Free QR Code Generator That Never Expires
Links, Wi-Fi logins, email, phone numbers or plain text — turned into a QR code you can download as PNG or SVG. No account, no scan limits, no watermark.
Left off https://? It is added for you, so phones open the link instead of searching for it.
15% recovery — good default for most uses
Live Preview
Enter something on the left and your QR code appears here.
Static codes: the kind that keeps working
Many "free" QR sites quietly make a dynamic code. Instead of your link, the pattern points to a short URL on their server, which then forwards people to you. That lets them count scans — and it lets them stop forwarding. After a 7- or 14-day trial the code shows an upgrade page, and the menus, flyers and business cards you already printed point at a paywall.
This tool only makes static codes. Your link or Wi-Fi details are encoded directly in the black and white squares, so any phone can read them with no middleman. That means no expiry, no subscription, and no third party logging who scanned what. The one thing you give up is editing: if the destination address changes, generate a new code. If you need to change where a printed code goes later, point it at a page on your own site that you control.
Making a QR code in three steps
- Step 1
Choose what the code does
Pick URL, Text, Wi-Fi, Email or Phone and fill in the fields. For Wi-Fi, type the network name and password exactly as they appear on your router — they are case-sensitive.
- Step 2
Tune it for where it will live
Leave error correction on M for most prints, raise it to Q or H for stickers or logo overlays. Keep the code dark on a light background and the quiet zone switched on.
- Step 3
Test, then download
Scan the live preview with your own phone before you export. Then download SVG for print work or PNG for documents and the web.
Which error-correction level?
Every QR code carries spare data so it can still be read when part of it is dirty, torn or covered. More spare data means more squares in the same space, so higher levels make a denser code that needs to be printed a little larger.
| Level | Can recover | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| L | ~7% | Screens, slides and websites where the code will not get damaged. Produces the simplest, least dense pattern. |
| M | ~15% | The everyday default. Flyers, posters, packaging and anything printed on paper. |
| Q | ~25% | Codes that will be handled or exposed: stickers, table tents, outdoor signs, labels that may scuff. |
| H | ~30% | When you plan to place a logo in the middle, or the surface is rough (fabric, engraving, curved bottles). |
Adding a logo? Choose H, keep the logo under roughly a fifth of the code's width, never cover the three large corner squares, and test with more than one phone before printing.
Sizing a QR code for print
- Module size. A "module" is one of the small squares. Keep each one at least about 0.4 mm wide; on cheap or absorbent paper aim for 0.5 mm or more. Long content and higher error correction mean more modules, so the whole code has to grow. A short URL at level M fits comfortably in 2 × 2 cm (0.8 in); a long Wi-Fi password at level H may need 3 cm or more.
- Scanning distance. A practical rule is that a code can be read from about ten times its width. A 2 cm code works at arm's length; a poster meant to be read from 3 m away needs a code around 30 cm wide.
- Quiet zone. Scanners need an empty border of four modules on every side to find the code. Keep the "quiet zone" option on, and do not let text, frames or photos crowd up against the edges once it is placed in your layout.
- Contrast. Dark modules on a light background, with a big difference in brightness. Navy on white is fine; mid-grey on light blue is not. Light-on-dark (inverted) codes fail on many older scanners, and glossy laminate can cause glare, so test the printed proof under the lighting it will actually be seen in.
QR code questions
- Will my QR code stop working after a while?
- No. The code you download here is static: the link, Wi-Fi details or text are written into the pattern itself. There is no redirect server in between, so there is nothing that can be switched off, put behind a paywall or expire. It will scan for as long as the destination exists. If you encode a website and later change that page's address, you will need a new code — that is the one trade-off of static codes.
- Can people scan the code from a screen instead of paper?
- Yes. Phone cameras read codes from monitors, TVs and other phones without trouble. For slides or video calls, keep the code at least about a fifth of the screen height, leave the quiet zone on, and use dark modules on a light background. Level L or M is fine on screens because there is no ink smudging or wear to recover from.
- Do Wi-Fi QR codes work on both iPhone and Android?
- Yes. On iPhone, open the Camera app, point it at the code and tap the "Join network" banner (supported since iOS 11). On Android 10 and later, the camera or Google Lens shows a "Connect" prompt; on some Samsung phones the scanner lives in the camera's Bixby Vision or quick-settings QR tile. Choose the security type your router actually uses — most home and office networks are WPA/WPA2/WPA3. Codes for hidden networks work, but some older Android versions ignore the hidden flag.
- Should I download SVG or PNG for printing?
- SVG for anything a designer or print shop will handle: it is vector, so it stays razor-sharp at any size, from a business card to a banner, and the file is tiny. PNG is better for places that only accept images — Word, Google Docs, social posts, email signatures. If you use PNG for print, pick 1024 px or 2048 px so it is never scaled up.
- Is what I type sent to your server?
- No. The QR code is drawn by JavaScript inside your browser tab. Your URLs, Wi-Fi passwords and messages are never uploaded, logged or stored, and once the first preview has appeared the generator keeps working even if you go offline. The only thing we record is anonymous usage counts, such as which content type was used — never the content itself.
Privacy
A Wi-Fi password is exactly the kind of thing you should not paste into a random website. Here the code is built locally with the open-source qrcode library running in your tab; nothing you type is transmitted. Because the codes are static, we also never see who scans them.
Finishing your QR code
- Add text to the image — put a call to action like "Scan for the menu" or the Wi-Fi network name under the code. People scan labelled codes far more often.
- Resize it — fit the PNG to an exact pixel size for a slide, website slot or social post template.
- Turn it into a PDF — handy for printing a guest Wi-Fi card or sending a print-ready file.