QR Code Generator

QR Code Generator - Create Free QR Codes and Download PNG or SVG

Updated September 30, 2026 · By Saman

Type or paste anything - a link, a Wi-Fi login, a phone number, a block of text - and this free QR code generator turns it into a scannable code you can download immediately as a PNG image or an SVG vector. There is no account, no watermark, no expiry date and no limit on how many codes you make.

The code is drawn in your browser, so nothing you encode is uploaded to a server. That is worth knowing before you put a guest Wi-Fi password or a personal phone number into any other generator.

How to make a QR code

1. Pick what you are encoding from the Content menu: text or a URL, a Wi-Fi network, a contact card, an email, an SMS, a phone number or a location.
2. Fill in the fields - the code redraws as you type.
3. Set the error-correction level and the output size; Medium suits most jobs.
4. Optionally change the colours, the module shape, the quiet zone, or drop a logo in the middle.
5. Download the result as PNG for screens or SVG for print.

What you can put in a QR code

Wi-Fi QR codes without typing the payload

Choose Wi-Fi network and fill in three fields: the network name exactly as it is broadcast, the password, and the security type. WPA covers WPA, WPA2 and WPA3; pick Open for a network with no password, and tick Hidden network when the name is not broadcast. The tool assembles the WIFI: payload for you and escapes the semicolons, commas and backslashes that would otherwise break a name like Cafe;Guest.

Android has read these codes since Android 10 and iOS since iOS 11, so scanning offers to join the network in one tap and nobody has to read a password aloud. Remember that the password sits in the code as plain text: treat the printout the way you would treat the password, and use a separate guest network where you can.

Which error correction level should you choose?

Error correction adds redundant data so the code still scans when part of it is dirty, scratched or covered. Higher levels are more robust but pack the same message into a denser grid, which means more modules in the same space.

Colour, shape and a logo in the middle

The controls under the preview set the dot colour, the background, the module shape - square, rounded or dots - and the width of the quiet zone. Tick Transparent to export a PNG or SVG with no background at all, which is what you want when the code sits on a coloured card or a photograph. Both downloads carry every styling choice, and the SVG stays a true vector.

Add a logo and the generator switches to error-correction level H by itself, clears a padded area behind the image and leaves the three finder squares in the corners untouched, because that is the pattern a scanner locks onto first. Keep the logo at or below about 20% of the width; past 25% you are asking the error correction to rebuild more than it can, and the tool says so. Warnings also appear for weak contrast, for an inverted code - light dots on a dark ground - and for a quiet zone under two modules.

PNG or SVG?

Download PNG when the code goes on a screen, in a slide deck, in an email or anywhere that needs a ready-made image. Download SVG when it goes to print. SVG is a vector, so it stays perfectly sharp whether it ends up on a business card or on the side of a van, and print shops generally prefer it. If you need a very large PNG instead, generate at the large size rather than scaling a small file up.

Making sure it actually scans

• Keep the quiet zone. The empty margin around the code is part of the code; do not crop it or place text against the edge.
• Mind the minimum size. Around 2 cm square works for a code scanned at arm's length; posters read from metres away need proportionally more.
• Keep contrast high and do not invert the colours - most scanners expect dark modules on a light background.
• Shorten long URLs before encoding. Less data means a less dense grid and a faster, more reliable scan.
• Test on real phones - both iOS and Android, in the lighting where it will actually be used - before you print a thousand copies.
• Watch the warnings under the preview. They flag the three faults that break codes in practice: weak contrast, an inverted colour scheme and a missing quiet zone.
• Non-Latin text is fine. Content is encoded as UTF-8, so Persian, Arabic, Japanese and emoji survive the round trip intact.

Read a QR code from an image

The Read tab works the other way round: drop a PNG, JPG, WebP or GIF of a QR code onto it, click to choose one, or paste a screenshot straight in (Ctrl+V or ⌘V). The image is decoded by your own browser and never uploaded, and light-on-dark codes are read too. The text appears under Decoded content with a button to copy it; for a Wi-Fi network, a contact, an email, an SMS, a phone number or a location it is also split into its fields, so you can see the network name and password without joining. A link is shown as plain text and never made clickable, because anyone can stick a code over a poster: check where it points before you open it. The reader works on images, not on a live camera, so photograph the code with your phone and drop the photo in. It is also the quickest way to confirm that your own code says what you meant before you print it.

Static codes and what that means

This generator creates static QR codes: the destination is encoded directly in the pattern. That has real advantages - the code works forever, keeps working if this site disappears, costs nothing and tracks nobody who scans it. The trade-off is that you cannot change where it points after printing. If the destination might move, encode a short URL you control and redirect it from your own server.

Where QR codes earn their place

• Guest Wi-Fi cards, so visitors join without anyone reading a password aloud.
• Restaurant menus, event tickets, boarding passes and museum labels.
• Business cards and conference badges that add a contact in one scan.
• Packaging that links to setup instructions, a manual or a warranty form.
• Posters and shop windows pointing to a booking page or a campaign landing page.
• Equipment labels linking to maintenance history or an asset record.

QR codes for WhatsApp, a Google Form, a PDF or a location

• WhatsApp chat: encode https://wa.me/15551234567 with the number in international format and no plus sign; add ?text=Hello to prefill a message.
• Google Form: click Send in the form, copy the link, and encode it as a URL - shorten it first if the code looks dense.
• PDF or any file: a QR code cannot hold the file itself; upload it somewhere public, then encode the share link.
• Location: pick the Location type and enter latitude and longitude, or encode a Google Maps share link so it opens in the reader's maps app.
• Instagram, YouTube, a product page: all just URLs - paste the profile or product link as Text or URL.

Related tools

Preparing the content usually comes first. Escape query parameters with the URL encoder before encoding a link, create a strong Wi-Fi key with the password generator, embed the finished image as a data URI with the Base64 encoder, and convert artwork with the image converter. To read a QR code from a screenshot, a photo or the camera, use the QR code reader.