QR Code Generator

What This QR Code Generator Can Do

Instead of a single text-in, QR-out box, this generator is built around six practical formats, each with its own input panel so you only see the fields relevant to what you're creating.

URL QR Codes

The most common use case. Paste any web address and the tool encodes it directly, ready to be scanned and opened in a mobile browser. As you type, the tool also auto-detects whether your input looks like a URL, email, or phone number, so you're not forced to manually pick a tab if you paste something and switch types.

Plain Text QR Codes

Works for anything that doesn't fit a structured format, such as a short message, a code, or a reference number someone needs to read after scanning.

Email QR Codes

Opens a pre-filled email draft, including an optional subject line and body message, saving whoever scans it from typing an address manually.

Phone Number QR Codes

Triggers a call prompt the moment they're scanned, useful for printed signage, vehicle decals, or support desks.

SMS QR Codes

Goes one step further than a plain phone number by pre-filling a text message, so scanning the code opens the messaging app with both the recipient and the message ready to send.

WiFi QR Codes

One of the more genuinely useful formats here. Enter your network name, password, and encryption type (WPA/WPA2 or WEP), and the generator produces a code that connects a phone to your network automatically, no typing a long WiFi password required. There's also a hidden network toggle for networks that don't broadcast their SSID.

Customizing the Look of Your QR Code

A QR code doesn't have to be a plain black-and-white square. This generator gives you a reasonable amount of visual control without turning the process into a design project. You can choose the output size (128×128, 256×256, or 512×512 pixels), adjust the margin around the code, and pick an error correction level from Low to High.

Error Correction Levels Explained

A higher error correction level means the QR code can still be scanned even if part of it is damaged, covered by a logo, or printed at lower quality, but it also makes the pattern slightly denser. If you're placing a logo in the centre, a higher correction level is the safer choice.

Colors and Gradients

Colour customisation covers both foreground and background, with a colour picker and a hex input for precision if you're matching a specific brand colour. There's also a gradient mode that blends two colours across the code instead of using a flat single colour, which can look sharper on printed materials like flyers or packaging. If you want your QR code's colours to match a specific brand palette exactly, our Color Picker can help you find and confirm the right hex code before you plug it into the foreground or background fields here.

Adding a Centre Logo

For branding, you can upload a logo image (PNG, JPG, or SVG, up to 2MB) that gets placed in the centre of the code. This is a good way to make a QR code instantly recognisable as belonging to your business, though it's worth testing the final code with a real phone camera before printing it at scale, since logos combined with low error correction can occasionally affect scannability.

Downloading, Sharing, and Testing Your Code

Once a code is generated, you can download it as a PNG for most everyday uses, or as an SVG if you need it embedded in a design file. There's also a one-click copy button that puts the QR code image directly on your clipboard, handy for pasting straight into a document or a chat message without saving a file first. On devices that support it, a share button lets you send the code through your phone or browser's native share menu.

A built-in scan test mode overlays a scanning animation on the code as a quick visual check before you commit to printing, though it's a visual reference rather than an actual decode, so testing with a real QR scanner app is still worth doing for anything going to print in bulk.

Recent Codes, Saved Favourites, and Your Privacy

The tool keeps a short history of your last few generated codes and lets you star any of them as a favourite for quick access later. This is stored locally in your own browser rather than on a server, so it's there for convenience during a session or when you come back on the same device, but it isn't a permanent cloud backup, so download anything important rather than relying on the history list alone.

Why Use an Online QR Code Generator Instead of an App

Installing an app, creating an account, or paying for a subscription is a lot of friction for something you might need once or twice a month. A browser-based generator skips all of that. There's nothing to install, nothing tied to your email address, and the code you generate is yours to use however you like, on a poster, a product label, a slide deck, or a printed card.

It's also simply faster. Open the page, choose a type, fill in the details, and download. No sign-up form standing between you and the file you actually came for.

Common Ways People Use QR Codes

QR codes have moved well past restaurant menus, though that's still a common use. A few situations where they consistently come in handy:

• Linking a printed flyer or poster to a website, product page, or event registration form
• Sharing WiFi access with guests, clients, or coworkers without reading out a password
• Adding a scannable phone number or WhatsApp contact to a business card
• Putting a quick feedback or review link on a receipt or table tent
• Embedding a portfolio, resume, or social profile link on a printed name tag
• Attaching product details or care instructions to packaging

If your QR code is pointing to a web address, it's worth double-checking that the link is clean and correctly formatted before generating the code. Our URL Encoder Decoder is useful here if your link contains spaces or special characters that need proper encoding first.

If you're sharing a WhatsApp contact rather than a plain phone number, generating the chat link first with our WhatsApp Link Generator and then turning that link into a QR code gives people a direct route into a conversation, rather than just a number they have to save and message manually.

A Few Practical Tips Before You Print

QR codes are forgiving, but a handful of small mistakes cause most of the scanning problems people run into.

Is This QR Code Generator Free to Use

Frequently Asked Questions