Free QR code generator: static codes that never expire
Make a QR code for a link, Wi-Fi network, contact card or email, check that it scans, and download it as SVG or PNG.
- Made in your browser. What you type never leaves this page. How we know
- Free, no sign-up, no watermark
Only make codes for links you trust. People can’t see where a QR code goes before scanning.
Design
Scanners need clear space around the code: 4 modules is the standard.
This is a static code: the content is stored in the code itself, not on our servers, so it keeps working as long as the destination does. Why static codes don’t expire
The code is drawn by this page. What you type isn’t sent to us, stored or added to the file name. What happens to your files
How to make a QR code
A QR code is data drawn as a grid of dark and light squares, called modules. This generator writes your link, network details or contact card straight into that grid, with no short link and no redirect through our servers.
Before you download, the page checks colors and margins and decodes the rendered image itself, offering one-click fixes for anything risky.
- 1
Choose a type and fill it in
Pick URL, Text, Wi-Fi, Contact or Email. For links, https:// is added if you leave it out; only http and https links are allowed.
- 2
Style it and read the scan check
Set colors, error correction, quiet zone and an optional logo. The live preview and scan check flag anything a phone might struggle with.
- 3
Download SVG or PNG
Use SVG for print and design tools, or PNG at the size you need. File names describe the type and date, never the content.
What this tool does
- URL, text, Wi-Fi, vCard contact and email codes
- Error correction L, M, Q or H (default M)
- Custom colors, transparent background, adjustable quiet zone
- Optional center logo, 8–20% of the area
- Capacity meter with version, module count and minimum print size
- Scan check: contrast, quiet zone and a real decode test
- SVG, PNG from 256 to 4096 px, or copy to clipboard
Worked example: sizes for three real payloads
Numbers from the encoder this page uses; widths include the 4-module quiet zone on each side.
| Content | Level | Version | Modules across | Minimum print width |
|---|---|---|---|---|
https://pixwrench.com (21 bytes) | M | 2 | 25 + 8 = 33 | 2 cm (33 × 0.5 mm = 1.65 cm, raised to the 2 cm floor) |
| A 53-byte menu link with a query string | M | 4 | 33 + 8 = 41 | 2.05 cm |
| Same link at level H, as a logo requires | H | 6 | 41 + 8 = 49 | 2.45 cm |
| Wi-Fi network, WPA, 41-byte payload | M | 3 | 29 + 8 = 37 | 2 cm |
A 1024 px PNG request for the first code gives 1,023 px: 31 pixels per module × 33 modules, so edges stay sharp. The rule is max(2 cm, modules × 0.5 mm), a minimum for scanning from close range. For posters read from across a room, print much larger and test from where people will actually stand.
Static vs dynamic QR codes
A static code, the only kind made here, contains your actual data. Nothing sits between the phone and your link, so there is nothing to expire or be switched off. A dynamic code holds a short link run by a service that forwards people on; it can be edited, but stops working if that service or subscription ends. More in do QR codes expire?
Error correction, logos and colors
QR codes carry spare data so they can be read even when partly damaged. DENSO WAVE, which invented the QR code, gives approximate recovery rates of 7% for level L, 15% for M, 25% for Q and 30% for H. Higher levels make denser codes; Q or H suit codes that may get dirty.
A logo covers modules, so adding one switches to level H automatically and limits the logo to 8–20% of the code’s area (15% by default), kept clear of the three corner squares.
For colors, dark modules on a light background are safest. The check uses the WCAG contrast formula: 4.5:1 or more passes, 3 to 4.5 is a warning, under 3 fails. Light-on-dark (inverted) codes get a warning because not every scanner app reads them, and DENSO WAVE asks for a four-module quiet zone on every side.
The scan check, Wi-Fi codes and responsible use
The scan check decodes your code at three sizes plus a slightly blurred copy with ZXing, an open-source barcode reader compiled to WebAssembly. It is a strong signal, not a guarantee: scan a printed test copy before a big run.
A Wi-Fi code contains the network name and password in plain form. Anyone who scans it, or photographs it, gets the password. Use it for a guest network, not the one your work laptop lives on.
Only make codes for links you trust. People can’t see where a QR code goes before scanning.
Good to know
- You can’t edit a printed code. To change the destination, make a new code. Pointing it at a page on your own domain lets you change that page instead.
- Long content makes dense codes. Above version 40 (177 modules) the data won’t fit. To stamp a finished code onto photos, the watermark tool accepts it as a logo.
- Keep the quiet zone. Cropping off the light border can stop a code scanning; DENSO WAVE specifies four modules on every side.
- QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.
What happens to your files
Made in your browser. What you type never leaves this page.
Everything you type, including Wi-Fi passwords and contact details, stays in this page. It isn’t sent to us, isn’t stored, and isn’t put into the file name: downloads are named like qr-url-20261008.png. Only design settings such as colors and error correction are remembered in your browser.
A logo you add is read and rasterized locally in your browser and never uploaded.
Related tools and guides
Questions people ask
Do these QR codes expire?
No. They are static: your data is inside the code, with no redirect through PixWrench. They keep working as long as the destination does. See do QR codes expire?
Can I use the codes commercially?
Yes, on menus, packaging or anything else. DENSO WAVE states that no application is needed to use QR codes that follow the JIS or ISO standards.
Can I edit the QR code later?
No. A static code can’t change once printed; make a new one. If you expect changes, point the code at a URL on a site you control and update that page.
Why didn’t my QR code scan?
Common causes: low contrast, inverted colors, a trimmed quiet zone, printing too small or an oversized logo. The scan check offers fixes.
Should I download SVG or PNG?
SVG is vector, so it stays sharp at any size; use it for print and design software. PNG suits documents, websites and messages. Need a site icon from the same logo? Try the favicon generator.
Sources and review
- DENSO WAVE — Error correction feature (QRcode.com)
- DENSO WAVE — Information capacity and versions
- DENSO WAVE — Points for generating QR Code (quiet zone)
- DENSO WAVE — QR Code FAQ (free use, trademark)
- W3C — WCAG 2.2, contrast ratio definition
Page reviewed by the PixWrench team · How it works · Changelog · Report a problem