QR code generator

Build a QR code for a link, a Wi-Fi network, a contact card, an email, an SMS or a map pin, then download it as PNG or SVG.

How to Generate QR code

1
Pick what the code should contain
Seven kinds of content are supported: plain text, a web address, Wi-Fi credentials, a contact card, a pre-written email, an SMS and a map pin. The form changes to match the one you choose.
2
Fill in the fields and adjust colors
The preview redraws as you type. Set the size anywhere from 128 to 2048 pixels, change the two colors, widen the quiet zone, or drop a logo into the middle of the code.
3
Download PNG or SVG
PNG suits screens and print at a fixed size; SVG stays sharp at any size, which is what you want for a poster or a vinyl sticker. Both come out of your browser, not a server.

Every code is read back before you get it

Generating a QR code is easy; generating one that actually scans is the part that goes wrong. Colors that look fine on screen can fall below the contrast a camera needs, and a logo that covers too many modules quietly destroys the data. So after the code is drawn, this tool reads the finished picture back with a decoder and compares the result with what you typed. If the two do not match, you get told before you download rather than after you print a thousand stickers. Contrast is checked in advance too: any pair of colors below a 3:1 ratio is rejected outright, because a scanner will not tell the dark modules from the light ones.

Why a logo forces the highest correction level

QR codes carry redundancy so they still read when part of the symbol is dirty, creased or covered. There are four levels: L recovers about 7% of the code, M about 15%, Q about 25% and H about 30%. A logo in the middle is damage by another name, so as soon as you add one the level jumps to H and the selector locks. The logo is also capped at 20% of the code's width, that is 4% of its area, which is comfortably inside what H can rebuild. Beyond that, no amount of correction helps.

How much fits into one code

The absolute ceiling is 2,953 characters, and only at the lowest correction level with the largest symbol. Long content also means a denser grid, which needs a bigger print and a steadier camera. A short link scans from across a room; a full vCard with an address needs the phone held close. If your content is longer than the limit, shorten the URL rather than shrinking the code.

Your Wi-Fi password never leaves this tab

The code is built in your browser with JavaScript. Nothing you type is uploaded, logged or written to browser storage, whether it is a Wi-Fi password, a phone number or a home address on a contact card. Close the tab and it is gone. The logo you attach is read locally too and never uploaded anywhere.

Frequently asked questions

Do QR codes expire?

A code made here never expires. It is a picture of your data, not a redirect through someone else's server, so there is no account to lapse and no link to switch off. That also means you cannot change where it points after printing it; for that you would need a redirect service.

How many characters fit into a QR code?

Up to 2,953 characters at the lowest error-correction level. Higher levels and a logo reduce that considerably. In practice, anything past a few hundred characters produces a dense code that needs a large print to scan reliably.

Why does adding a logo force error correction level H?

A logo hides modules, and hidden modules have to be reconstructed from redundancy. Level H carries roughly 30% redundancy, which comfortably covers a logo of up to 20% of the code's width. At lower levels the same logo would take the code past what can be recovered.

What size should I use for print?

As a rule of thumb a code should be at least a tenth of the distance it will be scanned from: 3 cm for arm's length, 30 cm for a code read from three metres. For print, download the SVG: it scales to any size without the blur you get from enlarging a PNG.

Will an inverted code, light on dark, still scan?

Most modern phone cameras handle inverted codes, but some dedicated scanners do not. Dark modules on a light background remain the safe choice. Whatever you pick, the contrast check here refuses any pair below 3:1.

Is it safe to put my Wi-Fi password into a QR code?

The password is encoded in the picture in plain text, so anyone who can photograph the code can read it. That is fine for a guest network printed on a card by the door, and a bad idea for a network you care about. Nothing is sent anywhere by this page, but the code itself is readable by design.

What is the difference between the PNG and the SVG?

The PNG is a grid of pixels at the size you chose, which suits a website, an email signature or a screen. The SVG describes the same squares as shapes, so it prints crisply at any size and can be recoloured in a vector editor.