QR Code Generator

Free QR codes for links, Wi-Fi, contacts, emails, texts, calls, places and events. Style them, add a logo or frame, download PNG or SVG. No tracking, never expire.

Link or text

A web address opens in the phone's browser. Anything else is shown as text.

PNG size

SVG stays sharp at any size, so use it for print. Its lettering is outlined, so it looks the same in any design app.

Size

25 × 25

modules, version 2

Content

23 bytes

of 2,331 at level M

Scanned from

Print it at least 3 cm wide (about a tenth of the distance), and scan a test print before printing lots.

What the code contains
https://bitsnbobs.tools
Look

Colours

For placing the code on your own design. The PNG and SVG keep the transparency.

Dots

Corner squares

Up to 4 letters or an emoji, on a badge in the middle.

Logo size

Add a logo to choose its size.

Adds a frame with up to 24 characters underneath. Leave it empty for no frame.

Error correction

A good default for screens and clean prints.

Margin

The clear border cameras need: 4 modules is the standard.

Pick what the code should do, fill in the details and the code updates as you type. Style it, then download it as a PNG for screens or an SVG for print.

The code is made in your browser and holds your content directly. There is no redirect link in the middle, so nothing tracks who scans it and it keeps working for as long as the link or details inside it do. Wi-Fi passwords, phone numbers and the rest are never uploaded or added to the share link.

Why these codes never expire

Many QR sites make dynamic codes: the code holds a short link to their server, which then redirects to your page. That lets them count scans and change the destination later, but it also means the code stops working when the free trial ends, the subscription lapses or the company closes. Printed menus and posters have been caught out by exactly this.

This tool makes static codes. Your link, network details or contact card are written into the pattern itself, so a phone reads them straight off the code with no server involved. The trade-off is that you cannot change a static code after printing it. If you need to, point it at a page you control, such as your own website, and change that page instead.

What each kind of code does on a phone

Phone cameras recognise a handful of formats and offer a matching action. These are the formats used here:

  • Link or text: a web address opens in the browser. Include https://, as some phones treat a bare domain as plain text.
  • Wi-Fi: joins the network without typing the password, on iPhone and Android. Use WPA2 / WPA3 for any modern router. iPhones may not join hidden networks from a code.
  • Contact: a vCard 3.0 card that the phone offers to save to contacts. Give phone numbers their country code (+44) so they work from any phone.
  • Email, text message and phone call: open the mail app, messages or dialler with everything filled in. Nothing is sent or dialled until the person presses the button.
  • Location: a Google Maps link by default, which works on every phone. The geo: option opens the phone's own maps app instead, but some scanner apps ignore it.
  • Event: an iCalendar event the phone offers to add to the calendar. Times are local, so 7pm stays 7pm wherever the phone is.

Making a code that scans first time

Cameras need contrast, a clear margin and enough size. The tool warns you when a style choice puts any of these at risk.

  • Dark on light. Scanners see in greyscale, so the code needs to be much darker than its background. A light code on a dark background is outside the QR standard and some apps cannot read it.
  • Keep the margin. The standard asks for a clear border 4 modules wide (a module is one square of the pattern). Narrow margins often work but can fail on a busy background.
  • Print it big enough. A common rule of thumb is a tenth of the scanning distance: 3 cm for a code held in the hand, 10 cm on a poster read from a metre away, and never under about 2 cm.
  • Short content makes a simpler code. Every extra character adds modules. A long link gives a dense pattern that is harder to read when printed small, so use the shortest address that works.
  • Test before printing lots. Scan a test print with an iPhone and an Android phone, from the distance people will actually be.

Error correction and logos

QR codes carry spare data so they can still be read when part of the pattern is dirty, torn or covered. The four levels can recover from roughly 7% (L), 15% (M), 25% (Q) and 30% (H) of the code being lost. More correction makes the pattern denser for the same content.

A centre logo works by covering modules and relying on that spare data, so when you add one the tool switches to level H. The logo then covers roughly 3% to 10% of the code's area depending on the size you pick and how dense the code is, within the 10 to 15% that Alipay+'s payment-code design guidelines allow. Every logo size was checked by decoding codes with the logo in place, from the smallest code up to one that is completely full.

Frequently asked questions

Do these QR codes expire?
No. They are static codes with your content written into the pattern, so there is no server or subscription behind them. A code only stops working if what it points to does, for example a web page that is taken down.
Can I track how many people scan my code?
Not with a static code, because the phone never contacts anyone but the destination. To count scans, add tracking parameters (such as utm_source=poster) to your link and read them in your website's analytics.
Can I change where a code goes after printing it?
No, the content is fixed in the pattern. Point the code at a page you control, such as your own website, and change that page when you need to.
Is my Wi-Fi password sent anywhere?
No. The code is generated in your browser and the password is not stored, uploaded or added to the page address. Remember that anyone who can scan the printed code can read the password from it.
PNG or SVG?
PNG for screens, documents and messaging. SVG for print and design tools, because it is a vector and stays sharp at any size. The lettering of the label and logo is converted to shapes, so it looks the same without the font installed (an emoji logo stays an emoji). Both keep a transparent background if you choose one.
Can I use these codes commercially?
Yes. The codes are yours to use anywhere, with no watermark and no attribution needed. QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE, but the codes themselves are free to use.

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