QR Code Generator
Create a free QR code for any text or URL. No signup required.
What Is a QR Code Generator?
A QR code turns any text — most usefully a web link — into a square barcode that any phone camera can read in a second. This generator creates one instantly: type or paste your text or URL, pick a size (128, 256, or 512 pixels), generate, and download the code as a PNG image ready for a poster, menu, business card, product label, or screen. No account, no watermark, and the code is yours to print forever.
QR ("Quick Response") codes were invented in 1994 by Denso Wave, a Toyota subsidiary, to track car parts faster than ordinary barcodes allowed. Their advantages won: they store far more data (up to thousands of characters), read from any angle, and still scan when partially damaged — the specification includes error correction that can reconstruct up to about 30% of a damaged code. That ruggedness is why they survived to become the default bridge between print and phone.
How to Use the QR Code Generator
- Enter the text or URL the code should contain — a full web address (starting with https://) for links.
- Choose a size: 128 px for small on-screen uses, 256 px for documents, 512 px for print.
- Click "Generate QR Code" to preview it.
- Click "Download PNG" and place the image wherever your audience will scan it.
Best Practices Before You Print
Always test the printed code at its final size and distance — a code on a poster must scan from a meter away, which means printing it larger (a common rule: the code should be about 1/10 of the intended scanning distance). Keep strong contrast (dark code on light background; inverted codes fail on many scanners), leave the quiet white margin around the code intact, and shorten long URLs first — fewer characters mean a simpler code with bigger, easier-to-scan modules. For anything permanent, prefer the largest size and a reputable free URL shortener or your own domain so the destination remains under your control.
Popular Uses
- Restaurants and cafés: menus, ordering, and review links on table tents.
- Business cards and resumes: contact details, portfolios, and booking pages.
- Events and classrooms: instant links to slides, forms, Wi-Fi details, and feedback surveys.
Do QR codes expire?
Static QR codes — like the ones generated here — never expire: the information is encoded directly in the pattern itself, with no server involved, so the code works as long as it is legible and its destination (for example, your web page) still exists. "Expiring" QR codes belong to paid dynamic services that route scans through their own redirect — a feature for tracking and editing, unnecessary for most uses.
What is the maximum information a QR code can hold?
The specification tops out around 4,000 characters of text (fewer for purely numeric data modes it's higher — up to about 7,000 digits), but practical codes should stay far shorter: every extra character adds modules, shrinks each one, and makes scanning harder, especially in print. A short URL produces a clean, forgiving code; a paragraph produces a dense square that many cameras will refuse.
Can I put my logo in the middle of the QR code?
Yes, within limits — QR error correction tolerates occlusion, which is why branded codes with a centered logo work. Keep the logo small (roughly the central 20–25% at most), preserve the three corner squares completely, and test exhaustively before printing. This generator produces clean standard codes; add a logo afterwards in any image editor and test the exact final file.
Are QR codes safe to scan?
The code itself is inert data, but it can point somewhere malicious — the QR equivalent of a phishing link. Modern phone cameras preview the URL before opening it; check that preview, especially on codes found in public places (a sticker over a parking meter's real code is a known scam). As a creator, you build trust by using your own recognizable domain rather than an anonymous shortener.