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How to make a QR code on any device
Imagine seeing a great deal while out at the local shops, but you have to go to a website on your phone to redeem the offer. It can be awkward and fiddly typing website addresses into a phone browser. The chances are some people will just give up and move on. Others will tell themselves they will do it when they get home and then forget all about it. That’s where the beauty of QR codes comes into play. Similar to a standard barcode, a person can scan one of these codes with their phone and automatically be taken to a website or other details such as an email address. Here is how to make a QR code on any device.
Read more: How to scan a Spotify code
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To make a QR code on a desktop device, go to a code generator website, easily found by a Google search. On a mobile device, you can use a website, a code generator app in the app store, or the built-in generator on Google Chrome.
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Make a QR code on a PC or Mac
There are so many code generator websites that you are literally spoilt for choice. So to not overthink it, I’m going to go with the first one I found on Google — QR Code Generator.
You can immediately see the amount of data you can embed into a QR code, including a Bitcoin address, social media links, email, SMS, Wi-Fi, a PDF file, MP3 file, app store links, images, and of course, a website URL. A QR code generally only has one of these things, so choose the one that’s most important to you.
You can then customize your code to have a frame, a different color, and even a logo in the middle. Once everything looks good, just hit the download button to get a JPG.
Another good alternative is Canva if you don’t need any needless bells and whistles. Canva allows you to insert a QR code embedded with a website URL into a design you’re making on the site. If you’re designing something, and you decide a QR code is needed, then Canva may be all you need.
Like everything else on the Canva website, making a QR code is extremely easy, and can be done in under a minute.
Make a QR code on Android or iOS
On an Android or iOS device, there are obviously third-party apps available in the Play Store or the App Store, and the website shown previously will naturally work on your phone. But if you use Google Chrome on Android or iOS, it has a very nifty QR code generator built-in if you only want to share a website URL.
First, go to the website you want to make the code for and tap the three dots in the top right-hand corner.
Scroll down and tap Share.
In the Share menu, swipe left till you see QR Code. Select it.
Chrome will now make a QR code for that website URL. You can download the code to your phone if you want to send it to anyone.
If you want to share something else other than a URL, you will have to download a third-party app or use a website in your browser. But if you go the app route, take care which one you use. Read the reviews first to ensure the app and the developer are reputable. You don’t want to inadvertently spread malware.
Read more: The best document scanner apps for Android
FAQs
You need an app to read the code, extract the details, and send it to the necessary part of your phone. However, iOS devices have a built-in code scanner, and Google Chrome offers a code scanner in its phone screen widget.
Yes, this has been known to happen. Since a QR code often contains a URL, visitors can be redirected to a malware file. Be careful what codes you scan. If you don’t know who made the code, err on the side of caution.