How to create a QR code, step by step

Creating a QR code takes less than a minute and needs nothing but a browser. There is no design software to learn and no account to open. This guide walks through the whole process — deciding what your code should contain, generating and styling it, downloading it in the right size, and testing it properly before it goes out into the world.

Step 1 — Decide what the code will do

Every QR code starts with a decision: what should happen when someone scans it? The most common choice is opening a web page, so the content is simply a URL like https://your-website.com/menu. But a code can also hold plain text (a message, a serial number, a coupon code), start a phone call when it begins with tel:, open a pre-addressed email with mailto:, or log a phone into a Wi-Fi network using the special Wi-Fi format covered in our Wi-Fi QR code guide. Decide on the single action you want — codes that try to do everything usually end up doing nothing well.

Step 2 — Type it into the generator

Open the QRGen generator and type or paste your content into the box. Proofread it carefully at this point, especially web addresses: a static QR code cannot be edited after the fact, because the content is baked into the pattern itself. If you are linking to a page, visit the address once yourself to confirm it loads and shows what you expect.

Step 3 — Choose a size and error correction level

Size is about where the code will end up. For use on screens or in documents, 256 pixels is plenty. For anything printed — flyers, posters, packaging — pick 512 or 1024 so the squares stay sharp when scaled. The error correction level controls how much damage the code can survive: level M (about 15%) is a good default, while level H (about 30%) is worth choosing for stickers, outdoor signs, and anything that might get scuffed, wet, or partly covered.

Step 4 — Style it, but keep the contrast

Pick colors that fit your brand — with one hard rule: the code must stay much darker than its background. Dark navy on white, black on pale yellow, deep green on cream all scan happily. Pale grey on white, or a light code on a dark background, will frustrate scanners no matter how pretty it looks. If in doubt, classic black on white never fails.

Step 5 — Download the PNG

Click Download PNG and save the file. PNG is the right format for codes because it keeps every square razor sharp; avoid re-saving the image as a low-quality JPG, which can blur the edges of the pattern and make scanning unreliable.

Step 6 — Test-scan before you share or print

This is the step people skip and regret. Scan the downloaded code with your own phone camera, and ideally with a second phone from the other family (iPhone and Android). Check that it opens exactly the content you intended. Only then print, publish, or send it. A code printed on five hundred flyers is the wrong place to discover a typo in the web address.

Static or dynamic — which did you just make?

QRGen makes static codes: the information lives inside the pattern, the code never expires, and there are no scan limits. The trade-off is that the content is fixed forever. Some paid services offer dynamic codes, which point at a redirect the owner can edit later — useful for large campaigns, but the code dies if the subscription lapses. For menus, Wi-Fi, packaging, signage and most everyday uses, a static code is the simpler and safer choice.

Frequently asked questions

Ready to make yours? Open the QR code generator →