What a QR code is
A QR code is a square pattern of black and white modules that stores a short piece of text. A camera app on a phone finds the pattern, reads the text and decides what to do with it: a web address opens in the browser, a phone number offers to call, an email address offers to write a message, a Wi-Fi description offers to join the network, and anything else is shown as text. The code does not “do” anything by itself. It is only a very quick way to move text from a screen or a page to a phone without typing.
Make one in a minute
With the QR code generator:
- Type or paste your text. The code appears as you type.
- Scan the preview with your phone camera to make sure it shows what you expect.
- Open Appearance and size if you want to change the size, colours or error correction.
- Download a PNG for screens and documents, or an SVG for print.
The code is built in your browser, so the text is not uploaded, and nothing is stored. For a link, use URL to QR code, which tidies the address for you, and for a Wi-Fi network use the Wi-Fi QR code generator. The guide to making a QR code for a link and the guide to making a Wi-Fi QR code cover those in detail.
Static or dynamic?
This is the most important choice, and many sites do not explain it. A static code contains your text itself. It never expires, works without any service, and cannot be switched off. It also cannot count scans. A dynamic code contains a short address owned by the service, which redirects to your real destination. That lets the service count scans and lets you change where the code points, but the code stops working if the service closes or you stop paying. For anything printed on packaging, a sign or a menu, a static code is usually the safer choice, and you can measure visits by adding tracking parameters to the link inside it.
Keep it scannable
- Short text beats long text. More characters mean more, smaller squares. If you are encoding a long link, shorten it first.
- Dark on light. Use a dark code on a light background. Light codes on dark backgrounds are not read by many scanners.
- Keep the quiet zone. The empty margin around a code is part of it. The standard is four modules wide; do not print text or patterns inside it.
- Choose error correction wisely. Higher levels (Q or H) let the code survive scuffs or a logo on top, but make it denser. Medium suits most uses.
- Do not stretch it. Keep the code square, and do not distort or skew it.
Size and print
For print, make the code at least about 2 cm (0.8 inch) wide, and larger for a poster or a window, because people scan from a distance. As a rough rule, allow ten times the code’s width as the scanning distance. Print on a matte surface where possible, since glare from glossy paper or a shop window can block a scan. A vector file (SVG) lets your printer enlarge it with no blurring. Always scan a printed proof with more than one phone before you order a large run.
Where QR codes are useful
Menus, posters, business cards, packaging, tickets, name badges, lecture handouts, shop windows, receipts, and anywhere you want someone to move from paper to a phone. Add a short call to action next to the code (“Scan for the menu”) so people know why to scan.
Staying safe
A QR code can point anywhere, and the person scanning cannot see the address until the phone shows it. Before opening a code from an unfamiliar place, such as a sticker on a parking meter, read the address your phone displays. When you make codes for others, use your own domain or clearly branded address, so people trust it.
Privacy
A browser-based generator never sends your text anywhere. If the text is private, such as a password, remember that anyone who scans the code can read it. For moving private text between your own devices, an expiring, encrypted clip is a better tool, and the guide to sending text from a phone to a PC explains how.