A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode that any phone camera can read. This generator builds them for links, plain text, Wi-Fi networks, email addresses and phone numbers, and exports as PNG or SVG. The code is generated in your browser, so the content never reaches a server.
Content types
Each type wraps your input in the format scanners expect, so the phone offers the right action.
- Link — opens a URL. A scheme is added automatically if you omit it, because a bare domain scans as plain text.
- Wi-Fi — joins a network without typing the password. Choose the security type that matches your router.
- Email — opens a new message to the address.
- Phone — offers to dial the number.
- Text — anything else, shown to the scanner as-is.
Error correction
QR codes carry redundant data so they still scan when damaged, dirty or partly covered. Four levels are available: L recovers about 7% of the code, M about 15%, Q about 25% and H about 30%.
Higher correction means more modules for the same content, so the pattern gets denser and needs to be printed larger. M is the usual choice. Go to Q or H for something printed on a product, exposed outdoors, or with a logo covering the middle.
Making a code that actually scans
Most codes that fail in the real world fail for one of these reasons.
- Too small. Aim for at least 2 cm across in print, and larger the further away it will be scanned from.
- No quiet zone. The empty margin around the code is part of the specification, not decoration — scanners need it to find the edges.
- Inverted colours. Dark-on-light is what scanners expect; light-on-dark fails on many readers.
- Too little contrast. Pale or low-contrast colour pairs read badly under poor lighting.
- Too much content. A long URL makes a dense code that small cameras struggle with. Shorten the link instead.
PNG or SVG?
PNG is a fixed-resolution image, right for the web, email and slides. Pick a size that comfortably exceeds where it will be displayed.
SVG is vector and scales to any size without blurring, which makes it the correct choice for anything printed — posters, packaging, business cards.
FAQ
Do these QR codes expire or stop working?
No. The content is encoded directly into the pattern, so the code works forever and needs no service to stay online. That is the difference from "dynamic" QR codes, which point at a redirect owned by a provider and break if that provider disappears or starts charging.
Is my content sent to a server?
No. The code is generated in your browser. This matters most for the Wi-Fi option — your network password is never transmitted anywhere.
Can I track scans?
Not with a static code, because there is nothing in the middle to count them. If you need analytics, point the code at a URL you control and measure the visits there.
Can I put a logo in the middle?
Yes, if you use error correction level H and keep the logo under roughly 30% of the area. The redundancy absorbs the covered modules. Always test the result with several phones before printing it.
How much data fits in a QR code?
Up to about 2,953 bytes at the lowest error correction, but that produces a very dense code. In practice keep content short — a URL of 50 characters or so scans reliably at a small size, while one of 300 characters does not.