QR code generator
Create QR codes for links, Wi-Fi networks, email, phone and SMS. Download as PNG or SVG, with no watermark, no account and no expiry.
25×25 modules · 19 B encoded
Higher levels survive more damage but hold less data.
Finished · 0 bytes sent
Nothing is uploaded. This tool runs entirely inside your browser tab. Your files and figures stay on your device - we never receive them, so we cannot read, store or lose them.
What a QR code actually holds
A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode holding your data directly. Scanning it does not look anything up - the payload is encoded in the black and white modules themselves. That is why a code generated here works forever and offline, and why nobody can revoke it.
The trade-off is that the data is fixed. Change the destination URL and you need a new code. Services offering “editable” QR codes achieve that by encoding a short link they control, which means every scan passes through their servers and can be counted, redirected or turned off. Sometimes that tracking is what you want; you should just know which kind you are getting.
Supported formats
| Type | What it encodes | What happens on scan |
|---|---|---|
| Text or link | Plain text or a URL | Opens the link, or shows the text |
| Wi-Fi | WIFI:T:WPA;S:name;P:pass;; | Offers to join the network |
mailto: with subject and body | Opens a pre-filled draft | |
| Phone | tel: | Offers to call |
| SMS | SMSTO: with message | Opens a pre-filled message |
The Wi-Fi format is the most useful and least known. A code taped inside a café or a guest room lets people connect without reading a password off a wall - and it handles long, genuinely strong passwords that nobody would type by hand.
Error correction
QR codes use Reed–Solomon error correction, which lets a scanner recover the data even when part of the code is unreadable.
| Level | Recovers | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| L | 7% | Clean digital display, maximum data |
| M | 15% | General purpose - the default |
| Q | 25% | Printed small, or on packaging |
| H | 30% | Outdoors, curved surfaces, logo overlay |
Higher correction consumes capacity, so the same text needs a larger symbol. If a code refuses to generate, either shorten the data or lower the correction level.
Printing that actually scans
Size. A rough rule is that the printed width should be at least one tenth of the intended scanning distance. A code read from 2 metres needs to be about 20 cm across.
Quiet zone. Keep the blank margin around the code - it is four modules wide and the specification requires it. Cropping it is the single most common reason a printed code fails.
Contrast. Dark on light, always. Inverted codes (light modules on a dark background) fail on many scanners. Keep a strong contrast ratio and avoid placing the code over a photograph.
Colour. Custom colours are fine as long as contrast holds. Avoid red for the dark modules: many older laser scanners use a red light source and cannot distinguish red from white.
Testing before you commit
Scan the finished code with at least two different phones - one iOS, one Android - before sending anything to print. Test it at the actual printed size, not on screen, and under the lighting where it will live. A code that scans on a bright monitor at 300px can fail at 2 cm on matte paper in a dim room.
Common questions
Will this QR code ever stop working?
No. The code encodes your data directly - the URL or Wi-Fi details are physically in the pattern. It does not point at a redirect service that could shut down, start charging, or begin tracking scans. Many "free" generators produce short links that expire or become paywalled; those are dynamic codes, and this tool does not make them.
Is my Wi-Fi password sent anywhere?
No. The whole code is generated in your browser, and the encoded value is visible to you before you download. Nothing is transmitted, which is the only safe way to put a network password into a QR code.
Which error correction level should I use?
Medium (15%) suits almost everything. Use High (30%) if the code will be printed small, placed outdoors, applied to a curved surface, or partially covered by a logo. Higher correction means more modules for the same data, so the code gets denser and needs to be printed larger.
PNG or SVG?
SVG for anything going to print - it is vector, so it stays perfectly sharp at any size, from a business card to a billboard. PNG for screens, email signatures and anywhere a raster image is expected.
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