How to use the QR code generator
- 1Choose the QR code type: URL, Text, Wi-Fi, Email, Phone or Contact (vCard).
- 2Fill in the fields. The code updates as you type.
- 3Open Size, colors and error correction to set the Error correction level, Image size, Quiet zone and colors.
- 4Scan the preview with your phone, then press PNG or SVG to download it.
A link at error correction M
URL: https://www.example.com/menu · Error correction M · Image size 512
Version 3 · 29 × 29 modules · 28 bytes PNG: 518 × 518 px (14 px per module, including a 4-module quiet zone)
The PNG is rounded to a whole number of pixels per module so the edges stay sharp; the SVG scales to any size.
Static vs dynamic QR codes
A static QR code stores the content itself (the URL, the Wi-Fi details) in the pattern. Every code made here is static: nothing is hosted, so it can't expire, be switched off or start showing ads, and it keeps working as long as the link it points to does.
A dynamic code stores a short redirect address on a provider's server. That lets you change the destination and count scans, but the code stops working if the subscription or the provider ends. For a code you can update without that dependency, point a static code at a page on your own website and change the page.
Wi-Fi, email and contact codes
- Wi-Fi uses the
WIFI:T:WPA;S:name;P:password;;format that iOS and Android cameras recognize; scanning offers to join the network. Special characters (; , : \ ") are escaped for you. - Email creates a
mailto:link with an optional subject and message. - Phone creates a
tel:link. Include the country code so it dials correctly abroad. - Contact (vCard) stores a vCard 3.0 card; phones offer to save it as a contact.
The Wi-Fi password sits in the code as plain text, so anyone who scans it can read it. Use a guest network for codes on public display.
Error correction and logos
QR codes include Reed–Solomon error correction, so part of a code can be dirty, scratched or covered and still scan. The QR standard (ISO/IEC 18004) defines four levels:
| Level | Recovers about |
|---|---|
| L | 7% |
| M | 15% |
| Q | 25% |
| H | 30% |
Higher levels make the pattern denser, so use M for screens and clean prints, and Q or H for outdoor signs or if you'll place a small logo over the center. The generator doesn't add logos; if you add one in a design tool, keep it well under the recovery limit and test the result.
Size and print guidelines
- Minimum size: about 2 × 2 cm (0.8 in) for a code scanned at arm's length, such as on a business card.
- Distance rule of thumb: make the code at least one-tenth of the scanning distance wide: 30 cm across for a poster read from 3 m.
- Quiet zone: keep a blank margin of 4 modules on every side. The default setting includes it.
- Contrast: dark modules on a light background. Many scanners can't read inverted (light-on-dark) codes, and the generator warns when contrast falls below 4.5:1.
For print, download the SVG: it stays sharp at any size. Short URLs make simpler codes that are easier to scan small.
Testing before you print
Scan the preview with at least two phones (one iPhone, one Android) and from the distance people will use. Check that the link opens the right page over mobile data, not just on office Wi-Fi.
Print a single test copy at the final size and on the final material: glossy or curved surfaces cause glare and distortion. Codes that link to an address you control can be fixed later; codes with typos in the content can't.
Is anything I enter stored?
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your text is not uploaded to our servers.