QR Code Generator

About this QR Code Generator

The QR Code Generator turns text, a URL or other short content into a scannable QR code image, created entirely in your browser. It is useful for sharing links, contact details or short messages that someone can scan with a phone camera.

QR codes are used for far more than website links; they can encode Wi-Fi credentials, contact cards, plain text messages, payment details and app download links, so the same generator can serve very different practical purposes depending on what text you paste into it before generating the code.

For related tasks, try UUID v4 Generator, Password Generator or Slug Generator.

How the calculation works

The tool encodes your text using the standard QR code specification, choosing an appropriate error-correction level, and renders the resulting pattern as an image.

How to use it

1. Enter the text or URL you want to encode.
2. Select Generate QR code.
3. Right-click or long-press the QR code image to save it.

Practical example

Entering a website address generates a QR code that, when scanned, opens that address in a phone's browser.

Encoding a Wi-Fi network's credentials typically uses a specific text format like WIFI:S:NetworkName;T:WPA;P:Password;; which most modern phone camera apps recognize automatically and offer to connect to the network directly, rather than just opening a plain text or link.

Things to double-check

A QR code with more encoded text needs a denser pattern to store that information, which makes it harder for phone cameras to scan reliably, especially at small print sizes. For anything that will be printed small, such as on a business card, keep the encoded text as short as possible, ideally a short URL rather than a long one.

What a QR code can hold

A QR code stores text such as a web address, a phone number, a Wi-Fi login or contact details. More data makes a denser code that is harder to scan, so keep the content short. Use a short, clean address for links. A code has error correction that lets it work even if part is damaged: levels from L to H recover about 7, 15, 25 or 30 percent of the code. Higher levels make the code bigger but sturdier.

Printing for reliable scanning

Print dark modules on a light background with strong contrast, and leave a blank border of at least four modules around the code. Do not invert the colours or place it on a busy picture. As a guide, make printed codes at least 2 cm wide for close scanning, and larger for scanning from a distance, since the width should be about one tenth of the distance. Use a vector or high resolution image so edges stay sharp.

Test before you print

Always scan the final code with more than one phone, in normal and low light, before it is printed in bulk on posters, packaging or business cards. Check that the link opens the right page on mobile and loads quickly. A static code cannot be changed after printing, so a typo in the address is permanent. If you need to update the destination later, use a link that you control and can redirect.

Privacy and safety

A code for Wi-Fi contains the network password in plain form, so anyone who can scan it can join the network. Share such codes only where that is acceptable. Be careful when scanning codes from unknown sources, because they can lead to fake login pages. This tool creates the code in your browser, so the text you enter is not sent to a server.

Sizes for different uses

As a rule, a code can be scanned from a distance of about ten times its width. A business card code of 2 cm works at arm's length, a table menu code of 3 to 4 cm works for a phone held nearby, and a poster code of 10 cm works from about a metre. Use a clear call to action next to the code, such as scan to see the menu, and add a short web address in text as a backup. If you track scans, use a link with a campaign tag and avoid link shorteners that may expire.

Worked example: a link and its code size

The address https://dekuz.com/loan-emi-calculator/ is 38 characters long. A small QR code of version 3, which has 29 by 29 modules, can hold up to 53 bytes at the lowest error correction level and 42 bytes at the medium level, so this link fits comfortably at either. A longer address with tracking parameters might need version 5 or more, and the code becomes denser with smaller squares, which is harder to scan when printed small. If the link is long, consider a shorter address on your own site that redirects to the full page.

Other kinds of content

A QR code can carry more than a link. For a Wi-Fi network, a text such as WIFI:T:WPA;S:NetworkName;P:Password;; lets phones join the network after a scan. A phone number can use the tel: prefix, an email the mailto: prefix, and contact details can use the vCard format. Plain text works as well. Remember that a Wi-Fi code reveals the password to anyone who sees it, so display it only where that is acceptable, and use a guest network where you can.

Printing and placing the code

For reliable scanning, print dark squares on a light background with high contrast, and leave a blank border of at least four modules around the code. Avoid placing the code on curved or shiny surfaces, folds or busy images. Make it large enough for the expected scanning distance, about one tenth of the distance, with a minimum around 2 centimetres. Adding a logo in the middle is possible with the highest error correction level, but it reduces the margin for damage, so test carefully. Add a short text line near the code so that people know what it does.

Tracking, scams and good practice

To measure scans, send the code to a link with a campaign tag, and avoid shortening services that may expire and break printed codes. Always use secure addresses that begin with https. Be aware of scams that place stickers with malicious codes over real ones, sometimes called quishing: before you scan a code in a public place, check that it has not been tampered with and read the address your phone shows before you open it. If you put codes on your own materials, check them regularly to make sure the destination still works.

Key terms explained

A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode that stores data in a grid of squares called modules. Error correction lets a code be read even if part is damaged, at levels L, M, Q and H. The quiet zone is the blank margin around it. A static code holds fixed data, while a dynamic code points to a link that can be changed. A scanner is a camera and software that reads the code. A version indicates the size of the grid. Quishing is phishing with malicious QR codes.

Rules of thumb and quick checks

Keep the content short, and print dark on light with a margin of four modules. A code should be about one tenth of the scanning distance in width, with a minimum of about 2 centimetres. Test with more than one phone before printing. Use secure addresses that begin with https, and avoid short links that may expire. Add a line of text near the code that explains what it does.

Frequently asked questions