How to make a QR code for free — the complete 2026 guide
Everything you need to create QR codes that work: types, sizing, error correction, branding with logos, and avoiding common pitfalls.
Create QR codes in seconds. No account needed, no watermarks. Download as SVG and use anywhere.
Tip: open Google Maps, right-click on a location, and copy the coordinates.
Fill in the fields to generate
your QR code
Point your camera at any QR code, or upload an image. Decoded entirely in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere.
After choosing, your browser's print dialog will open. Use "Save as PDF" to export.
Choose from URL, vCard, WiFi, or Event. Each type has its own form.
SVG stays crisp at any size; PNG works anywhere. Both are free.
Print it or share it digitally. Anyone can scan it with their phone.
Different QR types trigger different native actions on your phone — here's what each one looks like.
Opens the link in the phone's default browser.
Saves the contact to the phone's address book.
Connects to the network — no typing required.
Adds the event to the phone's calendar.
Opens the SMS app with the message pre-filled.
Opens the mail app with recipient and subject filled.
Starts a phone call — one tap to dial.
Opens the location in the default Maps app.
Opens your crypto wallet pre-filled with the address and amount.
Opens PayPal.Me ready to send the amount.
QR codes aren't one-size-fits-all. The format matters: the right type makes scanning seamless, while the wrong one forces extra taps or loses data. Here's a quick guide to picking the best QR format for your use case.
The most common type and the easiest to use. They open any web address — a website, a YouTube video, a Google Maps location, a PDF, or a social profile — when scanned. Ideal for restaurant menus, product packaging, posters, flyers, business cards, store windows, or anywhere you want to bridge print and digital. Because the data is just a link, you can change what the destination page contains later without reprinting the code.
Open generator →Save a complete contact — name, phone, email, company, job title, and website — directly to the scanner's phone address book. No more typing contact details off a business card. Perfect for networking events, trade shows, real-estate signs, sales teams, and anyone who hands out business cards. One scan and you're in someone's contacts forever.
Open generator →Let guests connect to your network without typing the password. Useful for cafés, hotels, Airbnb listings, co-working spaces, offices, and home guest networks. The scanner's phone automatically recognizes the code, reads the SSID and password, and joins. Supports WPA / WPA2 / WPA3, WEP, and open networks, and handles hidden SSIDs too.
Open generator →Add a calendar entry directly to the scanner's phone — event title, location, start and end time, and description. Great for wedding invitations, conference flyers, workshop posters, gym class schedules, or any event you want people to remember. Follows the iCalendar standard, so it works on iPhone, Android, Google Calendar, and Outlook.
Open generator →Open the SMS app pre-filled with a recipient number and a message ready to send. Useful for customer support shortcuts, voting and feedback campaigns, opt-in keywords, package handoff confirmations, and any flow where you want one-tap text replies. The phone honors the user's default SMS app, so it works the same on iPhone (Messages) and Android (any SMS app).
Open generator →Open the default mail app with the recipient, subject, and body already filled in. Perfect for support contact points, RSVP forms, sales lead magnets, conference networking, and any time you want to lower the friction of sending an email. The user only needs to tap "Send" — and they can edit before sending if they want to.
Open generator →One scan, one tap, one call. Phone QR codes (the tel: scheme) trigger the dialer with the number pre-filled. Excellent for customer service, taxi/transport stickers, real-estate signs, restaurant reservation calls, and emergency contacts on equipment. No more reading a number off a page and dialing it manually — just scan and call.
Open Google Maps, Apple Maps, or the user's default map app at exact GPS coordinates. Ideal for hard-to-find businesses (industrial parks, rural locations), event venues, tourism trails, geocaching, real-estate sites, and "Find us" stickers on storefronts. Works without a street address — just lat/lon, perfect when an address is ambiguous or non-existent.
Open generator →Generate payment requests for Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, or Dogecoin using the standard URI schemes (bitcoin:, ethereum:, etc.). The scanner's wallet app — Trust Wallet, MetaMask, Coinbase, Phoenix, Muun — opens with the address and amount pre-filled. Great for accepting tips, donation pages, freelance invoices, point-of-sale at crypto-friendly events, and any time you want to make a payment trivially easy to send.
Encode a PayPal.Me link with optional amount and currency. Scanning opens the user's browser at paypal.me/yourname with the amount pre-filled if specified. Useful for splitting bills, receiving freelance payments, charity donations, garage sales, and any peer-to-peer transactions where you want zero friction. PayPal handles fees, currency conversion, and dispute resolution.
Curated guides grouped by audience. Each hub covers 5–7 specific use cases with templates, best practices, and FAQ.
Business cards, resumes, office WiFi, real estate, conferences, product packaging. 7 guides.
Browse business guides →Weddings, RSVPs, conferences, school events, memorial services, restaurant menus. 6 guides.
Browse event guides →PayPal.Me, Cash App, Venmo tips, nonprofit donations, WhatsApp Pay. 5 guides.
Browse payment guides →Instagram, YouTube, Spotify playlists, podcasts, LinkedIn. Turn print into followers.
Browse creator guides →Specific situations, ready-made guides. Each page covers the templates, best practices, and common mistakes for one real-world use case — from Airbnb hosts to wedding planners to small businesses.
Print one card and every guest connects to WiFi with a single tap — no typing 16-character passwords. Boost reviews with an easy welcome experience.
Read the Airbnb guide →Replace printed menus that go out of date overnight. Update prices in seconds — your QR stays the same. Multilingual, accessible, free.
Read the menu guide →One QR on your invitation handles RSVPs, live photo sharing, and registry. Guests scan from the save-the-date — paperless and elegant.
Read the wedding guide →Paper cards get thrown out. A QR on yours saves your contact directly to their phone — name, email, phone, LinkedIn — in two seconds.
Read the business card guide →Happy customers rarely review on their own. Place a QR at checkout — they tap, leave 5 stars, you climb the local search rankings.
Read the Google Review guide →Customers hate filling forms. Scan a QR, WhatsApp opens with a pre-filled message to your number. Free, no app required to scan.
Read the WhatsApp guide →Stop saying "follow us @yourbrand". Print a QR — they scan, Instagram opens, one tap follows. Works for personal and business accounts.
Read the Instagram guide →No one carries cash anymore. Print a QR — customers tap to tip via PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App. You get paid instantly.
Read the tip jar guide →Recruiters scan a QR on your CV to open your portfolio, LinkedIn, or video intro — instantly. Stands out from text-only resumes.
Read the resume guide →Guests and contractors connect to your office guest network in one tap. No more whiteboard passwords or IT tickets.
Read the office WiFi guide →Yard signs and flyers link to the full MLS listing, virtual tour, and agent contact. Buyers scan without typing URLs.
Read the real-estate guide →Badges, agendas, venue maps, session feedback — all from a single QR. Reduce printed handouts and last-minute schedule changes.
Read the conference guide →Share a curated playlist by QR — scan opens the Spotify app, ready to play. Perfect for wedding receptions, cafés, and merch tags.
Read the Spotify guide →One scan opens your channel — visitors tap subscribe without typing. Ideal for end cards, business cards, and merchandise.
Read the YouTube guide →Networking events: scan, connect, done. No more typing names into search. Works for personal profiles and company pages.
Read the LinkedIn guide →Encode a paypal.me link with optional amount and currency. Customers scan, PayPal opens, payment in seconds.
Read the PayPal.Me guide →Print your $cashtag as a QR — friends, customers, and tippers scan to send money instantly. No app switching, no typos.
Read the Cash App guide →Invitation QRs that open your RSVP form pre-filled — track headcount automatically. Great for parties, fundraisers, weddings.
Read the RSVP guide →A QR on the collar links to "I'm lost — call my human" with phone, vet, allergies, and meds. Faster reunions than tags alone.
Read the lost-pet guide →A living obituary: scan to view photos, tribute videos, charitable donation links. Modern memorial cards and headstones.
Read the memorial guide →Print one QR on flyers, mailers, and signage — donors scan to give via Stripe, PayPal, or Donorbox. 501(c)(3) ready.
Read the donation guide →SKU-level destinations: scan to see ingredients, allergen info, FDA disclosures, AR experiences, or warranty registration.
Read the packaging guide →Pod.link smart-routing — your listener's preferred podcast app opens automatically. Print on flyers, merch, and end cards.
Read the podcast guide →Permission slips, sign-up sheets, FERPA-safe parent communication. One QR replaces ten paper forms.
Read the school-event guide →Schedule + booking links via MindBody, Glofox, or Vagaro. Members scan to book the next class without app friction.
Read the yoga guide →Practical guides on making QR codes — from sizing and troubleshooting to branding with logos and printing for cafés.
Everything you need to create QR codes that work: types, sizing, error correction, branding with logos, and avoiding common pitfalls.
Low contrast, too small, missing quiet zone, broken redirect — the most frequent reasons QR codes fail and how to fix each one.
The 1:10 rule with real examples for menus, business cards, posters, billboards, plus print resolution and DPI guidance.
Where to place the logo, how big it can be, why error correction matters, and a step-by-step using our generator.
Static codes are free, fast, and permanent. Dynamic codes can be edited but cost money and depend on a server. A practical comparison.
Generate, frame, print, and place WiFi QR cards your guests will actually use. Plus security considerations for shared networks.