How to make a QR code for a link, text, WiFi or contact, free

Open the QR code generator, choose what the code should hold (Link, Text, WiFi or Contact), type the details, and download the PNG or SVG. The code is drawn in your browser as you type, and every version is read back on your device to check that it scans before you save it.

Steps

1. Under What the code holds, pick one of the four types. The fields below change to match:
   • Link: one field, Link (URL). Paste the full address, including https://.
   • Text: any text, shown as-is when scanned. No internet is needed to read it.
   • WiFi: network name, security (WPA, WEP or None), password and a Hidden network box.
   • Contact: full name, organisation, phone, email and website, saved as a vCard 3.0 card.
2. Type the details. The preview updates after each change, and the line under the size reads Checking it scans… and then one of three results: Scans reliably, Scans, but may struggle when printed small, or Won't scan.
3. Style it if you want to. Choose Module shape (Square, Dots, Rounded, Diamond) and Module size, the Corner squares style and colour, a solid or gradient Code colour, and a Background. A Photo blend or Centre logo is optional.
4. Under Size, pick 256, 512, 1024 or 2048. That is the PNG's width and height in pixels. The SVG has no fixed size.
5. Press PNG or SVG to download. Where the browser can share files, a Share button sends the PNG to another app on the same device.

Which type to choose

If what you need is an email address or a phone number on its own, a Contact code with just that one field filled is the closest option on this page.

Reading the scan check

The check is measured, not guessed. After each change the finished image is decoded at the size you chose, at 512, 256 and 160 pixels, and again at 512 and 256 pixels with blur and noise that roughly copy a phone camera. Open What was checked under the result to see each pass and the measured contrast.

When a pass fails, the tool names the cause and the fix:

• Contrast: the code and background are too close in brightness. Aim for at least 4:1. A light code on a dark background is flagged too, because many cameras expect dark modules on a light background.
• Logo coverage: the logo hides more of the code than the error correction can repair.
• Density: a long link or text makes a code of 57 modules a side or more. Shorten the content or print it larger.

The page says it plainly: these checks are a good guide, not a guarantee. Print one copy and scan it with your own phone before you print a batch.

PNG or SVG

Choose SVG for anything printed or resized, such as a poster, a flyer or a sticker sheet, because it stays sharp at any size. Choose PNG for a web page, a slide or a document that expects an image file. If a PNG is too heavy for a page, run it through image compression.

Error correction

Error correction decides how much of the code can be covered or damaged while it still reads. The four levels are shown as percentages: 7%, 15% (the default), 25% and 30%. Higher levels make a denser pattern. When you add a logo or a photo blend, the level is set to 30% for you and the panel says so.

Static codes: what that means

Every code made here is static. The link, text or WiFi details are stored inside the pattern itself. That has two consequences worth knowing before you print:

• The code cannot be edited later. To point it somewhere else, make and print a new one.
• There is no scan count. Nothing about a scan reaches this site.

A static code does not expire. A Link code keeps working as long as the page it points to exists.

Questions

Is it free, and is there a watermark?

It is free with no sign-up, and the downloaded code carries no watermark.

Is what I type uploaded?

No. The code is drawn in your browser, and the details you type stay on your device except inside the file you download. A WiFi password is not kept with your recent work either; it has to be typed again when you reopen a saved code.

How big should a printed QR code be?

A rough rule: divide the scanning distance by ten. A code scanned from 100 cm away wants to be about 10 cm wide, with a plain margin around it.

Can I make a code from a photo of an existing one?

Read it first with the QR code reader, copy the text it shows, then paste that into a new code here.