Guides / Dev utilities

How to Make a QR Code for a Link, Text or Wi-Fi Details

Last reviewed October 12, 2026

A QR code lets someone open a link, read a message or copy a code by pointing their phone camera at it. They are useful on posters, menus, business cards, product labels and slides. Anvil generates a QR code from any text and gives you a PNG image to download.

Make a QR code in three steps

  1. Open Dev utilities and choose the QR code tab.
  2. Type or paste the text or web address you want the code to hold.
  3. Press Generate, then download the PNG image.

The code is a plain, static QR code. It contains your text directly, so it never expires, needs no account and does not track scans.

What you can put in a QR code

  • A web address. Always include https:// at the start so phones open it as a link.
  • Plain text, such as a short message or a reference number.
  • A phone number, written as tel: followed by the number.
  • An email address, written as mailto: followed by the address.
  • Wi-Fi details, written in the format WIFI:T:WPA;S:NetworkName;P:Password;; which most phones recognise.

Remember that anyone can scan a printed code, so never put a password or private data you would not want strangers to read.

Make it scan reliably

  • Keep the text short. A short link gives a simpler, larger-patterned code that scans faster and from further away.
  • Print it large enough. As a rule of thumb, allow at least 2 cm (about 0.8 inches) square for a code scanned from arm's length, and more for posters read from a distance.
  • Keep the quiet zone, the plain margin around the code. Do not crop it or let other graphics touch it.
  • Use strong contrast, dark code on a light background. Avoid inverted colours and low-contrast designs.
  • Test with at least two different phones before you print hundreds of copies.

Common mistakes

  • Linking to a page that is not mobile friendly, which wastes the scan.
  • Using a link that you later change. A static code cannot be edited, so use a stable address that you control.
  • Stretching the image. Scale it evenly so it stays square.
  • Saving the code at a tiny size and enlarging it. Print it from the original image, or generate it again for large formats.

If you also need to encode text for other systems, see Base64 encoding explained. For data work, read the guide on converting JSON, YAML and CSV.

Try it now

Open the Dev utilities tool. It is free, needs no account, and your files are deleted right after conversion.

Related guides