Free QR Code Generator: URL, UPI, WhatsApp and Wi-Fi QR Codes

To make a QR code for free, paste a link or text into the QR code generator and download the PNG. For payments, use the UPI QR code generator instead: enter your UPI ID and name, and any UPI app can pay you by scanning it. For WhatsApp, build a wa.me link first and turn that into a code. All of these are static codes, so they never expire, need no account and carry no tracking.

This guide shows what to type for each kind of code, how big to print it, what error correction and the quiet zone mean, the uses that work for small businesses, and how to protect yourself and your customers from fake QR stickers.

Which tool to use for each kind of QR code

A QR code is only a container for text. What happens after the scan depends on what that text is: a web address opens a browser, a upi:// link opens a payment app, and a Wi-Fi string offers to join a network. The site's generators cover these cases:

Every generator offers four sizes (Small, Medium, Large and Extra large) and gives you a PNG to download or copy. Codes are black on white with a fixed medium level of error correction; there is no option for custom colours or a logo.

UPI payment QR codes

Enter your UPI ID (for example sharmastore@okhdfcbank) and the payee name. Leave the amount blank for a counter code where the customer types the amount, or enter one for a single bill, rent or a fixed fee, so the payer cannot mistype it. The tool builds a standard UPI link such as upi://pay?pa=sharmastore@okhdfcbank&pn=Sharma%20General%20Store&cu=INR and shows it under the code, so you can check your UPI ID is spelt correctly before printing.

Test it with the scan button inside Google Pay, PhonePe or another UPI app. A phone's camera app or Google Lens often shows a UPI link as plain text instead of opening a payment screen, which looks like a fault but is not. Our step-by-step guide to creating a UPI QR code for a shop covers fixed-amount codes, invoices and counter displays in more detail.

WhatsApp, map and Wi-Fi QR codes

WhatsApp: open the WhatsApp link generator and enter your number with the country code and an optional first message. For +91 98765 43210 and "Hi, I want to order", it returns https://wa.me/919876543210?text=Hi%2C%20I%20want%20to%20order. Paste that into the WhatsApp QR code generator. Scanning opens a chat with your number and the message already typed, so the customer only taps Send. More on these links in how to make a WhatsApp click-to-chat link.

Maps: in Google Maps, open your business or a dropped pin, tap Share and copy the link. Paste it into the QR code generator. Delivery flyers and wedding cards are the usual places for these.

Wi-Fi: the generator has no Wi-Fi form, but phone cameras understand a standard text format, so you can type it into the text box: WIFI:T:WPA;S:CafeGuest;P:chai2026;;. T is the security type (WPA, or nopass for an open network), S is the network name and P is the password. If the name or password contains ; , : \ or ", put a backslash before that character. Anyone who photographs this code has your password, so use a separate guest network rather than your main one.

Static vs dynamic QR codes

A static code holds your link or text inside the pattern itself. It works for as long as the destination exists, nobody can switch it off, and no one records the scans. The catch is that you cannot change it after printing: a new link means a new code.

A dynamic code holds a short redirect link owned by a QR service. You can change where it points and see scan counts, which is why such services charge a subscription. If you stop paying or the company shuts down, every printed code stops working.

You can get most of the dynamic benefit for free. Point a static code at a page you control, such as yoursite.com/menu, and update that page instead of the code. To count scans, add tracking tags with the UTM link builder: https://example.com/menu?utm_source=qr&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=table_menu shows up as its own source in your analytics. The longer link makes the code denser, so print it a little larger.

Error correction, quiet zone and print size

QR codes are built to survive damage. The standard has four error correction levels, and Denso Wave, the company that invented the QR code, notes that level M is the one most often chosen. The site's generators use M.

That last row matters: a logo covers part of the pattern, so it needs a high correction level. Do not paste a large logo over a code made here; keep the logo beside the code instead.

The quiet zone is the blank margin around the code. Denso Wave specifies four modules (four of the small squares) on every side, and the generator adds exactly that. Do not crop it off or place the code on a busy background, or scanners struggle to find the edges.

The more you put in a code, the more modules it needs and the bigger it must be printed. We generated four common payloads with the site's own QR library:

For print, download the Extra large size; 980 pixels prints sharply at about 8 cm wide at 300 dpi and can be scaled down. There is no official minimum size, but two rules of thumb from QR printing guides are widely used. First, do not go below about 2 × 2 cm for a short link scanned from close up. Second, the 10:1 rule: the code should be at least one-tenth as wide as the scanning distance. A counter code read from 30 cm needs to be about 3 cm wide; a poster read from 2 metres needs about 20 cm. Go larger for dense codes like the UPI one with an amount.

Print dark on light, because some scanner apps cannot read reversed (light-on-dark) codes, and avoid glossy lamination that reflects shop lights. Before printing hundreds, test the printed proof with two or three different phones.

Smart ways for a business to use QR codes

• Counter payments: an open-amount UPI QR at the till, and a fixed-amount one printed on each invoice or bill.
• Orders on WhatsApp: a WhatsApp QR on packaging, visiting cards and delivery bags, with a pre-filled "I want to reorder" message.
• Menus and price lists: a code on each table pointing to a page you can update, so a price change does not mean reprinting.
• Google reviews: a code for the review link from your Google Business Profile, placed on the bill folder or near the exit.
• Directions: a map code on flyers and on event or wedding cards.
• Guest Wi-Fi: a Wi-Fi code in a café, salon or clinic waiting room ends the "what is the password" conversation.
• Manuals and warranty: a code on the product label linking to a setup video, care guide or registration form.
• Sign-ups: a code on posters for an event registration, newsletter or offer page, tagged with UTM so you know which poster worked.

QR code safety: fake UPI stickers and "scan to receive" scams

Because nobody can read a QR code by eye, fraudsters swap or cover them. In January 2025, police in Chhatarpur district, Madhya Pradesh, registered a case after the QR codes outside about a dozen shops in Khajuraho were replaced overnight with the fraudsters' own, so customer payments went to them. It came to light when a customer noticed a different name on the payment screen. That habit is the main defence.

If you are paying:

• After scanning, read the payee name your UPI app shows. If it does not match the shop or person, stop and ask.
• You never need to scan a QR code or enter your UPI PIN to receive money. NPCI's UPI Safety Shield states that the PIN is not required for receiving money, and banks give the same advice about QR codes. A "buyer" who sends you a QR code "to receive payment" is trying to take money from you.
• For a code that opens a website, check the address before entering anything. Do not type bank or card details on a page reached from a poster or sticker.

If you run a shop:

• Check your displayed code every morning, and make a ₹1 test payment if anything looks different. Keep the code behind the counter glass or in a frame that is hard to cover.
• Confirm every payment on your own phone, bank SMS or sound box, not on the customer's screen, which can be a fake screenshot.
• Print your shop name next to the code, so customers know which name to expect.

If you lose money, call the national cyber crime helpline 1930 or report at cybercrime.gov.in, and inform your bank at once.

Frequently asked questions

Do QR codes expire?

Static codes, like the ones made here, do not expire. They stop working only if the content inside them stops working, for example when a page is deleted or a UPI ID is closed. Dynamic codes from paid services can stop when the subscription ends.

Can I edit a QR code after printing it?

Not a static one, because the content is the pattern. Point the code at a page you control and edit the page instead, or reprint with a new code.

Why does my phone camera show the UPI code as text instead of opening payment?

Many camera apps and Google Lens do not hand upi:// links to a payment app. Customers should use the scan button inside their UPI app, which reads the same code correctly.

How small can I print a QR code?

For a short link scanned from close range, about 2 × 2 cm is the usual minimum, and longer content needs more. Use the 10:1 rule for distance, keep the white margin, and test a printed sample before a full run.

Can I add my logo to the QR code?

Not with this generator. A logo hides part of the pattern, so it needs level H error correction, while these codes use level M. Put the logo next to the code instead.

Does one UPI QR code work with every UPI app?

Yes. The code holds a standard UPI payment link, so Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm, BHIM and bank apps can all read it.

Sources: Denso Wave, QR Code error correction and quiet zone guidance (qrcode.com); NPCI UPI Safety Shield; Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, UPI safety tips (July 2026); ZXing project, barcode contents (Wi-Fi format); MediaNama, Khajuraho QR code fraud report (January 2025). Code sizes generated with the site's QR library.