How to Create a QR Code for Free

By Sheraz Khan

A QR code is a square code that a phone camera can read. When someone scans it, it can open a website, join a WiFi network, show a contact, or start a payment. You see QR codes on menus, posters, business cards, and shop counters. The good news is that you can make one for free in less than a minute. You do not need an account, an app, or a design tool. This guide shows you how to create a QR code for free, step by step, with a worked example you can follow. The code you make with the free QR code generator is a static code. That means the details are stored in the code itself, the code never expires, and you can download it as a PNG or SVG file and print it as many times as you like.

What you need before you start

You need only two things. First, a phone, tablet, or computer with a web browser. Second, the details you want the code to carry. That could be a website link, a short message, a WiFi name and password, or a phone number. It helps to have the details ready before you start, so you can paste them in without stopping to look them up. Check that a website link starts with https:// and that you spell it right. Check that a phone number has its country code. For example, a United States number starts with +1 and a Pakistan number starts with +92. If the details are right, the code will work the first time.

Step 1: Pick the type of QR code

Open the free QR code generator and look at the tabs at the top. Each tab makes a different kind of code. Link makes a code that opens a website. Text makes a code that shows a short message on the phone. WiFi makes a code that joins a WiFi network. vCard makes a code that saves a contact. WhatsApp makes a code that opens a chat. Email, Phone, and SMS make codes that start an email, a call, or a text message. Location makes a code that opens a place on a map. Event makes a code that saves an event to the calendar. Bitcoin and Payment make codes that open a payment link. Click the tab that matches what you want the code to do. If you only need a code for a website link, the Link tab is the one to use. It is the first tab and it is already open when the page loads.

Step 2: Type or paste your details

Each tab has its own fields. The fields are empty when you open a tab, and each one shows a grey hint that tells you what to type. For a website code, paste the link in the box called Website link. For a text code, type your message in the box called Text. For a WiFi code, type the network name in the box called Network name (SSID), pick the security type, and type the password. For a vCard, type the first name, last name, phone, email, and website. The preview on the right updates by itself as you type. There is no Generate button to press. You can watch the code change as you type, and the line under the preview shows the exact details the code holds. If you type a mistake, fix the text and the code fixes itself at once.

Step 3: Pick a size and fix the look

Before you download the code, you can change a few options. Download size sets how big the saved file is. 512 pixels is a good size for most uses. It is sharp when printed and small enough to send by email. Error correction sets how much of the code can be damaged and still scan. Medium works for most codes. If you plan to add a logo, pick High, because the logo covers part of the code and the code needs extra room to stay readable. You can also change the code colour and the background colour. Keep the code dark and the background light. A dark code on a white background scans best. You can add your logo if you want a branded code. Click the logo upload, pick your logo file, and it appears in the middle of the code. Keep the logo small, about one fifth of the code width, so the code still scans.

Step 4: Download, print or share your code

When the preview looks right, click Download PNG to save the code as a picture file you can print. Click Download SVG if you need a file you can make bigger without losing sharpness, for example for a poster or a shop sign. Click Copy Link to copy the details the code holds. Click Copy Image to copy the code picture itself. Click Share to send the code to someone by email or chat. You can also add a short text under the code before you download it. Type it in the box called Text under the code (optional), for example “Scan me”. The text is drawn under the code in the preview and in the download, so a printed code carries the message too.

Worked example: a QR code for your website

Here is a full worked example. Imagine you run a small cafe and you want a code that opens your website. Pick the Link tab. Paste your website link, for example https://freeqrtools.online, in the box called Website link. Leave the download size at 512 pixels and error correction at Medium. The preview shows your code at once. The line under it reads “Encoded content: https://freeqrtools.online”. Click Download PNG. Print the code and put it on a counter or a menu. When a customer scans it, their phone opens your website. That is all there is to it. The code below is a real code made with this tool. It opens the Free QR Tools home page.

Example QR code that opens the Free QR Tools home page.

How to make a QR code for WiFi

A WiFi code is one of the most useful codes. Guests scan it and join your network without typing the password. Go to the free WiFi QR code generator, click the WiFi tab, and type the network name, the security type, and the password. A worked example is Network: MyHomeWiFi, Password: hello123. Print the code and put it in a frame in a guest room or on a cafe table. If you change your WiFi password, make a new code, because the old code holds the old password.

How to make a QR code with your logo

A logo makes a code look like it belongs to your business. Open the free QR code generator with logo and click the Link tab. Paste your website link, then upload your logo in the box called Add your logo. Set error correction to High. That gives the code extra room so it still scans with the logo in the middle. Download the code as a PNG and test it with your phone before you print lots of copies. A logo that is too big will block the code, so keep it small. If the code does not scan, take the logo off, set error correction back to Medium, and try again.

How to print a QR code so it scans

Printing is where most codes fail. A code that looks fine on screen can fail on paper if it is too small or too light. Print the code at least 2 centimetres across for a card, and larger for a poster that people scan from far away. A good rule is that the code should be at least one tenth of the distance people scan it from. If people scan from 1 metre away, the code should be at least 10 centimetres across. Use a dark code on a white background. Do not print a light code on a dark background, and do not stretch the code. Leave a white border around the code, called the quiet zone, so the phone camera can see where the code starts and ends. After you print, scan the printed code with your own phone before you hand it out. If your phone reads it, most phones will.

Common mistakes to avoid

Most problems come from small mistakes. The first is a wrong link. Check that you pasted the full link, including https://, and that there is no extra space at the start or the end. The second is a code that is too small or too light to scan. Print it bigger and darker. The third is a logo that covers too much of the code. Keep the logo small and use High error correction. The fourth is a payment number pasted into a code and expected to open in a bank app. A plain number is only text. Bank apps only read payment codes made by the bank itself. If you want a payment code, paste a payment link instead. You can read about this on the free payment QR code generator page. The last mistake is using a code that expires. Codes from this site never expire, because the details are stored in the code itself and there is no account or server to switch off.

FAQs

Is it really free to create a QR code?

Yes. The tool on this site is free. You do not need to sign up, and there is no watermark on the code. You can make as many codes as you like and download them as PNG or SVG files.

Do I need an account to make a QR code?

No. You open the tool, pick a tab, type your details, and the code appears. Nothing is stored on a server, and the code is made in your browser.

Do the QR codes expire?

No. A static QR code holds its details inside the code itself. There is no link that can break and no service that can switch it off, so it works for as long as the details it holds are still true. A link code stops being useful only if the website it points to is taken down.

Can I print the QR code?

Yes. Download the code as a PNG or SVG file and print it. Make it big enough to scan from the distance people use it, keep it dark on a light background, and leave a white border around it. Always scan the printed copy with your phone before you hand it out.

What size should I download?

512 pixels is a good size for most uses. Use 1024 pixels for a large poster or a sign that people scan from far away. Use 256 pixels only for a small card or a screen.