Help & FAQ

A static code encodes your content directly — a URL, WiFi password, contact card, whatever you chose — with no account and no backend involved. It's free (up to 10 downloads a day without a plan), works forever, but the destination can't change once it's printed. A dynamic code instead encodes a short link (myqrcreate.com/r/...) that redirects to your real content, so you can change where it points anytime without reprinting the code. Dynamic codes need an account since the redirect has to be hosted somewhere.

Every design feature is free — templates, shapes, gradients, logos, frames, transparent backgrounds, Image QR and every export format — with no watermark. The only limit is a count: 10 downloads per rolling 24 hours without an account or an active plan, shared across QR codes, barcodes and each code in a bulk ZIP. A free 14-day trial, a paid plan, or a grandfathered account has no daily cap. The count is tracked per browser (with a looser per-network backstop for shared connections) and resets 24 hours after your first download of the day; codes you have already downloaded keep working forever.

Only for dynamic codes. Every static QR type — URL, text, WiFi, vCard, event, and more — works with zero login, right on the homepage.

Designing is free with every feature and no watermark. Without an account or an active plan you can download 10 codes (or barcodes) per rolling 24 hours; a free 14-day trial, a paid plan, or a grandfathered account has no daily cap. Static codes you have already downloaded keep working forever. Dynamic codes: free for a 14-day trial, no card required, then a paid subscription. Accounts that existed before this pricing model shipped are permanently exempt — see the billing section below.

In the Design step, there's a Logo upload field — pick an image and it's embedded in the center of the code automatically, with the error-correction level adjusted to keep it scannable.

We check the contrast between your foreground and background colors, and how much of the code your logo covers, against the error-correction level you've set. Low contrast or a logo that's too large can make a real scanner fail even though it looks fine on screen. Increase contrast, shrink the logo, or raise the error-correction level (Settings → Error correction) to clear it — or download anyway if you've tested it yourself and know it works.

Yes — all design settings update the live preview instantly, and for dynamic codes you can keep changing them after saving too, from the code's edit page.

Yes — that's the entire point of a dynamic code. Edit the destination, content, or design anytime from your dashboard, and the already-printed code updates instantly since it was always just pointing at a short link.

It opens your device camera and does a real scan of the code on screen, decoding it with the same logic a phone would use and confirming it matches what you expect. It's a stronger check than the automated scannability heuristic — an actual scan, not just a contrast/logo estimate.

That happens before you've saved the code for the first time — there's no real link to share yet. Save it once and the Share button becomes active in the same spot.

It's an optional per-code gate: anyone who scans needs the password to reach your content. It's meant for cases where you communicate the password separately (a text, an email, a verbal PIN) — not for codes you're handing directly to someone, since they'd have no way to know it. If you're sharing a code openly (like a personal contact card), leave the password field blank.

Go to the code's edit page → Settings → "Password protect" field, and either enter a new password to replace it, or clear the field entirely to remove protection. You don't need to know the old password to do this — you're the owner.

Visitors see a clear "this code is no longer active" message instead of your content. The code isn't deleted — raise the scan limit, extend or clear the expiry date from the edit page, and it starts working again immediately.

This is fixed as of the latest update — it previously used a technique that some mobile browsers (particularly iOS Safari) handled unreliably. It now downloads a proper contact file directly, which works consistently across devices. If you're still seeing this, make sure you're on the latest version of your browser.

Yes — it generates a standard .ics file that Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and Outlook all support.

New vCard codes automatically get a link based on the contact's name (e.g. myqrcreate.com/r/janedoe) instead of a random code. This only applies to codes created going forward — existing codes keep their current link permanently, since changing it would break anything already printed or shared.

Every new account gets 14 days of full access to dynamic codes — creating, editing, everything — no card required. You'll see a "Free trial · N days left" indicator in the navbar the whole time, not just near the end.

A 14-day grace period starts: your existing codes keep working when scanned, but creating and editing new ones is locked, and the dashboard shows a countdown. Subscribe anytime during the grace period to unlock everything again instantly.

Your dynamic codes stop resolving — anyone scanning one sees a message that the owner needs to renew. Subscribing brings every code back online immediately; nothing is deleted.

Subscribe from the Pricing page — it's a standard PayPal subscription. To cancel, manage it from your PayPal account; your codes keep working for the remaining grace period afterward, same as a trial ending.

No — every account that existed before this pricing model shipped is permanently grandfathered with full access, no trial clock, no subscription required.

A QR (Quick Response) code is a two-dimensional barcode: a grid of black and white modules that a phone camera can read and decode into text, usually a web link. Your phone's camera app can scan one without installing anything.

Traditional barcodes (like the EAN/UPC codes on products) are one-dimensional and hold a short number or string, mostly for retail and logistics. QR codes are two-dimensional, so they hold far more — links, WiFi details, contact cards — and can still be read if part of the code is damaged. We offer both: QR codes in the main generator, and a separate free barcode generator at /tools/barcode.

Static codes never expire: the content is inside the image itself, so it keeps scanning as long as the image is readable. Dynamic codes depend on the owner's account: they work during the 14-day trial and the 14-day grace period after it, and keep working while a subscription is active (or the account is grandfathered). If neither applies, scanning shows a 'needs its owner to renew' message until the owner subscribes — nothing is deleted. A dynamic code can also stop working if its owner pauses it or sets an expiry date or scan limit.

Open your phone's built-in camera app, point it at the code, and tap the link or notification that appears. Most current iPhones and Android phones do this natively; if yours doesn't, a QR scanner app or your browser's scan feature will work. Keep the whole code in frame and make sure it's well lit.

A QR code is just a way of carrying a link, so it's as safe as the place it sends you. Before opening one, read the address your phone previews; be wary of codes stuck over other codes, codes in unexpected places, and destinations that ask for passwords or payment details. If a code made with our service sends you somewhere harmful, please report it on the Report Abuse page and we'll review it.

Static codes here are generated in your browser, need no account, and carry no watermark. Because the content is embedded directly in the image, nobody can later change or track what it points to. For dynamic codes we host a redirect link and record basic scan analytics — see the Privacy Policy for exactly what is stored.

PNG, JPG, WEBP, SVG, PDF and EPS. Use SVG, EPS or PDF for print, since they stay sharp at any size; EPS is the vector format many print shops ask for. Note that SVG downloads don't include a frame; EPS, PNG, JPG, WEBP and PDF do. Image QR codes are photo-based, so they export as raster formats only (no SVG or EPS).

Yes. You can set the foreground and background colors, optionally apply a gradient to the code, and change dot and eye styles. The scannability badge checks the contrast of your choices so a stylish design still scans.

No. A static code's content is baked into the image, so it can't be edited or converted after it's created. If you might need to change the destination later, create a dynamic code from the start and print that instead.

Chrome's built-in generator is a quick, convenient way to share the page you're viewing. It produces a plain code for that one link. Here you can also choose from many content types (WiFi, vCard, event, and more), style the code with colors, shapes and a logo, add a frame, download in several formats including SVG, EPS and PDF, and optionally create dynamic codes with editable destinations and scan analytics.

Yes. The free barcode generator at /tools/barcode supports formats such as Code 128, EAN-13, UPC-A and Data Matrix.

Yes. The free bulk generator at /tools/bulk-qr makes up to 200 codes per batch from pasted lines or a CSV file and downloads them as one ZIP of PNG or SVG files. It runs in your browser and needs no account.

Yes. Signed-in users can create API keys under Dashboard → API and use them to list, create and manage dynamic codes programmatically. The same account rules apply as in the dashboard, so creating codes needs an account in good standing.

For each scan of a dynamic code we store the time, an approximate country and city (looked up from the visitor's IP address, which is not saved), the device type, browser and operating system, and the referrer if the browser sent one. You see these as aggregate charts on the code's analytics page. Static codes are never tracked.

No. Scan records aren't tied to a name, email or account — only the aggregate fields above. The exception is information people choose to give you, such as a feedback rating or a contact-exchange form on a vCard code.

Yes, through UTM parameters. For URL codes, the generator has an optional UTM section that adds utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign to your link, so scans show up as a labelled traffic source in Google Analytics (or any analytics tool on the destination page) — provided your destination site has analytics installed.

Use the Report Abuse page (linked in the footer): paste the short link (the myqrcreate.com/r/... address) or its code, choose a reason, and add details. We can act on short links on our domain; static codes aren't hosted by us.

Use the "Test scan with your camera" button on the code's page to check with a real scan. Most failures come down to low contrast between the foreground and background color, a logo covering too much of the code, or printing it too small — try increasing the error-correction level or simplifying the design.

You've scanned a dynamic code whose owner's trial and grace period have both ended. It's not broken — the owner needs to subscribe to bring it back online. If this is your code, go to Pricing and subscribe.

This is almost always a one-time loading glitch right after we ship an update — refresh the page (a hard refresh, Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+R, if it persists) and it should resolve within a minute or two.

If you're signed in, use the feedback button in the bottom-right corner of your dashboard — it goes straight to the team and we read every one.