To create a QR code, decide what it should hold (a website link, some text, Wi-Fi login details or a payment ID), enter it in a QR code generator and download the image as PNG or SVG. To scan one, open your phone's camera, point it at the code and tap the link that appears; iPhones and most Android phones do this without an extra app.
How to create a QR code (and scan one on Android or iPhone)
Tools used in this guide
What is a QR code?
A QR code is a square, two-dimensional barcode that stores text, most often a web address. Denso Wave, then a division of Denso Corporation in Japan, released it in 1994, and car makers were among its first users. "QR" stands for "quick response" (Denso Wave history).
It is an international standard, ISO/IEC 18004, and Denso Wave has waived its patent rights for codes that follow the standard (Denso Wave). That is why any app can make and read QR codes for free.
A code is made of small black and white squares called modules. Sizes run from Version 1 (21 × 21 modules) to Version 40 (177 × 177 modules), and the more data you store, the more modules the code needs (Denso Wave).
How to make a QR code, step by step
- Decide what the code should do: open a link, show text, join a Wi-Fi network or start a payment.
- Open a generator. Our free QR code generator makes link, text, Wi-Fi and UPI codes in your browser, with nothing uploaded and no sign-up.
- Enter the details. Keep links short: less data means fewer, larger modules, which are easier to scan.
- Download PNG for chats, documents and websites, or SVG for print, because SVG scales to any size without blurring.
- Scan it with two different phones before you print copies.
Static or dynamic: which do you need?
A static QR code holds the data itself. If it contains a web address, the phone reads that address straight from the pattern. It never expires and doesn't rely on any company's server, but you can't change it after printing.
A dynamic QR code holds a short link to a redirect service, which forwards people to your real page. You can change the destination later and often see scan counts, but the code stops working if the service closes or you stop paying for it. It isn't a different kind of QR code under the standard: it is a normal code that points at someone else's link.
For a menu, poster or business card, a static code is usually the safer choice. Codes from our generator are static, so they never expire. If you may need to change the destination, point the code at a page on your own website and update that page instead.
Error correction and the quiet zone
QR codes still scan when part of them is dirty or damaged, because they carry spare data. There are four error-correction levels (Denso Wave):
| Level | Data that can be restored |
|---|---|
| L | About 7% |
| M | About 15% |
| Q | About 25% |
| H | About 30% |
Higher levels make the code denser. Denso Wave says level M is the one most often chosen, with Q or H for dirty places such as factories and L for clean conditions with a lot of data (Denso Wave). Our generator uses level M. Denso Wave also warns that covering a code with an illustration or logo can stop it reading, so test any decorated design carefully (Denso Wave FAQ).
The quiet zone is the blank margin around the code. The specification calls for a margin four modules wide on every side (Denso Wave). Scanners use it to find where the code starts, so keep text, borders and the edge of a sticker out of it.
For colours, Denso Wave's advice is to print black on a white background. It warns that some colour pairs, such as a red code on white, can't be read by scanners that use red light (Denso Wave FAQ).
Wi-Fi and UPI payment codes
A Wi-Fi QR code lets guests join your network without typing the password. Your phone can show one too. On Android, go to Settings > Network & internet > Internet, tap your network, then Share (Android Help). On iPhone, open the Passwords app, tap Wi-Fi, choose the network and tap Show Network QR Code (Apple). Anyone who scans a printed Wi-Fi code can join, so only display it where you would share the password anyway.
A UPI QR code is how shops and people in India receive payments. It holds your UPI ID and, if you like, your name and a fixed amount, and payers scan it with their UPI app. The QR code generator has a UPI option for this. Keep one rule from the Reserve Bank of India in mind: receiving money never requires you to scan a QR code or enter your PIN (RBI). Outside India, payment QR codes usually come from your bank or payment app, so use the one it gives you.
How to scan a QR code on Android
- Open the built-in camera app.
- Point it at the code.
- Tap the banner or link that appears.
Google says you need Android 9 or later to scan with the built-in camera (Google Account Help). On Pixel phones you can also add a Scan QR code tile to Quick Settings (Pixel Phone Help). In Chrome, tap Google Lens in the search bar to scan with the camera, or pick a screenshot you already have (Chrome Help). Camera apps differ between phone makers, so if nothing happens, look for a QR or Lens option in the camera's settings.
How to scan a QR code on iPhone
- Open Camera and stay in Photo mode.
- Hold the iPhone so the code appears in the frame.
- Tap the link that appears at the bottom of the screen.
You can also add the Scan Code control to Control Center, which has a flashlight for dark places (Apple).
Scanning a code from a screenshot
When the code is already on your screen, the camera can't point at it. Use Google Lens, or our QR code scanner, which reads a code from a photo or screenshot in your browser. It shows the link, Wi-Fi details or UPI payee before you open or pay anything.
Stay safe with QR codes
The US Federal Trade Commission advises checking the web address a code opens before you visit it, and not scanning codes in emails or texts you weren't expecting, especially ones that push you to act fast. It also reports scammers covering the codes on parking meters with their own (FTC). If a code looks like a sticker on top of another, ask before you pay.
Common mistakes
- Low contrast. A pale code, or a light code on a dark background, may not scan on every phone.
- Too small for the distance. A code people scan from across a room needs to be far bigger than one on a business card.
- No quiet zone. Text or a frame pressed against the code confuses scanners.
- Linking to a page you might delete. A printed code can't be updated, so use an address you will keep.
QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.