How to create a QR code

Make the code in five steps

1. Open the generator and choose a type. Website for a link, WiFi for a network, contact card for your details. The type tells the phone what to do after the scan.
2. Fill in the fields. For a link, paste the full address, including https://.
3. Style it if you like: pattern and background colors, dot and corner shapes, a logo, or a frame with a short label. The defaults scan perfectly well.
4. Download it. SVG for anything going to print, PNG at 1024 or 2048 px for screens and documents.
5. Scan it with your own phone, from the distance people will actually stand, before it goes anywhere.

It's free and there's no account to create. The code is made entirely in your browser, so nothing you type is uploaded to us.

Decide what the code opens

Most disappointing QR codes scan fine. They just open the wrong thing. Someone at a table wants the menu and lands on your homepage. Someone at an event wants the schedule and gets a sign-up form.

Link straight to the page that answers the reason they scanned, and check that it reads well on a phone. Codes made here are static, so the address inside is permanent once printed. Pick one you control and will keep, like a page on your own site, rather than a file-sharing link that changes when you upload a new version. The static vs dynamic guide explains why that matters.

Get the size right

For anything held in the hand, print the code at least 2 cm (0.8 in) square. For anything on a wall, make it at least a tenth of the distance people will scan from: 3 meters away needs about 30 cm. Shorter links make chunkier codes that tolerate smaller sizes. The size and printing guide has a full table by use.

Keep the contrast high

Scanners look for the difference between dark and light. A dark pattern on a white or pale background is safest. Brand colors work if they're deep enough, like navy, forest green or burgundy. Yellow, light grey and pastels usually don't.

The generator warns you about low contrast and inverted colors before you download. Take the warning seriously, because a code that scans on your new phone may not scan on someone's older one.

Test like a stranger would

You know what the code is supposed to do, so you're the worst tester. Hand the printed proof to someone who didn't make it and watch what happens.

• Scan it with both an iPhone and an Android phone.
• Scan the printed copy at final size, not the file on your screen.
• Try it in the light where it will hang, from where people will stand.
• Turn off WiFi and check the page loads on mobile data.

Then print one proof today, scan it, and send the file to the printer with confidence.