QR code for a PDF
A QR code cannot hold a file. It holds a link to one. Put the PDF online, paste the link, and the code costs nothing.
- Never expires
- No sign-up, no watermark
- Vector PDF & SVG with your logo
- Runs in your browser
Fill in the form and your code appears here.
- A decoder in your browser read this code back and got exactly your data. Scan one printed copy with your phone before a large print run.
Your data and logo stay on this device. Nothing is uploaded.
Colors and shape
Ready-made styles
Color presets
Pattern
Corners
Gradient
Logo
A logo hides part of the code, so error correction is raised and the size is limited to what the code can safely repair.
Error correction
A phone can still read a code that is partly damaged: scratched, dirty or covered by a logo. This level sets how much damage it can recover from. A higher level gives more reserve, but the code gets denser, with smaller squares, and holds less data.
Most people should leave Automatic: it picks M, or H with a logo, and lowers the level if the data does not fit. Choose Q or H for codes outdoors or on packaging that can get damaged, and L or M for long text or very small print. With a logo the level is never below Q.
Which one do you need?
| Direct code | Dynamic code | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost over the years | Free | Usually a subscription |
| If the QR company closes | Keeps working | Stops working |
| Who sees your scans | Nobody | The provider |
| Address people see before opening | Yours | Usually the provider’s |
| Wi-Fi and contact details without internet | Yes | Usually no |
| Change the destination after printing | Only through your own domain | Yes |
| Scan statistics for each code | No | Yes |
| Best for | Menus, plaques, packaging, business cards, Wi-Fi | Ad campaigns you measure, links that change often |
The honest limit
A code stores about 3 KB at most, and a PDF is usually far larger. Services that offer “upload your PDF” host the file for you and put their own link in the code, which means your code depends on them. Hosting the file where you already have an account keeps that in your hands.
If the file is removed or its sharing is turned off, the code stops working. That is true of every PDF code, wherever it was made.
How to do it
Any place that gives a public link will work.
- Put the PDF online. Your own website is best. Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive also work.
- Make it public. In Google Drive, set access to “Anyone with the link”.
- Copy the link and paste it above. The code appears right away.
- Test it signed out. Scan it on a phone that is not signed in to that account.
Updating the document later
You can change the file without changing the code, as long as the address stays the same. On your own site, replace the file under the same name. In Google Drive, “Manage versions” lets you upload a new copy. Google’s help does not promise that the link stays the same, so scan the code again afterwards.
Questions
Is my PDF private?
No. Anyone who gets the code or the link can open it, so do not use this for confidential documents.
Do you upload my PDF?
No. This site never receives it. You host it, and the code only holds the link.
Will a phone open the PDF?
Yes. Current phones open PDFs in the browser, although a large file takes longer on mobile data.
Will this QR code ever expire?
No. There is nothing that can expire: the code contains your data itself and works without any server. It keeps working as long as it can be scanned and, for a link, as long as that website exists.
Is it really free? Are there limits on scans?
Yes, it is free with no account. Scans are unlimited because nobody counts them: a scan happens entirely between the code and the phone. The site is paid for by advertising.
Do you see my data or logo?
No. The code is created in your browser and nothing is uploaded. You can load the page, go offline, and it keeps working.
Will it scan on every phone?
Every code is read back by a decoder in your browser before download, and you get a warning if that fails. That is a software check, so scan one printed copy with your own phone before a large print run.