Text to QR Code

Store a message, a note or a code as text that any scanner can read.

Turn any text into a QR code: a message, a note, a serial number, a coupon code or a few lines of instructions. Whoever scans it sees the text on their phone and can copy it. Accents, emoji and line breaks are kept exactly as you type them.

How it works

The code stores your text without adding any wrapper. A scanner reads the squares, finds text that is not a link, an address or a phone number, and shows it as it is, usually with a Copy option. If your text happens to start with http://, the phone treats it as a link instead.

Text is saved as UTF-8, the standard way to write every language and emoji in a computer. A letter like é takes two bytes and an emoji takes four, which matters for the size limit. Plain digits are stored in a more compact mode, so a long number makes a smaller code than the same count of letters.

Nothing is added to or removed from what you type, including blank lines and trailing spaces. What the scanner shows is character for character what you entered.

How to use it

Type or paste your text. Use Enter for line breaks.
Watch the preview: the more text you add, the denser the code becomes.
Choose the colors, the size and any logo in Design.
Download the PNG or SVG and scan it to check the text appears correctly on a phone.

Example

A short instruction and the text stored in the code, which is the same words with nothing added.

Plain text

37 × 37 squares

What is typed in

Text: Meet at the front desk at 9:00. Ask for Sam and show this message.

What the code stores

Meet at the front desk at 9:00. Ask for Sam and show this message.

QR code of the plain text example. You can scan it with a phone.

Good to know

The most a code can hold is 2,953 bytes at the lowest error correction and 1,273 at the highest. The generator tells you how many bytes you used and refuses text that does not fit.
A QR code is not encrypted. Anyone who scans it can read the text, so do not put passwords, personal data or secrets in a code that others will see.
Very long text gives a code with tiny squares. For more than a few hundred characters, put the text on a web page and use a link code instead.

Questions people ask

How much text fits in a QR code?

Up to about 2,900 plain letters at the lowest error correction, and fewer with accents or emoji because those use more bytes. In practice, anything over a few hundred characters makes a dense code that is hard to scan, so keep it short.

Will emoji and accented letters work?

Yes. The text is stored as UTF-8, so French, German, Chinese, Arabic and emoji all read back correctly on current phones. Each accented letter or emoji uses more space than a plain letter, so the code gets denser sooner.

Are line breaks kept?

Yes. Press Enter in the box and the break is stored in the code. The scanner shows the text on separate lines, just as you typed it.

Why does my phone open a browser instead of showing the text?

Because the text looks like a link. A phone treats text that begins with http:// or https:// as an address to open. If you want it shown as plain text, start with a word, or use the website tab on purpose when you do want the link.

Is it safe to store a secret in a QR code?

No. A QR code is a way to write text as squares, not a way to protect it. Anyone with a phone can read it. For a Wi-Fi password, use the Wi-Fi code and a guest network instead of putting the password in text.