Free tool
Turn any link into a QR code.
Paste a link, pick your colours, download the code. It's made in your browser, so we never see the link, and it's a static code, so it never expires and there's nothing to renew. Free for menus, flyers, vans, invoices, whatever you're printing.
Free · No account · PNG in one click · Email only for the print-ready pack
The generator needs JavaScript to run. Turn it on, or email us the link and we'll send the code back.
How to make a QR code for a link.
Under a minute, start to finish. No account, nothing to install.
-
Paste your link
Paste the web address you want people to land on. If you forget the https:// we add it for you, and the code appears as soon as the link makes sense.
-
Pick colours and size
Choose a code colour to match your brand, keep the background light, and pick a pixel size. The preview updates as you go and warns you if the colours are too close to scan.
-
Download and test
Download the PNG in one click, or unlock the print-ready pack with an SVG and a 2048-pixel PNG. Then scan it with your own phone before it goes to print.
Questions people ask about QR codes.
Is this QR code generator really free?
Yes. Free to make, free to download and free to use commercially: menus, flyers, vans, invoices, packaging, shop windows. There's no account, no watermark and no paid tier hiding behind the download button. You can download five codes a day without telling us anything; after that, and for the print-ready SVG pack, we ask for your email once. Thirty a day is the ceiling, so if you need codes in bulk, email us.
Does the QR code expire?
No. It's a static code: the link itself is encoded into the pattern of squares, so there's no server in the middle and nothing to renew. It will work for as long as the page it points to exists. Codes from services that expire are dynamic codes, which redirect through the provider's servers and stop working when the subscription does.
Do you store my links?
No. The code is generated in your browser, on your device, and the link never reaches our servers. The one exception is the print-ready pack: when you unlock it with your email, the link is saved alongside your details so we can follow up sensibly. Everything else stays on your machine.
What's the difference between a static and a dynamic QR code?
A static code has the link baked in. It never expires, costs nothing and can't be changed once printed. A dynamic code points to a short redirect link that you can edit later and that counts scans, which is useful for campaigns but means paying a provider and depending on them staying in business. This tool makes static codes. Scan counting is next on our list, so tell us in the feedback box if you'd want it.
Can I change the link after I've printed the code?
Not with a static code. The link is part of the pattern, so a new link means a new code. The practical fix is to point the code at a page you control, such as your own website, and change what's on that page whenever you like.
What size should I print a QR code?
A good rule of thumb is scanning distance divided by ten. A code scanned from arm's length can be as small as 2 cm across; a table card wants 3 cm or more; a poster read from across a room needs 15 cm or more. Leave a clear margin around it (the code already includes one) and don't print it on a fold or a curve. For anything bigger than a business card, use the SVG from the print-ready pack so it stays sharp.
Should I use the PNG or the SVG?
PNG for anything on a screen or in a document: websites, emails, Word, PowerPoint, Canva. SVG for anything going to a printer or a designer: it scales to any size without going fuzzy and the colours stay exact. The print-ready pack includes both, plus a 2048-pixel PNG for tools that can't take SVG.
How do I test the code?
Open the camera app on a phone and point it at the code on your screen; a link should pop up within a second. Then print one copy at the real size, on the real material, and test that too: paper, laminate and glass all behave differently. Test with an iPhone and an Android if you can, in the light it will actually be scanned in.
Can I track how many people scan it?
Not with a static code on its own, because nothing sits between the scan and your page. What you can do is add UTM parameters to the link before you make the code (for example ?utm_source=menu&utm_medium=qr) and read the visits in Google Analytics or whatever you use. Proper scan counting needs a dynamic code, which is the next thing we're considering building.
Why do you ask for an email for the print pack?
Because it's how we find out which free tools are worth building more of. Some people who use it want help with the page behind the code, or want scan counting, bookings or a form on the other end, and that's the kind of thing we build. We only ask once, we don't sell or share the address, and we delete it on request.
QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED. The generator uses the open-source qrcode-generator library by Kazuhiko Arase, MIT licence.
Printing the code is the easy bit.
If the page behind it needs work, or you want scan counts, bookings or a form on the other end, that's what we build. Thirty minutes, free, no obligation.