Image QR Code Generator (Free)

1. 1

   Put the image online

   Upload it to your website, Google Photos, Google Drive or Dropbox, and share it so anyone with the link can view it.

2. 2

   Copy the link

   Copy the share link, or the image’s own web address.

3. 3

   Paste it above

   Paste the link into Link to your image.

4. 4

   Download it

   Download an SVG for print or a PNG for screens.

5. 5

   Test it

   Scan it with a phone that isn’t signed in to your accounts, to check anyone can see the image.

A QR code can’t hold a photo: even the largest code stores under 3 KB, far less than a picture. So the code holds a link to the image online, and scanning it opens that link.

https://www.example.com/images/menu-board.jpg

The image has to stay online, at the same link and with the same sharing setting, for the code to keep working. Replacing a file on a cloud drive can change its link.

For image QR codes

• Use a place you control and expect to keep, such as your own website.
• Check the sharing setting: “Anyone with the link” on Google Drive and Google Photos, or a public link on Dropbox.
• iCloud photo links expire after 30 days, so don’t use them for printed codes.
• Resize large photos before uploading, so they load quickly on mobile data.

For any printed QR code

• Size: print the code at least 2 cm (0.8 in) wide for something held in the hand. For signs and posters, make it about a tenth of the scanning distance: roughly 10 cm (4 in) wide to scan from 1 m (3 ft).
• Contrast: use a dark code on a light background. Light-on-dark codes and pale brand colors fail on some phones.
• Quiet zone: keep a blank border of at least 4 modules (the code’s small squares) around it. Don’t crop it or put text and graphics right up against the code.
• File type: use the SVG for print, since it stays sharp at any size. The 2048 px PNG is enough for print up to about 17 cm (6.8 in) wide at 300 dpi.
• Surface: avoid glare from glossy laminate, tight curves (bottles, cups) and folds that cut through the code.
• Test: scan a printed proof with an iPhone and an Android phone, at the real distance and in the real lighting, before you print in bulk.

A dynamic code lets you change the image after printing, by pointing the code at a new link, and counts how many people scanned it.

To show a photo with text and buttons, use a hosted CirculateQR page, such as a product page or a link-in-bio page, behind a dynamic code.

Dynamic codes need a free CirculateQR account. On the free plan a dynamic code stays live for 14 days after you publish it; on a paid plan your codes stay live with no time limit, or you can keep a single code for a one-time $5.

The code you make on this page is static: free, permanent and private, but fixed once printed. Static and dynamic codes compared.