How to use the qr code generator
- Choose what the code should do: open a link, join Wi-Fi, save a contact, send an email or text, call a number, or show text.
- Fill in the fields. The code updates as you type; set the colours, size and error correction if you need to.
- Scan it with your phone camera to test, then download it as PNG (for screens and documents) or SVG (for print, any size).
Static codes, made on your device
A QR code is a grid of black and white squares that encodes up to about 2,900 bytes of data, with built-in error correction. This generator builds that grid in your browser using Kazuhiko Arase's open-source QR library (MIT licence), so nothing you type, including Wi-Fi passwords, is uploaded anywhere. The result is a static code: whatever you encode is in the pattern itself, so it keeps working as long as the link it points to does.
The alternative, a dynamic code, encodes a short link to a service that then redirects to your real address. That lets you change the destination later and count scans, but the code dies if the service closes or you stop paying. For menus, packaging, business cards and anything printed in quantity, static is the safer choice; if you need tracking, encode a link with UTM parameters and read the visits in your own analytics.
The formats phones understand
Each type writes a standard text format that phone cameras recognise. Wi-Fi uses WIFI:T:WPA;S:name;P:password;;, with special characters in the name or password escaped. Contacts use vCard 3.0, which iOS and Android both import. Email uses a mailto: link with an optional subject and body, phone uses tel:, and text messages use SMSTO:. Links without https:// have it added, because a bare example.com is treated as plain text by some scanners.
Making codes that scan first time
Keep strong contrast with a dark code on a light background. Keep the quiet zone, the empty border four modules wide, because scanners use it to find the code. Shorter data means larger modules at the same printed size, so a short link scans better than a long one full of tracking parameters. Test on two different phones before printing a run. For anything outdoors, laminated or on a curved bottle, choose error correction Q or H.
PNG or SVG?
PNG is a pixel image: right for websites, slides, emails and documents. Choose 1024 or 2048 px if it will be shown large. SVG is a vector file that stays perfectly sharp at any size: right for print, signage, laser engraving and anything going to a designer. Both are drawn with crisp square edges, which is what scanners want.
QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.
Questions and answers
Do these QR codes expire?
No. This is a static QR code: the link or data is stored in the pattern itself, so it works forever and does not depend on this website. Many 'free' QR generators make dynamic codes that redirect through their server and stop working when a trial ends; these do not.
Is it really free, with no sign-up or watermark?
Yes. The code is generated in your browser with an open-source library, nothing is sent to a server, and there is no limit, watermark or account. You can use the codes commercially, on packaging, menus, posters and business cards.
How do I make a QR code for Wi-Fi?
Choose Wi-Fi, enter the network name (SSID) exactly as it appears, pick the security type (WPA/WPA2/WPA3 for almost every home and office router) and type the password. iPhones (iOS 11+) and Android phones (10+) join the network when the code is scanned with the camera. The password is encoded in the image, so only display it where you would share the password.
What size should a printed QR code be?
At least 2 × 2 cm (0.8 in) for something held in the hand, like a business card. A practical rule is scanning distance ÷ 10: a poster read from 2 m needs a code about 20 cm across. Download the SVG for print so it stays sharp at any size, and keep the quiet zone (white border) around it.
What does error correction do?
It adds redundant data so the code still scans when part of it is dirty, damaged or covered. L recovers about 7%, M 15%, Q 25% and H 30%. Higher levels make the pattern denser. Use M for most things, H if the code will be outdoors, on a curved surface, or if you plan to put a small logo over the middle.
Can I change the colours?
Yes, but keep a dark code on a light background with strong contrast. The calculator warns you when the contrast is too low or the colours are inverted, since many scanners, especially older Android phones and payment terminals, fail on light-on-dark codes.
Free to use, runs in your browser, nothing uploaded. Last updated 2026-10-07. Made by HandyToolkits; questions to [email protected].