing project wiki: Barcode Contents (formats for URLs, e-mail, phone, SMS, contacts and Wi-Fi)
- RFC 2426: vCard MIME Directory Profile (vCard 3.0)
- RFC 6068: The 'mailto' URI Scheme
- RFC 3966: The tel URI for Telephone Numbers
- RFC 5724: URI Scheme for Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) Short Message Service (SMS)
- DENSO WAVE: QR Code error correction feature
- DENSO WAVE: Making a QR Code (quiet zone and module size)
Phoot Technologies
Planning print or a campaign?
We design flyers, menus and signage and run digital marketing campaigns that connect print to your website, so you can see what works.
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