QR Code Generator

How to make a QR code

1. Pick a code type. Text / link takes anything you type or paste — a web address, a phone number, an email or plain text. Wi-Fi network asks for the network name, the password, the security type and whether the network is hidden. The preview appears as soon as there is something to encode and redraws as you type.
2. Choose a size: 256, 512 or 1024 pixels square, including the blank margin around the pattern. 512 is the default and is plenty for a screen; pick 1024 for large print.
3. Set the foreground and background colours if you want something other than black on white, and pick an error correction level — Low 7%, Medium 15%, Quartile 25% or High 30%. A yellow note appears if the colours are likely to cause scanning trouble.
4. Press Download PNG for an image at the size shown in the status line, saved as editzap-qrcode.png, or Download SVG for a vector file, editzap-qrcode.svg, that stays sharp at any print size.

What people use it for

A QR code is a way of handing someone a piece of text without them typing it. It works best where a link would be awkward to write out: on paper, on a screen someone else is looking at, or on a physical object.

• Putting a menu, a price list or a booking page on a table card or a shop window.
• Letting guests join the Wi-Fi by pointing a phone camera at a card, instead of reading out a long password.
• Adding a portfolio or company link to a business card, a leaflet or a poster.
• Labelling equipment or stock with a reference that staff can scan instead of reading aloud.
• Sharing a contact detail or a payment link with a guest without spelling anything out.
• Placing a code on a slide so the audience can reach your notes while you are still speaking.

Good to know

The code produced here is static: the text, link or network details you entered are encoded directly into the pattern, and nothing else. That cuts both ways. There is no redirect service in the middle, so no one counts scans, nothing tracks the person scanning, the code cannot expire, and it keeps working whether or not this website still exists — the pattern itself is the data. Against that, it cannot be edited once printed, and you get no scan statistics. If the destination might change, point the code at a URL you control and change what sits behind that address instead.

Text is stored as UTF-8, the encoding modern phone scanners read, so letters such as ă, ș, ț and é, Cyrillic and emoji come through as typed instead of turning into question marks or stray symbols. A few very old scanner apps assume a different encoding; if accented text comes out garbled, try the phone's built-in camera instead.

Two things break codes in practice. The first is contrast: scanners expect a dark pattern on a light background. The tool warns you when the contrast between your two colours drops below 4:1, or when the pattern is lighter than the background — inverted codes look striking, but many scanners refuse them. Even without a warning, any unusual choice deserves a test with a real phone before you print hundreds of copies. The second is length: the more text you encode, the more squares the pattern needs, and a long link becomes a dense grid that a camera struggles with from a distance. Keep the content short and print the code a few centimetres across at minimum.

Every code comes with a quiet zone: a blank border at least four squares wide, in your background colour, which scanners use to find the edges of the pattern. It is already part of the PNG and SVG, so it keeps working when you place the code on a coloured flyer or a photo. Don't crop it off, and don't let text or graphics run into it.

Wi-Fi codes use the standard WIFI: format that the built-in camera on current iPhones and most Android phones recognises: scanning offers to join the network, with no typing. Characters that have a special meaning in that format — backslash, semicolon, comma, colon and double quote — are escaped for you. Your network name and password are only used to draw the code on your device; they are never uploaded, saved or logged. Keep in mind that anyone who can photograph the printed code can read the password from it, so display it only where you would display the password itself.

Everything is drawn by your own browser, so whatever you encode is never sent to us or anyone else. See also Favicon Generator for a site icon, or Resize Image if the PNG needs different dimensions.

Questions people ask

Does the code expire, or stop working later?

No. It contains your text directly, with no shortener or tracking service in between, so it works as long as its destination does. Nothing on this site needs to stay online for it to scan.

Which error-correction level should I choose?

Medium suits almost everything on screen or clean paper. Use Quartile or High for stickers, outdoor signs and packaging, where more of the pattern can be damaged and still read.

Can I use my brand colours?

Within reason. Keep the pattern clearly darker than the background and avoid pale foregrounds; the tool flags colour pairs below 4:1 contrast and light-on-dark combinations. Light-on-dark codes look striking but many scanners refuse them, so test before printing.

Should I download PNG or SVG?

PNG is a ready-made image for websites, documents and messages. SVG is a vector file: print shops and design programs can scale it to any size without blurring, so choose it for posters, packaging and signage.

Will the Wi-Fi code work if I change my password?

No. The password is written into the pattern itself, so a new password — or a new network name — needs a new code. Generating one takes a few seconds.

Can I track how many people scan it?

Not with this tool, by design. If you need scan counts, encode a link to a page you control and measure the visits there with your own analytics.