How to make a QR code, step by step
To make a QR code, open a free QR code generator, paste your link or pick a type such as Wi-Fi or contact card, style it if you like, then download it as PNG, SVG or PDF. Scan it with your phone before you share or print it. It takes about a minute.
13 August 2026
How to make a QR code for a link
Most QR codes open a web page, so this is where to start. The same steps work on a computer or in your phone's browser.
- Copy the full address of the page you want the code to open, including https://.
- Open a free QR code generator such as NeoReader's and choose the Link type.
- Paste the address into the field. The code appears straight away.
- Pick a style, colours and, if you like, your logo and a frame with a label such as "Scan me".
- Check the scan result. NeoReader tests the design live and warns you if contrast or the logo make it unreliable.
- Download PNG for screens and documents, or SVG or PDF for print.
- Scan the downloaded file with your phone and make sure it opens the right page.
Choose the right type of QR code
A QR code can do more than open a link. Picking the right type means the phone does the right thing when it scans.
- Link: opens a web page, a Google Form, a menu, a review page or a shared file.
- Text: shows a short message, a code or instructions, with no internet needed.
- Wi-Fi: joins your network without typing the password.
- Contact card: saves your name, phone, email, company and address to the phone's contacts.
- Email and SMS: opens a new message with the address, subject or text filled in.
- Phone and WhatsApp: starts a call, or opens a WhatsApp chat with a message ready to send.
- Calendar event: adds a date, time and place to the person's calendar.
- Location: opens a place in the phone's maps app.
- Crypto: a Bitcoin, Ethereum or Litecoin payment request.
What about PDFs, images and videos?
A QR code cannot hold a file. It holds a link to one. Upload the PDF, photo or video somewhere you control, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, your website or YouTube, set sharing to anyone with the link, and make a link QR code from that address.
If you later need to replace the file, upload a new version of the same file rather than deleting it, so the link and the printed code stay the same.
Style your QR code without breaking it
Colour, rounded dots and a logo can make a code look like part of your brand, and they are all fine as long as the scanner can still read it. Three rules cover most problems.
Keep the code dark and the background light, with strong contrast between them. Keep a logo small and let the generator raise error correction to make up for it. Leave a clear margin around the code. A frame with a short call to action, such as "Scan for the menu", tells people what they will get before they scan.
Which file format to download
- PNG: websites, emails, slides, Word and Google Docs. Download a large size so it stays crisp.
- SVG: design tools such as Canva, Illustrator and Figma, and anything printed. It stays sharp at any size.
- PDF: sending to a printer.
- Transparent background: placing the code straight on artwork, as long as the area behind it is light and plain.
- JPG and WebP: where a site or app asks for those formats.
Static or dynamic: which one you are making
Free generators do not all make the same kind of code. A static code stores your content in the pattern itself and works forever. A dynamic code stores a short link to the provider's server, which lets you edit the destination but stops working if the service or your plan ends. NeoReader makes static codes: no expiry, no redirect and no tracking of the people who scan. If you want the freedom to change the destination, point the code at a page on your own site and edit the page instead.
How big to make it
Size depends on where the code will be scanned. On a business card, leaflet or label, print it at least 2 × 2 cm. For anything read from further away, make it about a tenth of the scanning distance, so a poster people read from two metres away needs a code around 20 cm wide. On a screen or slide, make it large enough for the person furthest away.
Leave a clear margin around the code on every side, about four of its small squares wide. Text, borders and artwork inside that margin make it harder for phones to find the code.
Before you print or share
- Scan the final file, not just the preview, with two different phones.
- Print it at least 2 × 2 cm, bigger for anything read from a distance.
- Open the link on a phone that is not signed in to your accounts, to check the public can see it.
- Need a lot of codes? Paste a list or upload a CSV to the bulk generator and download a ZIP.
