Video QR Code Generator (Free)

1. 1

   Put the video online

   Upload it to YouTube (Unlisted works), Vimeo, Google Drive, Dropbox or your website.

2. 2

   Copy the link

   Use the Share button and copy the link. Check that anyone with the link can watch it.

3. 3

   Paste it above

   Paste the link into Link to your video.

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 the video plays for everyone.

A QR code can’t hold a video, so it holds the video’s link. Scanning it opens the video in the browser, or in the YouTube or Vimeo app.

https://vimeo.com/123456789

The video has to stay online at the same link for the code to keep working. On YouTube you can also link a playlist or start the video at a set moment.

For video QR codes

• YouTube’s Unlisted setting lets anyone with the link watch, without the video showing up in search.
• Keep it short: people scanning a poster or a package usually watch on mobile data, standing up.
• Add captions, because many people watch with the sound off.
• iCloud links expire after 30 days, so don’t use them for printed codes.

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 swap the video after printing, for example for an updated how-to, and counts how many people scanned it.

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.