How do I make a QR code for a link?
Paste the URL (or any text) into the box, choose an error correction level, and click Generate. A 256 × 256 pixel PNG appears underneath; click Download to save it as qrcode.png. The code holds your link directly, so it will keep working indefinitely and needs no account, subscription or redirect service.
Steps
- Enter the content: a web address, a phone link, plain text, or a Wi-Fi network string.
- Pick Error correction: Low, Medium (default), Quartile or High.
- Click Generate.
- Scan the preview with your phone camera before you print anything.
- Click Download.
Step 4 is the one people skip. A typo in a URL is invisible once it's a pattern of squares.
How the generator builds the code
QR codes are standardised in ISO/IEC 18004. This tool uses the open-source qrcode library (version 1.5.4), which picks the smallest symbol version that fits your content and switches automatically between numeric, alphanumeric and byte encoding to keep it compact. Text outside plain ASCII, such as accented letters or emoji, is stored as UTF-8 bytes.
| Setting | Value in this tool |
|---|---|
| Output | PNG, 256 × 256 pixels, black on white |
| Version (size) | Automatic, from 1 (21 × 21 modules) up to 40 (177 × 177) |
| Error correction | Your choice: L, M, Q or H |
| Quiet zone | 4 modules of white border, as the standard requires |
Error correction levels
Reed-Solomon error correction lets a scanner rebuild missing or damaged parts. More recovery means more modules, so the same content makes a denser code. Denso Wave, the company that invented QR codes, describes the trade-offs on its error correction page.
| Level | Approx. recovery | Size for a 47-character URL | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| L | 7% | Version 3, 29 × 29 | Screens, slides, clean indoor print |
| M | 15% | Version 4, 33 × 33 | General use (default) |
| Q | 25% | Version 5, 37 × 37 | Packaging, labels that get handled |
| H | 30% | Version 6, 41 × 41 | Outdoor signs, rough surfaces |
The sizes come from encoding https://agilelogics.com/tools/qr-code-generator with this tool's library. Because the PNG is always 256 pixels wide, including the 4-module white border on each side, a denser code means smaller modules: a 33-module code gets just over 6 pixels per module, while a 57-module code gets just under 4.
Keep the content short
Every extra character makes the code denser and harder to scan from a distance. A 109-character product link with three UTM tags needs version 7 at level M, against version 4 for the 47-character one. If your URL is long, shorten the path or use a shorter landing page address. Make sure any special characters in query strings are properly escaped first; the URL encoder can do that.
What you can encode
| Content | Example | Scanning a phone does |
|---|---|---|
| Web address | https://example.com/menu |
Offers to open the page |
| Phone number (RFC 3966) | tel:+14155552671 |
Offers to call |
| Email (RFC 6068) | mailto:hello@example.com |
Opens a new email |
| Wi-Fi network | WIFI:T:WPA;S:CafeGuest;P:espresso2026;; |
Offers to join the network |
| Plain text | Locker 14, code 3391 |
Shows the text |
The Wi-Fi format isn't part of the ISO standard; it's a convention popularised by the ZXing barcode project and documented in its barcode contents notes. Current iPhone and Android cameras understand it.
For two common jobs there are dedicated generators: a WhatsApp chat link you can then encode here, and the Google review QR generator, which builds the review URL for you.
Printing tips
- Keep the white border. The specification calls for a quiet zone of four modules on every side (Denso Wave's guidance says the same), and this tool's PNG includes exactly that. Don't crop it off when you place the code in a design, and don't let text or graphics run into it; on a busy or dark background, leave extra white margin around the PNG.
- Mind the physical size. At 300 dpi, 256 pixels prints about 2.2 cm (0.85 in) wide. For posters, scale it up in an image editor using nearest-neighbour resampling, which keeps the square edges crisp. The image resizer also works, but it smooths edges slightly as it enlarges, so test the printed result.
- Keep contrast high. Dark modules on a light background scan most reliably. Inverted (light on dark) codes trip up some scanners.
- Test at the real distance. Scan from where people will actually stand.
Last updated