QR Code Generator

What a QR code actually stores

A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode that holds text directly in its grid of black and white squares, called modules. When you encode a web address, a Wi-Fi network, a phone number, or a block of plain text, the characters themselves are baked into the image — there is no lookup and no server in the middle. That is what makes a code generated here static: because the data lives in the pattern, the code never expires and keeps working in print for as long as the ink survives.

This is the key difference from the "dynamic" QR codes sold by some marketing services. Those encode a short redirect link that points to the real destination, so they can be edited or tracked later — but they stop working if that service takes the link down. A static code has no such dependency, at the cost of not being editable once printed.

Choosing size and error correction

Two settings decide whether a code scans reliably: its printed size and its error-correction level. A useful rule of thumb is that the code should be at least one tenth of the distance it will be scanned from. Error correction adds redundant data so the code still reads when part of it is dirty, damaged, or covered by a logo — but higher correction makes the pattern denser and lowers how much text fits.

Error-correction levels at a glance

Why a code fails to scan

When a code will not read, check four things in order: the plain margin around it (the "quiet zone") must not be cropped — this tool always outputs the required four-module border; the contrast should be strong, ideally dark on a light background rather than the reverse; the print must be large enough for the scanning distance; and very long content may need a shorter link or a higher correction level. Because everything is generated inside your browser, the text you encode is never uploaded, and the downloaded PNG is a plain image you can use anywhere — menus, packaging, slides, or handouts — with no watermark and no expiry.