No. A QR code is just an encoding of text, and it will decode to the same text forever. What expires is whatever the text points at — a shortened link or a redirect service can stop working, which is why encoding the final URL directly is more durable.

Why will my QR code not scan?

Most often the quiet zone has been cropped, the printed size is too small for the amount of data, or contrast is too low. Dark code on a light background scans best; inverted codes fail on many readers.

How much data fits in a QR code?

Up to about 2,950 bytes at the lowest error correction level, but codes that large are dense and hard to scan. For a URL, staying under about 300 characters keeps the code comfortably readable.

QR code generator

Text or link to encode

Error correction

Make a QR code for a link, text, WiFi network or contact details, and download it as SVG.

How it works

Generates a QR code in your browser and offers it as an SVG, which stays sharp at any size — important, because a QR code printed from a small bitmap is the most common reason one fails to scan.

QR codes carry error correction, and the level is a real trade-off. Level L recovers from about 7% damage and produces the smallest, sparsest code; level H recovers from about 30% but needs a denser grid for the same data. Use H if the code will be printed small, placed outdoors, or have a logo overlaid on it; L or M is fine for a screen.

The quiet zone — the blank margin around the code — is part of the specification, not decoration. Codes that fail to scan very often have had that margin cropped away. Keep at least four modules of white space on all sides.

Nothing you type is transmitted. The code is computed locally, so it is safe to encode a WiFi password or contact details.

This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to a server, logged or stored, and the page keeps working with the network disconnected.

Common questions

Do QR codes expire?: No. A QR code is just an encoding of text, and it will decode to the same text forever. What expires is whatever the text points at — a shortened link or a redirect service can stop working, which is why encoding the final URL directly is more durable.
Why will my QR code not scan?: Most often the quiet zone has been cropped, the printed size is too small for the amount of data, or contrast is too low. Dark code on a light background scans best; inverted codes fail on many readers.
How much data fits in a QR code?: Up to about 2,950 bytes at the lowest error correction level, but codes that large are dense and hard to scan. For a URL, staying under about 300 characters keeps the code comfortably readable.

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QR code generator

How it works

Common questions

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