URL QR Code Generator
Paste a link, get a code that opens it. Your URL is encoded directly into the image — this site never wraps it in a redirect, so the code works forever and nobody (including us) can count or track the scans.
Print checklist
- Keep the white margin around the code — it is the quiet zone scanners need, not empty space to crop.
- Size for the scan distance: at least 2 × 2 cm for arm's-length scanning, and roughly one tenth of the farthest scan distance for posters.
- Scan a test print with a real phone before making copies.
Use the full https:// address
The generator asks for the protocol (https://) deliberately. A QR code is just
text; scanners decide what to do with it by its shape, and example.com/menu
without a protocol is ambiguous — some camera apps open it, some search it, some show it as plain
text. https://example.com/menu is unambiguous everywhere. Prefer
https over http: phones increasingly warn on plain-http links, which
is not the first impression you want a poster to make.
Worked example
The payload is exactly the link — nothing added, nothing rewritten:
https://example.com/summer-menu
Version 3 at 29×29 modules. Shorter URLs produce lower versions with larger modules, which scan more reliably in print.
The honest section about link shorteners
Many QR services silently replace your link with a shortened one on their own domain. That is how they offer scan counts and "editable" codes — every scan passes through their server first. We do not do that, and you should know the trade-off you are choosing on each side:
- Direct (this site): the code contains your URL. It cannot expire, cannot be held hostage by a subscription, adds no third party between your visitor and your site — and consequently there is no scan analytics and no editing after printing.
- Shortened/dynamic (other services): editable destination and scan counts, but the printed code is only as durable as that company's domain, business model, and your subscription. If any of the three lapses, every printed code dies at once.
If you legitimately need a shorter payload — very long URLs make dense codes — shorten the URL
at the source (a cleaner path on your own domain) rather than through a tracking middleman.
And if you want scan statistics, add a query parameter like
?src=poster and count it in your own website analytics: same insight, no middleman.
URL QR code FAQ
Can I change where the code points after printing?
Not the code itself — the URL is inside it. But you control the destination: if the code
points at your-domain.com/menu, you can change what that page shows, or
redirect it server-side, forever. Point codes at URLs you own and you get most of the
benefit of "editable" codes with none of the dependency.
Does a longer URL make a worse code?
Longer payloads need higher QR versions — more, smaller modules in the same printed area. The code still works, but it becomes less forgiving of small print sizes and low-quality printing. Keep marketing URLs short and clean.
Do you log the URLs I type?
No. Encoding happens in your browser; the URL is never transmitted to us. Only if you explicitly save a code to an account is that code stored, in your private library.
Can a QR code contain a virus?
The code itself is inert text. The risk is the same as any link: where it leads. That works in both directions — scan unknown codes with the same caution as unknown links, and expect your visitors to see your URL preview before opening it.
Special cases with their own pages: Google review links, WhatsApp chat links, and plain text when there is no URL at all.