MakeQR

QR code guides

Plain answers before you print

Short, practical guides to the questions people ask about QR codes — what the letters stand for, how a code stores its content, what changes between a static and a dynamic code, and how to make one for a specific document or service.

8 pages

QR code guides: questions and answers

Short answers to what people ask before they print. Anything else, write to us.

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How does a QR code actually store information?

A QR code encodes data as a grid of black and white squares, called modules, arranged with built-in error correction so a camera can still read it when part of the pattern is scratched, poorly lit, or covered by a small logo. Three squares in the corners let a scanner find and orient the pattern from any angle in about a second.

What's the difference between a QR code and a barcode?

A barcode stores data in one direction, as a line of bars a laser sweeps across, typically holding a short product number. A QR code is two-dimensional, storing data both across and down, so it fits far more information, a full web address rather than a number, and reads with a camera instead of a laser beam.

Do QR codes expire?

A static QR code never expires, since its destination is built directly into the pattern with nothing to switch off. A dynamic code depends on its short link staying active: the first two are free forever, but additional ones need a paid plan, and if a subscription lapses, they show a neutral page after a 30-day grace period rather than expiring outright.

Can a QR code be made without downloading an app?

Yes. MakeQR and similar generators run as a web page, building the code directly in the browser, so nothing installs on a phone or computer. Scanning a finished code also needs no app: any smartphone camera made in the last several years reads a QR code natively through its built-in camera app.