How to Create a QR Code

Co-authored by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: August 12, 2022

Personal

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Business

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Q&A

With the rise in smartphone usage over the years, more people have QR scanners in their pocket than ever before. Awareness for QR codes is growing, and the ease with which you can share your business information should not be overlooked by any tech-savvy company. QR codes have a lot of personal uses as well. Read on after the jump to learn how to create them yourself.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Personal

1
Find a free QR code generator. If you are creating a QR code for your personal website or as your contact card, you can use a free QR code generator. These services will create a QR code for you, but don't provide any advanced tracking or analytics.
- There are apps available for iPhone and Android that allow you to create QR codes as well.
2
Choose your data format. Most free generators will have several format options available. These might include simple text, a website URL, a phone number, a text message, or a vCard (contact card). The device that scans the code will launch the applicable program when the code is scanned (for example, scanning a phone number code will open the dialer on the phone and enter in the phone number).

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3
Enter in your data. Enter your data into the fields provided by the generator. If you are entering text or a URL, try to keep it under 300 characters. Older phones and devices have difficulty with codes larger than 300 characters.
4
Change the color. By default, QR codes are black and white, but they can actually be any color you want. Most free code generators will allow you to adjust the colors on your QR code. This may be located in the “Options” or “Color” section of the generator.
- Some free generators allow you to change the size of the code, while others require a subscription in order to perform this service.
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Share your code. All free code generators allow you to download your code in PNG format. This image file can be easily added to any document, uploaded to your personal website, or even added to your email signature.
- Some services, such as GoQR, provide an embedding code that you can use for your website.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Business

1
Find a QR code generator that provides the services you need. There are a wide variety of QR code generating services that offer more than simple code generator. If you have a paid account, you can track how well a code is performing, make multiple-code campaigns, quickly change and update existing codes, and more.
- These services come at a price, and most companies offer varying levels of service for different prices.
2
Design your QR code. When you are using a paid service, you often have access to more custom QR codes, including logo embedding and unique styles and shapes. Use these tools to help make your QR code stand out.
3
Create codes. You can create codes that link to coupons, take the user to a store page, distribute business cards, link to your business's Facebook page, or pretty much any other web-based action. Using you QR codes creatively is a major key to a successful QR campaign.
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Deploy your codes. Once you have created your codes, start your marketing campaign. There are almost unlimited uses for QR codes, including print ads, websites, corporate business cards, TV commercials, billboards, and much more. Many QR code companies offer print and deployment services for the more expensive packages.^{[1]
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Track your campaign. The major benefit of using a paid QR service is the tracking functionality that is built in to professional codes. You will be able to track what codes your customers are using, how often they are using them, and which codes are performing better than others. You can use this information to fine-tune your marketing campaign.^{[2]
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- Most iPhones since iOS 12 and Androids can scan QR codes.
- You can open the camera app. It will automatically know it is a QR code.^{[3]
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- It will ask you if you want to visit the particular website. You can click the banner that pops up.^{[4]
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Community Q&A

Question

Are generated QR codes permanent?

Matt McQuinn

Community Answer

It depends on where you create them. Some platforms require subscriptions, some are completely free and last forever. QR Code Monkey is a great free resource!
Question

Is there a QR generator that a church can use that is free?

Jed Silverlake

Community Answer

There is a ton of free QR generation software on the internet. Just simply type: "QR code generator free" and the top result will help you create. They enable a person, business or a non-profit organization to create a QR code easily.