# How to make a QR code

> Pick the type, enter your details, check the size against the scanning distance, and download SVG for print or PNG for screens. With UseQR the whole thing happens in your browser — no signup, no watermark, and nothing is uploaded.

Source: https://useqr.app/docs/how-to/how-to-make-a-qr-code · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, MIT licensed, no signup.

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## 1. Choose the type

The type decides what happens when someone scans it:

| You want them to | Use |
|---|---|
| Open a web page | [URL](/url) |
| Join your WiFi | [WiFi](/wifi) |
| Save your contact details | [vCard](/vcard) or [MeCard](/mecard) |
| Message you on WhatsApp | [WhatsApp](/whatsapp) |
| Pay you | [UPI](/upi), [PIX](/pix), [EPC](/epc), [PayPal](/paypal) |
| Leave a Google review | [Google review](/google-review) |
| See a menu | [Menu](/menu) |
| Just read some text | [Text](/text) |

All 28 types are on the [tools page](/tools).

## 2. Enter the details

The code updates as you type. For static codes nothing is sent anywhere — the encoding runs
in your browser, which is why WiFi passwords and contact details never leave your device.

## 3. Keep the payload short

Payload length drives module count, which drives how small each module gets at your printed
size. Before styling anything:

- Remove tracking parameters from URLs and apply them on your own redirect instead.
- Use a short path: `example.com/sale`, not `example.com/campaigns/2026/spring/landing`.
- For a contact, consider [MeCard](/mecard-qr-code) — about 40% smaller than a vCard.

## 4. Style it, if you want to

Colours, module shapes, corner styles, gradients and a logo are all free. Two rules:

- **Dark modules on a light background**, with at least a 40% luminance difference.
- **A centre logo under about 20% of the area**, at error correction Q or H, never touching a
  corner square.

Every styled code is rasterised and read back with a real decoder before you can download it,
so if a choice breaks the code you find out immediately.

## 5. Check the size

Printed width should be at least the **scanning distance ÷ 10**. A table tent read from 35 cm
needs 3.5 cm; a poster read from 2 m needs 20 cm.

The [size calculator](/size-calculator) takes your payload, distance and medium and returns
the number.

## 6. Download

| Use | Format |
|---|---|
| Print, any size | **SVG** or **PDF** |
| Screen, email, social | **PNG** at final size |
| Embedding in HTML | **SVG** or a data URI |

Never scale a PNG up in a layout tool — interpolation softens every module edge, which is the
most common reason a code works on screen and fails in print.

## 7. Test before you commit

Scan the actual proof, at the actual size, on the actual stock, from the actual distance. Not
from your monitor at 10 cm.

## FAQ

### How do I make a QR code for free?
Choose a type, enter your details and download. UseQR has no signup, no watermark and no limits, and static codes are generated entirely in your browser.

### Which file format should I download?
SVG or PDF for anything printed, PNG for screens. Never enlarge a PNG afterwards — that is what makes printed codes fail.

### Do I need to pay for a QR code?
No. A static QR code is just your data encoded as squares. Paid products sell editability and analytics, not the code itself.

### Will my QR code expire?
A static code never expires. It contains the destination directly, so nothing has to keep running for it to work.

## Try it

- https://useqr.app/url
- https://useqr.app/wifi
- https://useqr.app/vcard
- https://useqr.app/validate