What can I encode in a QR code?

Any text. URLs are the most common, but a Wi-Fi login (WIFI:S:NetworkName;T:WPA;P:password;;), a phone number (tel:+15551234567), an email link (mailto:hi@example.com), or plain text all work. What happens on scan depends on the content — phones open URLs, offer to join Wi-Fi networks, or just display the text.

How much data fits in one code?

At the medium error-correction level used here, the QR specification tops out around 2,300 bytes of text. The practical limit is much lower: every extra character makes the module grid denser and harder to scan from a distance or at small print sizes. For long URLs, encode a shortened link instead.

Why won’t my QR code scan?

The usual culprits are density (too much text packed in), print size (a dense code printed small), a cropped quiet zone (the white border is part of the code — don’t trim it), or poor contrast, such as light-on-dark or low-contrast brand colors. This tool generates high-contrast dark-on-light codes with the quiet zone included; keep both when you place the image.

What error correction does it use?

Level M, the qrcode library’s default, which adds enough redundancy that roughly 15% of the code can be dirty, damaged, or obscured and still scan. It is a good balance between robustness and density for links and everyday text.

What size is the downloaded image — can I print it?

The download is a 240 × 240 pixel PNG, including the quiet zone. QR codes are plain high-contrast squares, so they tolerate upscaling in print layouts well, but always test-scan the final printed size from a realistic distance before producing posters, menus, or packaging in bulk.

No. The code is a static encoding of exactly the text you typed — there is no redirect service or tracking layer in between that could shut down. A code pointing at a URL keeps working for as long as that URL does.

Is the text I enter sent anywhere?

No. The code is computed and drawn on a canvas entirely in your browser, so the content never leaves your device — which is exactly what you want when encoding a Wi-Fi password or a private link.

QR Code Generator

Create QR codes for URLs, text, Wi-Fi and contacts in your browser and download as PNG.

Runs in your browser — files never leave your device

Text or URL

How it works

Type any text or URL and the QR code regenerates live on every keystroke, computed in your browser by the open-source qrcode library and drawn onto a 240 × 240 pixel canvas. The rendered code includes its own quiet zone — the white border scanners need to find the symbol — and downloads as a PNG ready to drop into a document, slide, label, or web page.

QR codes carry text, and what a phone does with that text depends on its shape. A URL opens in the browser; a string like WIFI:S:NetworkName;T:WPA;P:password;; prompts the phone to join a Wi-Fi network; tel: and mailto: prefixes start a call or an email; anything else is shown as plain text. That makes one small square useful for menus, business cards, event posters, equipment labels, and guest Wi-Fi cards.

The generator uses error-correction level M, the library’s default, which spends about 15% of the code’s capacity on redundancy — enough for a scuffed print or a partly obscured corner to still scan. Capacity at this level tops out around 2,300 bytes, but practical limits arrive much sooner: the more characters you encode, the denser the grid of squares becomes, and dense codes need bigger prints and better cameras. A short URL scans effortlessly from across a room; a paragraph of text may struggle on a business card. When a link is long, shorten it first and encode the short form.

Two placement rules keep codes scannable in the wild. Preserve the quiet zone — cropping the white border away is the most common reason a printed code fails. And keep the contrast direction: scanners expect dark modules on a light background, which is exactly what this tool outputs. Before committing to a print run, point a phone camera at the final artwork from the distance your audience will actually stand at.

Frequently asked questions

What can I encode in a QR code?: Any text. URLs are the most common, but a Wi-Fi login (WIFI:S:NetworkName;T:WPA;P:password;;), a phone number (tel:+15551234567), an email link (mailto:hi@example.com), or plain text all work. What happens on scan depends on the content — phones open URLs, offer to join Wi-Fi networks, or just display the text.
How much data fits in one code?: At the medium error-correction level used here, the QR specification tops out around 2,300 bytes of text. The practical limit is much lower: every extra character makes the module grid denser and harder to scan from a distance or at small print sizes. For long URLs, encode a shortened link instead.
Why won’t my QR code scan?: The usual culprits are density (too much text packed in), print size (a dense code printed small), a cropped quiet zone (the white border is part of the code — don’t trim it), or poor contrast, such as light-on-dark or low-contrast brand colors. This tool generates high-contrast dark-on-light codes with the quiet zone included; keep both when you place the image.
What error correction does it use?: Level M, the qrcode library’s default, which adds enough redundancy that roughly 15% of the code can be dirty, damaged, or obscured and still scan. It is a good balance between robustness and density for links and everyday text.
What size is the downloaded image — can I print it?: The download is a 240 × 240 pixel PNG, including the quiet zone. QR codes are plain high-contrast squares, so they tolerate upscaling in print layouts well, but always test-scan the final printed size from a realistic distance before producing posters, menus, or packaging in bulk.
Do QR codes expire?: No. The code is a static encoding of exactly the text you typed — there is no redirect service or tracking layer in between that could shut down. A code pointing at a URL keeps working for as long as that URL does.
Is the text I enter sent anywhere?: No. The code is computed and drawn on a canvas entirely in your browser, so the content never leaves your device — which is exactly what you want when encoding a Wi-Fi password or a private link.

QR Code Generator

How it works

Frequently asked questions

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