Generate QR codes for anything, instantly
QR codes are everywhere: on restaurant menus, product packaging, business cards, event tickets, posters, and storefronts. They bridge the physical and digital worlds, letting anyone with a smartphone scan a printed code and instantly open a website, save a contact, connect to WiFi, or access any other digital resource. This generator creates QR codes for any text or URL directly in your browser, with no signup and no watermark.
What QR codes can encode
A QR code (Quick Response code) is a two-dimensional barcode that can encode any string of text. Common uses include:
URLs: The most common use. Any web address can be encoded and scanned directly to open in the device's browser. Perfect for printed marketing materials, business cards, or posters where typing a URL would be tedious.
WiFi credentials: A specially formatted string can encode a WiFi network name (SSID) and password. Guests scan the code and their device connects automatically — no typing required. The format is: WIFI:S:NetworkName;T:WPA;P:password;;
Contact information (vCard): The vCard format encodes a complete contact entry including name, phone, email, and address. Scanning adds the contact directly to the phone's address book.
Email and SMS: You can encode a mailto: or sms: link that opens the relevant app with an address pre-filled.
Plain text: QR codes can contain any plain text message, displayed directly after scanning without opening any app.
App store links: Linking to an app on the Apple App Store or Google Play lets users scan to download your app without searching.
How QR codes work
A QR code stores data as a pattern of black and white squares arranged in a grid. The squares encode binary data using a specific encoding scheme. Error correction data is also included, which allows the code to be successfully scanned even if up to 30% of its surface is damaged or obscured. This is why you sometimes see QR codes with logos placed in the centre — the logo covers some of the data area, but the error correction data allows the rest to be reconstructed.
Smartphone cameras have built-in QR code reading capability in their default camera apps on both iOS and Android. Point the camera at the code and a notification or link appears without any separate app.
Where a QR code beats a plain link
A URL typed out on a poster or a printed page is slow and error-prone to enter by hand into a phone, especially a long one full of tracking parameters, so a QR code exists specifically to skip that step entirely — point a camera, and the destination opens without a single keystroke. This is exactly why QR codes cluster around physical, offline contexts: a restaurant table, a conference badge, a product label, a piece of signage — anywhere a person is standing in front of something physical and the fastest path to a digital resource is a two-second camera scan rather than carefully typing a web address they can see but cannot click.
Print resolution and size
For printed materials, a larger QR code is easier to scan reliably. As a rule of thumb, the minimum dimension should be about 1 cm (0.4 inches) for a QR code scanned from 10 cm (4 inches) away. For posters or signage scanned from a metre or more away, the code should be significantly larger — at least 5–10 cm. The 300px and 400px options in this generator are suitable for digital use and basic print use; for high-quality print at large sizes, vector-format QR codes are preferred.
How to use the generator
Type or paste the text, URL, WiFi details or contact information you want to encode, and the QR code appears immediately in the preview, updating live as you edit. Choose a size suited to how the code will be used — smaller for a screen or a business card, larger for a poster or anything that will be scanned from further away — and download the finished image with one click.
Error correction and why some QR codes have logos
Every QR code includes error correction data alongside the actual content it encodes, following a scheme that allows the code to remain scannable even if a meaningful portion of it is damaged, dirty, or obscured. Depending on the error correction level chosen, a QR code can typically survive up to somewhere between 7% and 30% of its surface being unreadable and still scan correctly. This is exactly why you sometimes see QR codes with a logo placed in the middle: the logo covers part of the data area, but the built-in error correction reconstructs the missing information from what remains, so the code still works as long as the covered area stays within the tolerance the chosen error correction level allows.
Email, SMS and app store links
Beyond plain URLs and WiFi credentials, a QR code can encode a mailto: link that opens the user's email app with an address already filled in, or an sms: link that opens a text message pre-addressed to a specific number, both of which save a recipient from typing anything at all. Linking to an app's page on the Apple App Store or Google Play is another common use, letting someone scan a poster or a package insert to go straight to the download page without searching for the app by name.
Privacy
This generator creates QR codes entirely in your browser using a client-side JavaScript library, so the text you enter is never sent to any server, logged or shared, and you can use it offline once the page has loaded.
QR code FAQ
- What can a QR code contain?
- A QR code can encode any text: URLs, email addresses, phone numbers, WiFi credentials, vCard contacts, plain text, or any other string. Smartphones read all of these directly with their cameras.
- How do I download the QR code?
- Click or tap the generated QR code image to download it as a PNG file. You can then use it in print materials, presentations, or share it digitally.
- Is the QR code generated on my device?
- Yes. The QR code is generated entirely in your browser using a JavaScript QR code library. No text you enter is sent to any server.