How it works
A vCard QR code encodes a complete contact card following the vCard 3.0 standard (RFC 6350). The data inside the QR looks like this:
When scanned, the phone recognizes BEGIN:VCARD and prompts the user: "Add Jane Doe to Contacts?" — one tap and the full record (name, work phone, email, company, job title, website) lands in the address book. No app required on either side.
Generate yours in 4 steps
Open the vCard tab
Open the generator — it opens directly on the vCard tab.
Fill in your contact details
Enter first name, last name, phone, email, company, job title, and website. Leave any field blank to skip it — only filled fields are encoded, which keeps the QR compact and scannable.
Customize and download
Adjust colors to match your brand, optionally upload a logo (the generator handles error-correction automatically), and download as SVG for print or PNG for digital sharing.
Test on a real phone
Open your phone's camera and scan the generated QR. You should see "Add to Contacts" with all your fields populated. If anything's missing or garbled, fix it before you order 500 business cards.
Privacy: contact data stays in your browser
The whole generator runs client-side. Your name, phone number, email, and other personal fields never reach any server — they're encoded into the QR locally and the file downloads from your browser. There's no backend, no logging, no telemetry on the data you enter. You can verify by opening DevTools and watching the Network tab while you generate.
Where vCard QR codes are useful
💼 Business cards
Add a 2 cm QR alongside your printed details. Scanners save the full record without retyping.
🎤 Conference badges
Networking pays off when contacts get saved correctly — vCard QR removes the "I'll add you later" failure mode.
📧 Email signatures
Embed the QR PNG at the bottom of your signature. Recipients on mobile can scan straight from the email preview.
🏠 Real estate signs
Agent vCard on every for-sale sign — passers-by save the agent's details without slowing down or typing.
🛠 Trade shows
Booth staff carry vCard QRs on lanyards. Visitors scan and walk away with the correct contact.
🚛 Service vehicles
Plumbers, electricians, contractors put a vCard QR on the van — anyone who sees the truck can save the number.
🎨 Portfolios & resumes
Embed at the corner of a printed CV or portfolio sheet — recruiters save you in one scan.
🍽 Restaurant owner cards
For VIP guests or media — owner contact saved with one scan instead of awkward number exchanges.
What gets encoded
- Name — first and last (encoded as both
N:andFN:for maximum compatibility) - Phone — work / voice type by default, accepts
+, digits, dashes, parentheses, and spaces - Email — single address, validated for basic format
- Company — organization name (
ORG:) - Job title — your role (
TITLE:) - Website — full URL; if you skip
https://, it's added automatically
Special characters in any field (commas, semicolons, backslashes, line breaks) are escaped automatically per RFC 6350, so the QR doesn't break if your job title contains a comma or your company name has an ampersand.
Print sizing for business cards
A standard business card is 8.5 × 5.5 cm (or 3.5 × 2 inches). Recommended QR size: 2–2.5 cm wide — fits cleanly without dominating the design. Below 2 cm, scan reliability drops on older phones. Above 2.5 cm, the QR competes with your name for visual hierarchy.
Place the QR on the back of the card or in a corner of the front. Leave a 4-module quiet zone (white margin) around it — don't let text or graphics crowd the code. For the full sizing breakdown, see the QR code sizes guide.
Common mistakes
- Including too many fields. Each field adds data; more data means a denser QR that scans less reliably from a small printed card. Stick to the essentials.
- Skipping the test scan. Always scan with your own phone before printing — verify every field appears correctly in the "Add Contact" prompt.
- Wrong field placement on the print. If you put the QR right against text or a logo with no quiet zone, it won't scan. Give it 4 modules of empty white space all around.
- Using a third-party "dynamic vCard" service. Those services log every scan and can disappear, breaking your printed card. Static vCard QRs work forever — see static vs dynamic.
Frequently asked questions
Will it work on iPhone and Android without an app?
What's the difference between vCard and MeCard?
Can I add a profile photo to the QR?
Can I add multiple phone numbers or emails?
Can I customize the QR colors and add a logo?
Does the QR expire?
Can I use the same QR on multiple cards / printings?
Is my contact data sent anywhere?
Is this QR code generator really free, with no catch?
Yes — free forever. No sign-up, no watermark, no usage limits, no expiry. The entire generator runs in your browser, so we have no server costs to recover. No premium tier exists.
Will my QR code expire or stop working?
No. Static QR codes (which this site generates) never expire — they encode the destination directly into the image. The QR works as long as the URL or content it points to is still valid. Print once, scan forever.
Can I track how many people scan my QR code?
Not from the QR itself (static codes have no built-in analytics). The simplest workaround: add UTM parameters to your destination URL (e.g. ?utm_source=qr&utm_campaign=flyer) and read scans in Google Analytics, Plausible, or your site's log files.
What's the minimum print size for a QR code to scan reliably?
Rule of thumb: 2×2 cm (0.8") for cards and stickers, 5×5 cm for table tents and posters, 30×30 cm for billboards. The 1:10 ratio works: scan distance ≈ QR size × 10. Always test scan at actual size before printing a large batch.
Can I edit where the QR points after it's printed?
Not directly — static QR codes have the destination baked in. Workaround: point your QR to a short URL on your own domain (e.g. yourdomain.com/menu) that redirects to the real destination. You can change the redirect target any time without reprinting.