How do I generate a free QR code without a watermark?
Open the free QR Code Generator and type or paste your link into the Text or URL box; the preview redraws as you type. Leave Error Correction on Medium unless you have a reason to change it, then click Download PNG (a 500 x 500 image) or Download SVG (a vector file that stays sharp at any print size). There's no sign-up and no watermark, and the code is drawn by JavaScript in your browser, so the text you enter isn't uploaded anywhere. The result is a static code: your link is encoded in the pattern itself, so it never expires.
Static vs dynamic QR codes
Many sites offer free "dynamic" QR codes, then lock the redirect behind a subscription once the trial ends. I've seen businesses print thousands of flyers only to find the code stopped working unless they paid every month. A dynamic code holds a short URL on the provider's server, which forwards visitors to your page. That lets the provider count scans and change the destination, and it is why the code dies with the account.
| Static code | Dynamic code | |
|---|---|---|
| What the pattern contains | Your URL or text | A short link on the provider's domain |
| Change the destination after printing | No | Yes, in the provider's dashboard |
| Scan counts | Only through your own analytics | In the provider's dashboard |
| Stops working when | Your page goes offline | Your page goes offline or the provider account lapses |
Use static codes for permanent links unless you really need tracking. To keep the option of changing the destination without a third party, encode a short address on your own domain, such as example.com/menu, and redirect it yourself. The slug generator turns a page title into a short, clean path like that.
Step by step in the generator
- Paste the content into Text or URL, including
https://so phones recognise a link. - Choose Error Correction: Low, Medium (the default), Quartile or High.
- Set Foreground Color and Background Color with the picker or a hex code. Gradient Foreground, Transparent Background and Module Style (Square, Rounded, Dots or Diamond) are optional.
- Leave Quiet Zone (modules) at 4, then check the Version, Modules and EC Level figures under the preview.
- Click Download PNG or Download SVG.
For a batch, paste one entry per line into Batch Generate, click Generate All, then Download All as ZIP. You get one 400 x 400 PNG per line with the same colours and settings.
How to spot a free QR code that will expire
A free QR code with no expiration is a static one, and you can check which kind you have before you print. Scan it with your phone's camera and read the address the phone shows before you tap it. If it's your own URL, the code is static and will work for as long as that page does. If it's a short link on the generator's domain, the code is dynamic, and it depends on that company keeping your account active.
The same check works on codes you already printed. A code from this generator always shows your own text, because that is all it encodes. There's no redirect, no account and no payment step, so there's nothing to expire.
What to put in the code
The text you encode decides what a phone does with the scan. These formats come from the open-source ZXing project's barcode contents reference:
https://example.com/menu
WIFI:T:WPA;S:CafeGuest;P:coffee-and-cake-2026;;
tel:+12125551212
mailto:hello@example.com?subject=Order
sms:+18005551212In the Wi-Fi line, T is the security type (WPA, WEP or nopass), S the network name and P the password; put a backslash before any \ ; , " : inside the name or password. If a web address contains spaces, run it through the URL Encoder first with "Encode full URL" ticked, so the https:// part survives.
Every extra character adds modules, and at a fixed print size more modules means smaller ones. These are the sizes the generator produces (version 1 is 21 x 21 modules; each version adds 4 per side):
| Content | Characters | L | M | Q | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
https://example.com/spring-menu | 31 | 25 x 25 | 29 x 29 | 29 x 29 | 33 x 33 |
| The Wi-Fi line above | 47 | 29 x 29 | 33 x 33 | 37 x 37 | 41 x 41 |
https://indemandtools.com/tools/qr-code-generator | 49 | 29 x 29 | 33 x 33 | 37 x 37 | 41 x 41 |
The spring-menu link with ?utm_source=flyer&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=spring-2026 added | 90 | 37 x 37 | 41 x 41 | 49 x 49 | 53 x 53 |
Can a QR code open a PDF?
Only by linking to it. A QR code holds text, not files: in our generator the limit is 2,953 plain characters at level L, 2,331 at M and 1,273 at H, which produces the largest version, 177 x 177 modules. Go over that and the preview shows a "code length overflow" error. To share a PDF menu or flyer, upload the PDF to your site or a file host, then encode its URL. If you're starting from photos of a printed menu, the JPG to PDF converter combines them into one PDF in your browser. To move a file straight from one screen to another phone without hosting it, the optical file transfer tool sends it as a sequence of QR codes.
Tracking links and duplicate URLs
Adding UTM parameters lets your analytics separate flyer visits from the rest, at the cost of a denser code. Search engines can also find the tagged version of the URL. A canonical tag on the page points them back to the clean address; canonical tags explained shows how.
Which error correction level to choose
Error correction is extra Reed-Solomon data that lets a scanner rebuild a dirty or damaged code. DENSO WAVE, which holds the QR Code trademark, rates the levels at roughly 7% (L), 15% (M), 25% (Q) and 30% (H) of codewords restorable. Its error correction page says M is chosen most often, Q or H suit places where codes get dirty, such as factories, and L suits clean settings with a lot of data. The cost shows in the table: the same 49-character URL grows from 33 x 33 modules at M to 41 x 41 at H. If you add a logo, the generator switches to H on its own; the QR code with logo guide covers that case.
Size and print checks
- The PNG download is always 500 x 500 pixels; the Size (px) menu only changes the on-screen preview. At 300 dpi, 500 pixels covers 4.2 cm (1.67 in), so use the SVG for anything printed larger.
- Keep the quiet zone. DENSO WAVE's printing guidance specifies a clear margin four modules wide on every side, the generator's default.
- Work out the module size. The 29 x 29 spring-menu code plus that margin is 37 modules across, so at 2.5 cm wide each module is about 0.68 mm; with the UTM parameters it is 49 modules and about 0.51 mm.
- Scan a printed proof at the real size and distance with at least two phones before the full run.
Common mistakes
- Low contrast. I've tested codes with light-blue dots that look great but won't scan on older phones. The generator accepts any colour pair without warning you, so keep the modules much darker than the background.
- Transparent Background on dark artwork. With that box ticked, the modules sit directly on whatever is behind them, and a black code on a navy flyer disappears.
- A gradient that fades out. Gradient Foreground blends into a second colour (a mid blue by default), and a pale end colour leaves one corner with too little contrast.
- Typos you can't fix later. A static code can't be edited after printing, so scan the downloaded file and open the link before anything goes to the printer.
- Expecting the logo in the SVG. A logo overlay appears in the preview and the PNG, but the SVG download contains only the code. Use the PNG, or place the logo in your design software.
Frequently asked questions
Do QR codes expire?
Static QR codes (the kind we generate) never expire. They are simply an encoding of your URL. As long as your website is live, the code will work.
Is there a limit on scans?
No. A phone decodes a static code by itself and goes straight to your URL, so no service sits in between to count or cap scans.
Can I track how many people scan it?
Not from the code itself. Add UTM parameters to the URL and read the visits in your analytics, accepting a denser code (29 x 29 becomes 41 x 41 at level M in the table above).
Is it really free, with no sign up and no watermark?
Yes. The generator needs no account and asks for no payment, the downloads have no watermark, and the code is drawn in your browser. Batch codes in the ZIP are watermark-free too.
Can I use the codes commercially?
Yes. DENSO WAVE's FAQ says no licence or usage fee is needed, including for commercial use. "QR Code" as a word is its registered trademark, and the FAQ says no trademark notice is needed when you only print the code image.
