URL / Text

Encode any URL or plain text.

Content

Text or URL

Wi-Fi

Scanner connects automatically. Standard ZXing Wi-Fi format.

Network

Network name (SSID)

Password

Encryption

Hidden network

vCard Contact

Scanner offers to save as a contact.

Contact

First name

Last name

Organization

Title

Phone

Website

Address

Email / SMS

Pre-fill an email draft or text message.

Action

Type

To (email address)

Subject

Body

QR codes are an open ISO standard. Anything you generate here works with any standard QR scanner; no proprietary tracking. The library used is qrcode-generator (MIT license).

QR Code Basics

QR (Quick Response) codes encode arbitrary data into a 2D black-and-white pattern. They were invented by Denso Wave in 1994 for automotive parts tracking and have been an ISO standard since 2000. Modern smartphones decode them via the camera app ??no special app needed since ~2017.

Error Correction

QR codes include redundancy so they can be read when partly damaged or obscured. Four levels:

L (Low) ??~7% recoverable. Maximum data capacity.
M (Medium) ??~15% recoverable. Default; balanced.
Q (Quartile) ??~25% recoverable.
H (High) ??~30% recoverable. Use if you'll print on glossy paper, place outdoors, or overlay a logo.

Capacity

QR codes get bigger (more "modules") as you add data. A short URL fits in a small code that's easy to scan; a 1000-character paragraph produces a dense, large code. Keep URLs short ??use a URL shortener if needed.

Wi-Fi QR Format

The standard string format is: WIFI:T:WPA;S:<ssid>;P:<password>;; with optional H:true for hidden networks. iOS and Android scanners offer to connect when they see this prefix.

vCard Format

Uses version 3.0 of the standard. Major fields: FN (full name), N (structured name), ORG, TITLE, TEL, EMAIL, URL, ADR. Phone scanners offer to save the resulting contact.