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Free QR code generator that never expires

Type a link, text, Wi-Fi details or a contact and the QR code appears instantly. Download a PNG at the size you need or a vector SVG for print. No sign-up, no watermark — and the code is static, so it never expires and keeps working even if our site goes away.

● Free, no sign-upUpdated: September 22, 2026

Website URLThe full address with https://. For print, prefer a short link — the code will be simpler.

Style and size

Error correction

L · 7%M · 15%Q · 25%H · 30%

How much of the code can be damaged or covered. M is the default; use H if a logo goes on top.

PNG size

Margin

Module colour

Background

Rounded modules (finder patterns stay square)

—

Modules—

Min. size from 30 cm—

Static code: the data is written into the image itself. It works without our server, without a subscription and without an expiry date.

What is encoded

Everything is calculated in your browser — nothing you enter is sent anywhere.

How to use it

Choose what to encodeA URL opens a website, Wi-Fi joins the network, a contact offers to save the card, email and SMS open with the text filled in.
Fill in the fieldsThe code and the “What is encoded” line update as you type, so you see exactly what a camera will read.
Set the styleKeep level M, or choose H if a logo goes on top. Use a dark module colour on a light background; the tool warns about weak contrast.
Test and downloadPoint a phone camera at the screen. PNG suits websites and slides; SVG suits print, as it stays sharp at any size.

A static QR code never expires

This generator makes static QR codes: the link, text or Wi-Fi password is written straight into the pattern of squares. A phone reads it without contacting our server, so the code cannot “expire”, cannot be switched off for non-payment, and keeps working even if Clew shuts down.

Dynamic codes, sold by many QR services, work differently: the image holds a short link to the service’s server, which then redirects the visitor. That lets you change the destination after printing and count scans — but the code only lives while you pay. When the subscription ends, printed flyers start leading to an ad page or an error.

How to get the benefits of a dynamic code without depending on a vendor:

To change the destination, encode a link to a page on your own site (say, example.com/expo) and redirect it when you need to.
To count visits, add UTM parameters to the link so GA4 shows them. For an event, make one code per placement with the UTM QR code generator.

What goes inside: Wi-Fi, vCard, email and SMS formats

A QR code stores a plain string, and the phone decides what to do from how it starts. The tool builds strings in the formats that iPhone and Android cameras understand:

URL https://example.com/page Wi-Fi WIFI:T:WPA;S:Network name;P:password;H:true;; Contact BEGIN:VCARD … VERSION:3.0 … END:VCARD Email mailto:hello@getclew.io?subject=Hello Phone tel:+15550100000 SMS SMSTO:+15550100000:Message text

Wi-Fi. The characters \ ; , : " in the network name and password are escaped with a backslash — otherwise the phone thinks the password ended early. H:true is added only for a hidden network.
Contact — vCard 3.0 per RFC 2426: commas, semicolons and line breaks in values are escaped, lines end with CRLF.
Email — a mailto link per RFC 6068; the subject and body are percent-encoded, so spaces and non-Latin letters do not break it.
Text in any language is encoded as UTF-8 in byte mode, which modern scanners read correctly.

The “What is encoded” line under the image shows the full content, so you can catch a typo before you print.

Error correction, contrast and print size

Error correction level is how many codewords can be recovered when part of the code is dirty, covered or badly printed: L about 7 %, M 15 %, Q 25 %, H 30 %. A higher level means more modules for the same data. M is enough for screens and clean print; if a logo goes on top, choose H and cover no more than a fifth of the area.

Contrast. The print quality standard ISO/IEC 15415 compares the reflectance of light and dark modules: grade A needs a difference of 70 % or more, B 55 %, C 40 %, and below 20 % fails. The tool computes that difference from the luminance of your colours and warns below 70 %. Modules must be darker than the background: not every scanner reads an inverted code.

Size. The popular rule says the side of the code should be at least a tenth of the scanning distance. Where it comes from: a phone camera with a field of view of about 70° sees a strip about 1.4 × d wide at distance d, and a decoder needs 3–4 camera pixels per module. That gives a module of at least d/250:

code side ≥ modules × distance / 250 (and at least 2 cm) 25 modules (short link), 1 m → 25 × 1000 / 250 = 100 mm = d / 10 41 modules (link with UTM tags, ~100 characters, level M), 1 m → 164 mm

So “d/10” holds for a short link, and a dense code with a long link needs to be printed larger. The tool computes the minimum for your code in the “Min. size” figure. Keep a 4-module light margin around it and always scan a test print before the full run.

Sources

ISO/IEC 18004:2015. Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques — QR Code bar code symbology specification.
ISO/IEC 15415:2011. Bar code symbol print quality test specification — Two-dimensional symbols (symbol contrast grades).
ZXing. Barcode Contents — WIFI:, SMSTO: and MATMSG: formats — github.com/zxing/zxing/wiki/Barcode-Contents.
RFC 2426 — vCard MIME Directory Profile (vCard 3.0); RFC 6068 — The ‘mailto’ URI Scheme; RFC 3966 — The tel URI for Telephone Numbers.

FAQ

Is this QR code generator really free?

Yes. No sign-up, no watermark, no limit on the number of codes. The code is generated in your browser, and the PNG and SVG download immediately.

Will my QR code expire?

No. The code is static: the link or text is written into the image, and a phone reads it without our server. Dynamic codes from paid services expire — their image holds a link to a server that stops working when the subscription ends.

Can I change the link after printing?

Not in a static code — the data in the image cannot change. To keep that option, encode a link to a page on your own site and set up a redirect there when needed.

How do I make a Wi-Fi QR code?

Open the Wi-Fi tab and enter the network name, password and security type. iPhone and Android cameras offer to join the network when they scan it. The password never leaves your browser.

What is the minimum size of a printed QR code?

Rule of thumb for a short link: at least a tenth of the scanning distance. More precisely, modules × distance / 250, and never below 2 cm. The tool computes this for your code.

Can a QR code be in colour?

Yes, as long as the modules are clearly darker than the background: a luminance difference of 70 % is safe, below 40 % scanners fail. The tool checks contrast per ISO/IEC 15415 and warns about inverted colours.

Where does the data I enter go?

Nowhere. The code is built by JavaScript in your browser; nothing is sent to a server or written to the page URL, so a Wi-Fi password does not end up in your browser history or in analytics.