A QR code generator that asks for nothing and never expires
Pick a type above, type your content, and the code appears as you type. Download it as SVG, PNG, JPEG or WEBP. There is no account to create, no email to confirm, no watermark to remove, and no trial that runs out.
The code you download is static: your link, WiFi password or contact card is written directly into the pattern of black and white squares. Nothing sits in between. If Qrfast.io disappeared tomorrow, every code ever made here would keep working, because none of them depend on us.
That is the opposite of how many of the largest QR code sites work, and it is worth understanding the difference before you print anything.
Static or dynamic: the decision that decides whether your code dies
| Static (what you get here) | Dynamic (most "free trial" generators) | |
|---|---|---|
| What the code contains | Your actual content | A short link on the generator's domain |
| Works if the generator shuts down | Yes | No |
| Works if you stop paying | Yes | Usually no — scans hit a paywall or an error page |
| Can change the destination after printing | No | Yes |
| Scan statistics | Only through your own site analytics | Yes, collected by the vendor |
| Who sees your visitors | Nobody but you | The vendor, on every scan |
A dynamic code is a redirect you rent. That can be the right choice for a campaign where you need to swap the destination weekly. For a restaurant menu, a WiFi card, a business card, or packaging that will be on shelves for years, renting the redirect is a liability: the code on ten thousand boxes stops working the day a subscription lapses.
If you need an editable destination, there is a better pattern than renting one — point a static code at a short URL on your own domain and change where that URL redirects. You keep the analytics, the control, and the code. Our guide to whether QR codes expire walks through how to set that up.
Which type should you use?
Each type produces a differently structured payload, and choosing the right one changes what happens on the scanning phone.
| You want people to… | Use | What the phone does |
|---|---|---|
| Open a web page | URL | Shows the link, opens the browser |
| Join your WiFi | WiFi | Offers "Join network" — no typing |
| Save your contact details | vCard | Opens a pre-filled new contact |
| Find your shop | Google Maps | Opens Maps at your location |
| Leave a review | Google Review | Opens the review form directly |
| Message you | WhatsApp, SMS, Email | Opens a pre-written message |
| Call you | Phone | Opens the dialler with your number |
| Add an event to their calendar | Event | Shows an "Add to Calendar" preview |
| Read a document or menu | Opens the hosted PDF | |
| Watch or listen | Video, MP3 | Opens the player |
| Download your app | App Store | Opens the store listing |
| Follow you | Social Media | Opens your profile |
| Pay you in bitcoin | Bitcoin | Opens a wallet with the address filled in |
| Read a note offline | Text | Displays the text, no internet needed |
Each of those pages carries a full guide to that format: the exact payload, the mistakes that break it, and how it behaves on iPhone and Android. Need a retail or inventory barcode rather than a QR code? Use the barcode generator for EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8 and Code 128.
What happens when you press download
Every code is built by JavaScript running in your own browser tab. When you type a WiFi password, it is turned into a QR pattern on your device and never sent to a server — there is no request to send it in. You can check this yourself: open your browser's developer tools, switch to the Network tab, and generate a code. Nothing carrying your input leaves the page.
That design choice has practical consequences beyond privacy. It is fast, because there is no round trip. It works on a patchy connection once the page has loaded. And there is no database of your codes that could leak, be sold, or be handed over.
The generator also does the fiddly encoding work that hand-made codes get wrong:
- WiFi passwords containing
;,:,,,"or\are escaped, so the phone does not truncate them. - Contact cards include both the structured name and display name that Android importers require.
- Events are converted from your time zone to UTC, so a remote attendee sees the right local time.
- Locations use a Google Maps link rather than a
geo:URI, which iPhones cannot open. - Phone numbers are normalised to international format, including dropping the
(0)in numbers written like+44 (0)20….
Read the panel under the preview before you print
Below the live preview is a small panel that reports what the encoder actually produced:
- Version — QR codes come in 40 sizes. Version 1 is a 21 × 21 grid; each version adds four modules per side. More data means a higher version and smaller squares at the same print size.
- Modules — the grid size. A 25 × 25 code printed 2 cm wide has modules under a millimetre across; a 57 × 57 code at the same width has modules a third of a millimetre across, which is too small for many phones.
- Minimum print size — a conservative floor for close-range scanning at that density.
It also warns about the two design choices that most often produce a code that looks fine on screen and fails in the real world: low contrast and inverted colours (light code on a dark background). Our QR code size guide covers scan distance, and the design guide covers colours, logos and print finishes.
Error correction, explained in one paragraph
Every QR code carries redundant data so it can survive damage. You can choose how much: L recovers about 7% of the symbol, M 15%, Q 25% and H 30%. More redundancy makes a denser code. M is the right default for most uses; Q or H are worth it for codes that will get scuffed, rained on or partially covered. When you add a centre logo, the generator locks the level to H, because the logo is literally covering part of the code. The error correction guide has the capacity tables.
A five-point check before you send anything to print
- Scan the downloaded file, not the on-screen preview, with at least one iPhone and one Android phone.
- Print a proof at final size on the final material. Ink spread on uncoated paper and glare on gloss lamination both break codes that scanned perfectly on screen.
- Keep the white border. The quiet zone is part of the code. The downloads include it — do not crop it away in your layout software.
- Check the destination works on mobile data, not just your office WiFi, and that it will still exist for as long as the print does.
- Use SVG for print. It is resolution-independent, so the same file works on a business card and a banner without blurring.
Frequently asked questions
Is this QR code generator really free?
Yes. Every type, every customisation option and every download format is free, with no limit on how many codes you make and no watermark. The site is supported by display advertising, which never sits inside the generator itself.
Do QR codes made here expire?
No. They are static codes: your content is encoded directly into the image, with no redirect through our servers. A code keeps working for as long as its destination exists — a deleted web page or a changed WiFi password will stop it, but nothing on our side can.
Can I edit a QR code after I have printed it?
Not the code itself — a static code's content is fixed. If you need to change the destination later, encode a URL on your own domain and change where that URL redirects. That gives you an editable code without depending on a QR vendor.
Can I use these QR codes commercially?
Yes. Codes you generate are yours to use on packaging, menus, advertising and any other commercial material, with no attribution required.
Is it safe to put my WiFi password into a QR code generator?
Here, yes — the code is generated in your browser and the password is never transmitted. Be aware that anyone who can see or photograph the printed code can join the network, so only print codes for guest networks.
Which file format should I download?
SVG for anything printed, because it scales to any size without losing sharpness. PNG at 2048 pixels or more for documents and slides where SVG is not accepted. JPEG and WEBP are mainly useful for websites and email.
Can I add my logo to a QR code?
Yes. Upload your own image or pick a built-in brand icon in the customisation panel. The generator switches error correction to level H so the code still scans with the centre covered. Keep the logo small and always test the downloaded file.
Why won't my QR code scan?
The usual causes, in order: low contrast between code and background, a cropped white border, a code printed too small for its density, glare from glossy finishes, and inverted colours. The scannability panel under the preview flags the first and last of these before you download.
Further reading
- Do QR codes expire? — A QR code itself never expires — but a dynamic code can die when a subscription ends. How to tell which kind you have, and how to get an editable code without the risk.
- GS1 Digital Link: QR codes on products, explained — How GS1 Digital Link puts a product's GTIN, batch and expiry into a QR code that both checkouts and phones can read, what Sunrise 2027 means for brands, and how to build one correctly.
- How QR codes work, from pattern to payload — A clear technical walkthrough of a QR code: the finder and timing patterns, how text becomes bits in each encoding mode, Reed–Solomon error correction, masking, and how a phone reads it.
- How to scan a QR code on any device — Scan QR codes with the built-in camera on iPhone and Android, from a screenshot or photo, on a Windows or Mac computer — and what to do when a code will not scan.
- QR code design: how to customise without breaking it — Which colours, logos, dot styles and print finishes keep a branded QR code scannable — with the contrast numbers, logo limits and pre-print checklist designers need.
- QR code error correction levels, explained — What the L, M, Q and H error correction levels actually protect against, how much data each leaves room for, and which one to choose for print, packaging and logos.
- QR code scams and how to spot a malicious code — How "quishing" works — fake parking stickers, phishing emails with QR codes, fake delivery notes — and the checks that stop it, for people scanning codes and for businesses printing them.
- How big should a QR code be? — Minimum QR code print sizes for business cards, menus, posters and billboards, the 10:1 distance rule, and why the amount of data matters as much as the distance.
- QR code vs barcode: what is the difference? — Linear barcodes and QR codes compared on capacity, scanning, error correction and cost — plus Data Matrix, and how to decide which one your product, shop or warehouse needs.