QR Code Designer
A free QR code generator for a link, WiFi network, email, phone number or plain text. Change the dot shape, corner style, colors and gradient, then download.
- ProcessingOn your device
- Uploaded to a serverNothing
- InternetNot needed
Don't take our word for it. Turn off your Wi‑Fi, then use this tool. It will work exactly the same, which is only possible because your file never goes anywhere.
Using the QR code generator so the code actually scans
A QR code is a picture of some data — usually a URL. Whether it scans reliably comes down to three things: contrast, size, and how much data you asked it to carry.
Keep the link short
More characters means a denser grid of smaller squares, and small squares are what cameras struggle with. A long tracking URL full of parameters can double the density of the pattern. Shortening the link before generating the code is the single easiest way to make it scan from further away.
Contrast and the quiet zone
- Dark pattern on a light background. Inverted codes fail on many scanners, and low-contrast colour pairs fail on most.
- Leave the white margin around the code intact — scanners use it to find the edges, and cropping it off is a common reason a code stops working.
- Never place a code over a photograph or a gradient.
- Print at least 2 cm across for something held in the hand, and much larger for anything read from across a room.
Error correction and logos
QR codes carry redundant data so they still read when partly obscured — that is why a logo in the middle works at all. Higher error correction allows a larger logo but makes the pattern denser, so the two pull against each other. A logo covering more than roughly a fifth of the code is asking for trouble.
Test before you print
Scan it yourself, from the medium it will actually appear on and at the distance people will actually stand. A code that works on your screen can fail on a matte poster under bad lighting, and a thousand printed flyers is an expensive place to discover that.
Related reading: how this site handles your data.
Questions people ask
Do these QR codes ever expire?
Never. The code is generated in your browser and contains your data directly — there's no redirect through us that could stop working or start charging.
Can I use them commercially?
Yes. On packaging, menus, posters, business cards — no licence, no attribution, no limits.
Will it still scan with a logo in the middle?
Yes, within reason. QR codes carry error correction, and the designer keeps it high enough to tolerate a centre logo. Always test-scan before printing a thousand of them.
Why does my QR code fail to scan?
Most often it is too small, too low in contrast, or has had its white margin cropped away. A very long URL producing a dense pattern is the other common cause.
What size should I print a QR code?
A rough guide is one tenth of the scanning distance: 2 cm for something held in the hand, 30 cm for a code read from three metres away.
Can I change where the code points after printing it?
Not with a static code — the destination is encoded in the pattern itself. Point it at a short link you control if the destination may change.