QR codes are everywhere. You scan them at restaurant tables to see the menu, on packaging to read product details, at events to open a ticket, and on business cards to visit a website. You can generate a QR code for free in about a minute. You do not need to install software or create an account.
This guide explains what a QR code is and how to make one with our free tool. It also covers where QR codes are useful and how to make sure your code scans before you print it. We made the FreeToolPoint QR tool, so we describe exactly what it does and what it does not do.
What Is a QR Code?
QR stands for Quick Response. A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode. It stores information in a grid of dark and light squares. A normal barcode holds a short number. A QR code can hold much more: a web link, a note, a phone number, an email address or WiFi login details.
When you point your phone camera at a QR code, the phone reads the pattern and shows what is inside. Most modern iPhones and Android phones can scan QR codes with the normal camera app, so no extra app is needed.
Inside, every QR code is just text. Phones look for a few standard text formats and act on them. For example, text that starts with https:// opens in the browser. Text that starts with WIFI: makes most phones offer to join a network. Plain text that matches no format is simply shown on the screen.
How to Generate a QR Code for Free
Here are the steps with the FreeToolPoint QR Code Generator:
- Open the tool. Go to the FreeToolPoint QR Code Generator. It has one box, called “Text or URL”. The box starts with
https://example.comas a sample. - Type or paste your content. Replace the sample with your own link or text. For WiFi, a phone number or an email address, type the special format shown in the table below.
- Pick a size and a color. Choose 200, 300, 400 or 500 px. For long text, pick 400 or 500 px. You can change the color of the dark squares. The background is always white.
- Click “Generate QR Code”. The code does not update while you type, so click the button again after every change.
- Click “Download PNG”. The file saves as
qr-code.png. You can print it, put it in a document or share it.
The code is made on your device by qrcode-generator, an open-source JavaScript library. Your browser loads the library from a public CDN when the page opens. After that, the text you type is not sent to our server or to any QR service. There is no watermark and no signup.
Some limits to know before you start:
- PNG only. There is no SVG or other vector file.
- No logo and no background color. You can change only the color of the dark squares.
- A length limit. One code can hold up to 2,331 characters of English text. Nepali, Hindi and other non-Latin letters take more space, so the limit for them is about 777 letters. If your text is too long, the tool shows a message and makes no code.
- Any language works. Text is stored as UTF-8, so Nepali, other languages and emoji scan back correctly on modern phones.
What You Can Type in the Box
These formats work in our tool. Replace the example values with your own.
| What you want | What to type | What the phone does |
|---|---|---|
| A website | https://example.com/menu | Shows the link and opens it in the browser |
| A note or message | Any text, in any language | Shows the text on the screen |
| WiFi login | WIFI:T:WPA;S:MyHomeWiFi;P:my-password;; | Most phones offer to join the network |
| Phone number | tel:+15551234567 | Opens the dialer with the number |
| Email address | mailto:name@example.com | Opens a new email to that address |
For WiFi, T is the security type. Use WPA for WPA, WPA2 and WPA3 networks. Use nopass for an open network, and leave out the P part. S is the network name and P is the password. Both must match exactly, including capital letters. The tool page explains what to do when the name or password has special characters.
Anyone who scans a WiFi code can read the password. Only put the code where you would also tell people the password.
The tool has no separate forms. It also has no form for contact cards (vCard), SMS or calendar events. Those formats exist, but they are longer and easy to get wrong when typed by hand. If you need them, a tool with a form for that type is easier. Our comparison of free QR code generators lists some options.
Useful Ways to Use QR Codes
Business Cards
Put a QR code on your business card that links to your website, portfolio or LinkedIn profile. People can open it without typing a long address. Some other tools can also make a contact card code that saves your name and number to the phone. Our tool has no form for that.
Event Posters and Flyers
Place a QR code on a poster that links to the registration page or the event details. People passing by can scan it and read the details later, even if they do not stop to read the whole poster.
Product Packaging
Use a QR code on a product label to link to a user manual, assembly steps, warranty registration or an ingredient list. The label stays clean, and customers can still find the details.
Restaurant Menus
A code on each table can link to your online menu. You can change the menu page without reprinting the code. Keep a few paper menus too, for guests who cannot or do not want to use a phone.
WiFi Sharing
Make a WiFi code and place it in your home, office or rental. Guests scan it and join without typing a long password. If you change the WiFi password, you need to make and print a new code.
Social Media Profiles
Make a QR code that links to your Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube channel or link-in-bio page. Add it to slides, business cards or flyers so people can find you more easily.
Static vs Dynamic QR Codes
A static QR code stores your link or text inside the image. No QR company is involved when someone scans it, so the code never expires. It only stops working if the link inside it stops working. The downside is that you cannot change it after printing.
A dynamic QR code stores a short link that belongs to a QR service. The service sends people on to your real page. So you can change the target later, and the service can count scans. But the printed code depends on that service. If the service shuts down, or you stop paying, the code can stop working.
Our tool makes static codes only. If your content may change, point the code at a page on your own website. Later you can update that page, and the printed code stays the same.
Tips Before You Print
- Test before you print. Scan the code with two phones, such as an iPhone and an Android phone. Check that it opens the right page. Then print one copy at the real size and scan it from the real distance.
- Make it big enough. A common guideline is to make the code about one tenth as wide as the scanning distance. That is about 2 cm on a business card, 10 cm on a poster scanned from 1 m, and 30 cm on a sign scanned from 3 m. This is a guideline, not a rule, so test it. The 500 px PNG prints sharp up to about 4 cm at 300 DPI, or about 8 cm at 150 DPI. Larger prints get slightly soft edges. Scanners usually still read them, but test a printed copy.
- Keep links short. More characters make more squares, and at the same print size each square is smaller. Small squares are harder for a camera to see. Remove tracking parts such as
?utm_source=...if you do not need them. If you use a link shortener, the printed code stops working if that service deletes the link. - Use strong contrast. Use dark squares on a light background. Black, navy, dark green or dark red work well. Avoid yellow, light gray and pastel colors, because they are too close to white. Our tool makes dark squares on white. Do not flip it to light squares on a dark background later, because some scanner apps cannot read that.
- Keep the white border. Scanners need an empty light border around the code, called the quiet zone. It should be at least four squares wide. The PNG from our tool already has it. Do not crop it off. When you place the code on a colored background or a photo, keep the white border around it.
- Do not cover the middle with a logo. Our tool uses error correction level M. It can recover about 15% damage. A large logo can hide more than that, and then the code will not scan.
- Add a short label. A code alone does not tell people what they will get. Add a few words next to it, such as “Scan for the menu” or “Scan to join WiFi”.
- Avoid glare and curves. Glossy or curved surfaces can hide parts of the code. A flat, matte spot scans more easily.
Conclusion
Making a QR code is simple. Type your link or text, click Generate, and download the PNG. The details matter more. Keep the content short, use dark squares on white, keep the white border, make the code big enough, and scan a printed copy before you print many.
If you need a logo, a vector file or scan counts, read our comparison of free QR code generators. For a plain static code, our tool does the job.