Generate a QR code
Type a link or some text, see the code appear and download the PNG. The preview is the picture you get.
Preview
Transparent PNG, 512 × 512 px, drawn on your device.
Your files stay on your device
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, and you can even turn off your internet connection before you start.
Example
Example: a guest Wi-Fi code for the welcome card of a rental cabin
The owners of a rental cabin want guests to get online without typing a password off a card. The network is Maple House Guest and the password BlueHeron-2026, on WPA2. Under “What the code carries” they choose “A Wi-Fi network”, type the name and the password, and keep WPA / WPA2 / WPA3.
- The code carries one line, WIFI:T:WPA;S:Maple House Guest;P:BlueHeron-2026;; (49 bytes), the format phone cameras read to offer to join the network.
- A semicolon, comma, colon, quote or backslash in the name or password gets a backslash in front of it, so a password like blue;heron still arrives whole.
- At error correction M, the default, the code is 33 × 33 modules. At 1024 px each module is 24 pixels, with a white margin of about five modules around the code.
- Download PNG saves qr-1024.png. At 300 dpi it prints 3.4 inches wide, and it stays sharp scaled down to fit the card.
| Error correction | Modules | Pixels a module at 1024 px |
|---|---|---|
| L (about 7%) | 29 × 29 | 27 |
| M (about 15%, default) | 33 × 33 | 24 |
| Q (about 25%) | 37 × 37 | 22 |
| H, or any code with a logo | 41 × 41 | 20 |
Guests point the phone camera at the card and tap to join, and nobody spells the password out loud. The code never expires and has no account behind it, but the password is written into it: when the password changes, print a new card.
How it works
- Type or paste what the code should carry: a link, an email address, a phone number or a few lines of text. There is no file to choose, and the preview redraws as you type.
- Pick the error correction level. M suits a code on a screen or a clean printed page; H survives more damage but packs more squares into the same space.
- Choose the colour, the background and the size. Keep the contrast strong, because a pale colour on white may not scan, and pick transparent if the code goes on a coloured flyer.
- Press Download PNG. The file is a square image with a margin of four modules around the code, the quiet zone scanners need, so do not crop it away.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the code expire, and can I change it later?
- It never expires. Your link is written into the pattern itself, so there is no account and no short link in the middle that could be switched off, and no one counts the scans. The flip side is that it cannot be edited: once a code is printed, changing where it points means making a new one.
- Which error correction level should I choose?
- A QR code can be read even when part of it is damaged: L recovers roughly 7% of the code, M 15%, Q 25% and H about 30%. M is a good default. Choose Q or H for a code that will be printed on something that gets scratched, curved or dirty, and remember the pattern gets denser, so print it a little larger.
- Why is my text refused?
- The largest QR code holds about 2,950 bytes at level L, and much less at H; Japanese and other non-Latin characters take several bytes each. Text that does not fit is refused rather than quietly cut short, so you never get a code that is missing its ending. Shorten the text, or use a lower error correction level.
- Can I add a logo in the middle?
- Yes: pick an image under Logo in the middle. It covers about a fifth of the code’s width, and the code is then made at error correction H, which rebuilds the covered part. What this page does not do is rounded shapes, scan counts or a short link behind the code: those need a service standing between the scanner and your link, and this page deliberately has none.
- How big should a printed QR code be?
- Big enough for a camera to make out every module: about 2 cm (0.8 inch) across is a common minimum for a code read at arm’s length, more for a poster read across a room. Download 1024 px for print: at 300 dpi that is 3.4 inches wide, so it can be scaled down without going soft. Keep the white margin around it.
- Can I put my contact details in a QR code?
- Yes: choose “Contact card (vCard)” and fill in the name, company, job title, phone, email, website and address you want. Scanning it offers to save the contact on the phone. Leave out what isn’t needed: every field adds modules, and a dense code on a business card is harder to scan.
- Is the text I type uploaded?
- No. The code is generated in the page and the PNG is saved straight to your device, so a wifi password or a private link never leaves your browser.
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