How to make a QR code for a link: website, PDF, menu, Instagram and WhatsApp

To make a QR code for a link, copy the full address of the page, paste it into a generator and download the image. A person points a phone camera at the code and lands on that page without typing anything. This way you can share a link to a website, a PDF file, a menu, a form, a social media profile or a messenger chat. Below we look at which address to paste in each case, how to test the code and what to keep in mind before printing.

The link itself can lead anywhere: to a page, a file, a profile, a chat, a point on a map. For a phone it is always the same action: open an address. So the code is made the same way every time, and only what you paste into the field changes.

What you will need

All you need is the link. The page it leads to must already exist and open for a stranger: without signing in to your account and without a request for access.

You can make the code on a computer or on a phone, and no signup is needed. You get the finished image at once and it is yours to use: place it in a layout, print it, send it in a messenger.

How to create a QR code for a link step by step

Open the QR code generator. The "Link" tab is selected from the start.

1. Open the page you need in a browser and copy the address from the address bar.
2. Paste the address into the "Link (URL)" field in place of the example.
3. Look at the code on the right: it is built at once.
4. Choose a PNG size and download the file, or download the SVG for print.
5. Point your phone camera at the code and make sure the right page opens.

There is nothing else you have to set. Color, margin, error correction level and logo can stay as they are: the defaults are meant for ordinary print and screens.

How to make a QR code for a link on a phone

On a phone it works the same way. Open the page in a browser, tap the address bar and copy the address, or use the Share option and choose to copy the link. Then open the generator in the same browser and paste the address into the field.

The finished file goes to your downloads or gallery. You cannot scan the code with the camera of the same phone, so open the image in an app that recognizes codes in pictures, or ask someone to scan the code from your screen with another phone.

Which address to paste

Paste the full address, including https:// at the beginning. That prefix tells a phone it is looking at a link, and it offers to open it in a browser. Without it some phones show the address as plain text.

Copy the address from the address bar rather than typing it from memory. One wrong letter, and the code leads to an error page. The tool stores exactly what you pasted and does not check whether the page exists.

Do not take the address from search results or from a newsletter: such links are often long and pass through intermediate pages. Open the page itself first and then copy its address.

If the address contains non-Latin letters, for example a domain or path written in another alphabet, test the code with extra care. An address written in plain Latin letters is the safest: every phone understands it the same way.

Mind the letter case too. It does not matter in the site name, but in the rest of the address capital and small letters can be different, so do not change them when copying.

What a static QR code means

The code the tool makes is static. That means the pattern holds the address itself, letter for letter. Between the code and your page there is no intermediate service that could shut down, ask for payment or show ads.

A static code has two consequences. First: it works with no time limit, as long as the page is alive. Second: the address in a finished code cannot be changed. If the page has moved, you need a new code.

Such a code has no scan counter either. The code itself does not know how many times it was opened. How to see visits anyway is covered below, in the part about testing.

Static codes are sometimes contrasted with dynamic ones. A dynamic code leads to the address of a service, which then forwards the person on, so the destination can be changed and visits counted. The price is that the code lives only while the service runs and your plan is active. The tool makes static codes only.

Can you change the link after printing

Not in the code itself, but you can plan for it. If you have your own website, point the code not to the final page but to a short address on your domain that has a redirect set up. When the destination changes, you fix the redirect and the printed code stays the same.

If you have no website, simply choose an address that will not change: a home page, a permanent profile, a file that can be replaced with a new version under the same link.

A QR code for a link is free and never expires

The code is created in your browser, free of charge and without signing up, and there are no subscriptions. While you type the address, nothing is sent to the server.

When you click "Download PNG", a copy of the finished code with the link is sent to the studio so we can see which codes people create. So do not put links into a code that by themselves give access to private data. The code will be on public view anyway, and such a link does not belong there.

A code can only hold an address, not the page or the file itself. So everything comes down to one question: where is the thing you want to show stored, and what is its link.

It helps to separate two questions. What should the person see: a page, a document, a video. And where is it stored: on your website, in the cloud, on a social network. The second one decides how long the link will live and who controls it.

QR code for a website or a single page

For a website, take the address of the home page or of the page the person needs right now. On a flyer about a sale it is better to point to the sale page than to the home page: a person with a phone will not go looking for the right section.

Check how the page looks on a phone. Codes are scanned only with phones, and if the page is awkward there, the visit is wasted.

The shorter the address, the simpler the code. A home page address gives large squares, while a long product address with parameters makes the pattern fine and dense.

Think about what the person sees after the scan as well. The page should deliver at once on the promise written next to the code. If the sign says "Book online", the code should open the booking form, not a home page where the right button has to be found.

QR code for a PDF file

You cannot store the file itself in a code: a QR code only holds a short piece of text. The file has to be put online, and the code gets the link to it.

You can put a PDF on your own website or in cloud storage. In the second case, open access by link to anyone who has it. Otherwise the person sees not the document but a request to sign in or ask for access.

If the document exists only on paper, take photos of the pages and combine them into one file with the Photos to PDF tool. Then put the file online and make a code for its link.

Keep the file size in mind. A heavy PDF opens slowly on mobile data, and the person may not wait. If the document is built from photos, reduce them to a sensible size before combining.

The file name ends up in the link too. A short name in Latin letters without spaces gives a shorter and safer address than a long name with spaces and accented or non-Latin letters.

QR code for a restaurant or cafe menu

There are two ways to do a menu. The first: a menu page on the venue's website. It is easy to read on a phone, and you can edit it as often as you like without touching the code. The second: a PDF menu put online.

A file has a catch. If you upload a new version of the menu as a new file, the link changes and the codes on the tables stop working. Replace the file so that the address stays the same: on your own site that means the same path and file name, in cloud storage it means updating the version of the existing file.

A PDF designed for printing on a large sheet is hard to read on a phone. For a code on a table, a narrow single-column page with large type works better.

Label the code on the table and place it so that it is easy to scan while seated. If the menu comes in several languages, make separate codes with the language written next to each, or one page with a language switch.

QR code for a survey, a questionnaire or a booking form

Open the form the way a participant will see it and copy the address of exactly that page. The address of the editing page will not do: it takes a stranger to a sign-in screen.

In most form services the link for participants is given by the send or publish button. That is the one to paste into the generator. Checking is simple: open the link in a browser window where you are not signed in.

If the form collects responses for a limited time, remember that the code stays on printouts after the form closes. Set up a message for latecomers in the service in advance, or remove the printouts afterwards.

QR code for reviews, a map and an app

The same method works for any page that has an address. To ask for a review, open your business page on a map or directory service, find the Share button and copy the link. To show how to find you, take the link to the point on the map.

For an app, copy the link to its page in the app store. If the app exists for both iPhone and Android, make two labeled codes or point to a page on your site that has both buttons.

On a receipt, on packaging or in a letter such a code is handier than a long line with an address. Write next to it what exactly will open: "Leave a review", "How to find us", "Get the app".

QR code for photos, a video and a folder of files

Photos and videos, like a PDF, cannot be stored in a code. Put them where they get an address: a cloud folder with access by link, a video hosting site, an album. The code gets the link to the folder, album or video.

This is how people make codes for a wedding album, a video guide to a product, a folder with meeting materials. The rule is the same: check that the link opens for a person who is not signed in to your account.

A social media profile and a messenger chat have addresses too. That means you can make a regular link code for them, and it will open for anyone with a camera.

QR code for an Instagram profile

A profile address looks like instagram.com/ followed by the username. Open your profile in a browser, copy the full address and paste it into the generator. The code opens your profile: in the app if it is installed, or in a browser.

The app has its own profile QR code as well. It is fine when you need to show the profile quickly from a screen. A code from the generator is handier for print: you choose the size, the color and a transparent background, you get a vector SVG, and you can put your own logo in the center.

A code for a single post or video is made the same way: open it, find the option to copy the link and paste the address.

For a private profile the code works too, but the person sees only the name and a follow button. If the point of the code is to show your work or products, the profile has to be public.

QR code for WhatsApp

To have the code open a chat with you, use a link of the form wa.me/ followed by the phone number. The number is written in international format: with the country code, without the plus sign, leading zeros, brackets or dashes. As always, the address must start with https://.

After scanning such a code a person lands in a chat with your number and can write right away. There is no need to add you to contacts first.

A chat link reveals the phone number to everyone who scans the code. For a business number that is fine, a personal number is better kept off a shop window.

You can add a pre-filled message to such a link, but it makes the address longer and the code denser. For a sign the chat link is usually enough, and a caption next to it can say what to write about.

QR code for Telegram

For Telegram users, channels and bots with a public username, the link looks like t.me/ followed by that name. Copy it from the channel profile or from your account settings and paste it into the generator.

If there is no public username, the account has no address either. Set a username in the settings, or make a code with your phone number on the "Phone" tab.

A link to a channel or group is handy on packaging and receipts: a person subscribes in one move. For a bot the link is the same, only with the bot's name, and it opens the dialog with a start button at once.

One code for several social networks

One code holds only one address. If you need to give Instagram, Telegram, WhatsApp and a website at once, there are two ways. The first: make a page with a list of links on your own site and point the code to it. The second: print several codes side by side and label each one.

The first way suits small items such as a business card: one large code instead of four small ones. The second works for a poster, where there is enough room and a person picks what they need at once.

QR code for a YouTube video and other pages

For a video, copy the link with the Share button: it is shorter than the address in the address bar. For a channel, take the address of its main page.

The general rule is simple. If a page has an address and opens without signing in, you can make a code for it. If the page is visible only to you after signing in, the code will show everyone else a login screen.

Before printing a code that leads to someone else's platform, think about how permanent it is. A social media username can be changed, and then the old address stops opening. An address on your own website is safer: it changes only when you decide so.

When you do not need a link: phone, email and text

Not everything should be turned into a link. The tool has separate tabs for other tasks.

• "Phone": after the scan the phone offers to call the number.
• "Email": a new message opens with the address, subject and text filled in.
• "Text": a short note is shown on the screen, and no internet is needed for it.
• "Business card": the phone offers to save a name, company, phone, email and website to contacts.

In the "Text" and "Business card" tabs you can write in any language: accented letters, non-Latin alphabets and other characters are stored in the code as they are. This is handy for a short instruction, an order number or a contact with a name and company exactly as they are spelled. Checking the result is simple: scan the code with your own phone.

The longer the note, the denser the pattern. Anything longer than a couple of lines is easier to keep on a page: you can edit it, and the code stays short.

A WiFi QR code is not a link

A code for joining Wi-Fi is built differently: it stores a network name and a password, not the address of a page. The tool has a tab of its own for it. How to make one and why it sometimes fails is covered in the article on the WiFi QR code.

One sheet often needs both codes: Wi-Fi for guests and a link to the menu or website. Make them separately, label them and place them well apart so the camera does not mix them up.

A link code rarely fails by itself. What fails is a long address, a closed page and print that is too small. All of this can be checked in a few minutes.

Why a short link is better

The more characters in the address, the more squares the code has and the smaller they are at the same picture size. A short address gives a large, simple pattern that scans from a distance and in poor light.

You can shorten an address without any services. Remove everything after the question mark if the page opens without it. Remove the tags that were added when you copied the link from a social network or a newsletter. Check that the shortened address leads to the same place.

The difference is easy to see in the tool itself. Paste a long address, look at the pattern, then delete the tail with the parameters: the squares get larger at once. The same code can then be printed smaller or scanned from farther away.

Should you use link shorteners

A shortener turns a long address into a short one, and the code gets simpler. But a middleman appears between the code and your page. If the service shuts down, changes its rules or deletes the link, the printed code stops working and cannot be fixed.

A short address on your own website with a redirect is safer: you control it yourself. If you have no website and the address is long, it is better to print the code larger than to depend on someone else's service.

If you do use a shortener, pick one you trust for the long run and keep your own list of the links you created. For a one-month promotion the risk is small, for a sign or packaging meant to last years it is already noticeable.

How to find out how many people followed the code

The code itself keeps no statistics. But you can see the visits in your website statistics if you tag the link. Add a source tag to the address, for example a utm_source parameter with a value that identifies this code, and look at visits with that tag in your analytics system.

Make different codes with different tags for different media: one for a flyer, another for a shop window. Then you will see what works better. Keep in mind that every tag makes the address longer, so do not add more than you need.

Site statistics show the visits, but not the people who scanned the code and gave up waiting for the page to load. So a fast page matters no less than a visible code.

How to test the code before printing

The test takes a couple of minutes and has four steps.

1. Scan the code from the screen with your own phone and make sure the right page opens.
2. Open the same link in a private browser window: it shows what a person without your account will get.
3. Ask a friend with a phone on the other system to test it.
4. Print a trial copy at the real size and scan it from the working distance.

If the page asks you to sign in or shows an error, the problem is not the code but the access settings or the address itself.

Separately check what opens after the scan on mobile data, not only on Wi-Fi. A heavy page or a large file that loads fast in the office may take noticeably longer outdoors.

Which format and size to download

For a screen, a website or a messenger a PNG at 512 or 1024 pixels is enough. For print take a PNG at 2048 or 4096 pixels or the SVG: a vector file can be enlarged without losing sharpness.

There is no single minimum print size. It depends on the length of the link and the scanning distance. A code with a short address can be printed smaller, a code with a long address has to be larger. Leave an empty light area around the code: the standard calls for a margin of four squares on every side, and by default it is already built into the picture.

Print the code on a flat matte surface. Gloss and glass produce glare, and a curve distorts the pattern. A dark code on a light background reads better than any other combination.

Logo, color and a business card

You can put a logo in the center of the code and recolor the squares in a brand color. The code gets denser, and the print size requirements grow. How to keep it readable is covered in the article on a QR code with a logo.

If the link is needed on a business card, you do not have to make a separate file: the business card maker has a field for a link, and the code is placed on the card for you.

If there are several codes, do not put them right next to each other. A clear gap must remain between neighboring codes, otherwise the camera catches both and opens the wrong one.

On packaging and in printed ads a code lives for years. Before a large print run ask yourself once more whether the address will still work in a year, and if in doubt, point the code to an address on your own site.

Common mistakes in a link code

The first mistake: an address without https:// at the beginning. The second: a link to a page that opens only for its owner. The third: a long address from search results instead of the short address of the page itself.

The fourth: the code leads to a file that was later replaced by a new one with a different link. The fifth: the code is printed small or right at the edge, with no light area around it.

The sixth: nothing is written next to the code. People scan a code more willingly when they know what they will get. One line is enough: "Menu", "Book a visit", "Our Instagram".

How do I make a QR code for a link for free? Open the QR code generator, paste the full page address into the "Link (URL)" field and download the PNG or SVG. The code is created in your browser, free of charge and without signing up.

How do I make a QR code for a PDF file? The file itself cannot be stored in a code. Put the PDF on a website or in cloud storage, open access by link and make a code for that link.

How do I make a QR code for Instagram? Open your profile in a browser, copy the address of the form instagram.com/username and paste it into the generator with https:// at the beginning.

How do I make a QR code for a WhatsApp chat? Use a link of the form https://wa.me/ followed by the number in international format: with the country code, without the plus sign, leading zeros, brackets or dashes.

How long does a QR code for a link last? It has no expiry date. The code is static: it holds the address itself and works as long as the page at that address exists.

Can I change the link in a finished QR code? No. To change the address you need a new code. You can plan ahead with a short address on your own site and a redirect that you can change.

Why does my QR code open an error or ask me to sign in? Usually the page or file is closed to outsiders, or there is a typo in the address. Open the link in a private browser window and fix the access or the address.

Can I find out how many times a QR code was scanned? The code itself does not count this. Add a source tag to the link and look at the visits with it in your website statistics.