How to make a QR code on Windows

Short answer: search results send you to websites that build codes on their servers — your link (or Wi-Fi password) leaves the machine. A free app like QR Code Generator builds and renders everything locally: live preview, L/M/Q/H error correction, print-ready PNG.

Quick facts before you make one

  • Error correction (L/M/Q/H) trades capacity for resilience. A sticker on a bottle or a code with a small logo needs Q or H; a poster link can live with M or L.
  • Quiet zone: the white frame around the code — keep at least 4 modules or scanners fail on principle, no matter how “sharp” the QR looks.
  • Module size: the size of one black square in pixels. Below ~8 px per module, phone cameras at arm's length start to struggle.
  • Contrast: black on white scans best. Inverted (white on black) is a coin toss across scanner apps.

Method 1: online generators (and what they cost you)

Type “QR code generator”, and you'll get a page where the code is built server-side. The catches: your URL or Wi-Fi password travels over the internet and sits in someone's logs; “free” tiers often add expiry dates (codes that stop working after a trial), watermarks or an account wall; and the PNG resolution is whatever the service decides. For a public homepage link that's tolerable — for a Wi-Fi password, it isn't.

Method 2: QR Code Generator — offline, live, print-grade

Download free — QrCodeGenerator-Setup.exe

  1. Pick the type. Text/URL, Wi-Fi (SSID + password, or open network) or E-mail (recipient, subject, message — pre-filled in the mail app when scanned).
  2. Watch the live preview. The code re-renders as you type; the encoded payload is also shown as text, so you can verify (and copy) exactly what will be encoded.
  3. Export. Choose the module size (4–24 px) and quiet zone (keep ≥ 4), press Save PNG… — a crisp black-and-white image rendered on your PC.

A Wi-Fi code here uses the standard WIFI: scheme, so iPhone and Android cameras offer to join the network directly. Honest warning: that code contains the password in plain form — anyone who scans it can join. Print it for the guest room, not the hallway.

Checking your code before printing

  1. Scan the on-screen preview with your own phone first.
  2. Print one copy and scan it at the real distance (poster far away, card close up).
  3. If it fails: raise error correction, increase module size, or shorten the URL (any URL shortener helps the module count).

FAQ

Can Windows make QR codes on its own?

No — Windows ships no QR generator. Paint and Snipping Tool have nothing for it; every route is a website or a third-party tool.

Why did my QR code stop working?

If it was made on a free online service, check for an expiry date — many trial codes die after days. Codes made offline (like this app's) work forever: they are just images.

What is the smallest QR code I can print?

Roughly 2×2 cm for a short URL at error correction M, with 4-module quiet zone. Test with the phone you actually expect people to use.

More: how to see all devices on your Wi-Fi network and how to test a monitor for dead pixels.

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