A QR code takes somebody from a piece of paper to whatever you want them to see, with one scan and no typing. Making one takes about thirty seconds. This walks through it properly, including the parts people get wrong.
Step 1: decide what the code should do
Open the generator and pick a type. This is the only decision that really matters, because it determines what happens on the other phone.
| Type | What a scan does | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| Website | Opens a link | Menus, forms, landing pages, reviews |
| Wi-Fi | Joins the network | Cafes, guesthouses, offices, homes |
| Text | Shows plain text | Instructions, serial numbers, notes |
| Business card | Offers to save a contact | Name badges, business cards |
| Phone | Opens the dialler | Signage, taxis, service stickers |
| SMS | Opens a pre-written text | Confirmations, problem reports |
| Opens a pre-written email | Support, warranty, enquiries |
If you are not sure, Website is almost always the answer. Anything you can put on a web page — a PDF menu, a form, a photo gallery — is reachable through a Website code.
Step 2: fill in your details
Type or paste what the code should carry. For a link, https:// is added for you. The preview updates as you type, so you can watch the pattern get denser as the content gets longer.
Everything happens inside your browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, and no account is needed — which is why it is safe to put a real Wi-Fi password in here.
Step 3: customise it, if you want to
Under More options you can change the colours, add a logo, set a frame with a short caption, and pick the download size and error correction level.
Three things worth knowing before you touch any of it:
- The defaults are chosen to scan well. Changing them can only make scanning worse, never better.
- If you add a logo, leave error correction on Automatic. It switches to level H by itself, which is what makes a logo safe. See the logo guide.
- Keep the code dark on light. Inverted codes fail on a lot of scanners. The colour guide has the details.
Step 4: download
PNG for screens, documents and everyday printing. SVG for print shops and anything large. Both encode identical data — the choice is about the file, not the code. Our PNG vs SVG guide covers when each wins.
The default 1024 × 1024 px PNG prints sharply up to about 8.5 cm. Above that, use 2048 or switch to SVG.
Before you use it anywhere
- Scan it with your own phone, from the actual file you downloaded
- If it is going to print, print one and scan the paper, not the screen
- Test on an iPhone and an Android if you can
- Do not print it smaller than 2 × 2 cm
- Do not crop the white border — that margin is what makes it findable
The full routine is in our pre-print checklist.
What "free" means here
No account, no watermark, no scan limit, no trial period, and no expiry. The codes are yours.
That is possible because these are static codes: the data lives inside the pattern, so there is no server of ours involved after you download the file. Nothing to bill you for, and nothing that stops working if we do.
The catch worth knowing about
Static codes cannot be edited. Change your menu link and every printed code pointing at the old one is now wrong — the pattern would have to change, and paper does not update.
The standard way around this is to point the code at a page you control, and change the page instead of the code. We explain the trade-off in can you edit a QR code after printing.
Mistakes people make the first time
- Printing it too small, then blaming the scanner
- Cropping the white margin to fit a layout
- Testing only on the screen, never on the printed result
- Encoding a link that needs a login, so the scan lands on a sign-in wall
- Putting a code somewhere nobody has a reason to scan it
Make one now — it takes less time than reading this did.