How do I make a location QR code?
To make a location QR code, type an address, a place name or coordinates in the box and download the file. The example, Eiffel Tower, Paris, is only there to show you how: replace it with your place. The code on the screen changes with every keystroke. Choose a printed size and, if the code may get worn, a level of damage protection, then download a PNG or an SVG. The files carry no watermark, and no account is needed.
What does a location QR code contain?
A location QR code made here holds either a Google Maps link or a geo: code, depending on what you type. An address or a place name becomes a Google Maps search link that carries the words you typed. Coordinates become a geo: code, or a Google Maps link if you tick the box. A QR code for an address is that search link: the page does not look the place up or check that it exists. This makes a static QR code: what you type is stored inside the code itself.
| You type | The code holds | Example of what it holds |
|---|---|---|
| An address or a place name, like Eiffel Tower, Paris | A Google Maps search link with your words in it | https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=Eiffel%20Tower%2C%20Paris |
| Coordinates, like -23.5505, -46.6333 | A geo: code with the two numbers | geo:-23.5505,-46.6333 |
| The same coordinates, with the Google Maps box ticked | A Google Maps link with the two numbers | https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=-23.5505,-46.6333 |
Should I type an address, a place name or coordinates?
Type an address or a place name when you want the code to hold words, and coordinates when you want it to hold two numbers. With an address or a place name, the code is only as exact as the words you typed, so check them before you print, and write them the way you would type them into Google Maps. With coordinates, the code holds the numbers themselves, to six decimals at most. A very long address is refused, and the page asks you to shorten it.
What is the difference between a geo: code and a Google Maps link?
A geo: code holds only a position, as two numbers, while a Google Maps link holds a web address with the same two numbers in it. For coordinates you choose with one box: tick Coordinates: make a Google Maps link instead of a map code and the code holds the link, or leave it empty and the code holds the geo: code. An address or a place name is always a Google Maps search link, so the box changes nothing for it. We have not tested scanning a Location code with a phone, or scanning a printed one, so scan one printed code before you print many.
How do I type coordinates?
Type two decimal numbers with a comma and a space between them, latitude first, like -23.5505, -46.6333. The first number must be between -90 and 90 and the second between -180 and 180, and the page says so when one is outside its range. Degrees and minutes are refused: use decimal coordinates. Without the space, both numbers need a decimal point (-23.5505,-46.6333); otherwise the page reads them as a place name and makes a search link instead of a geo: code.
How do I put my current location in a QR code?
To put your current location in a QR code, press Use my location and answer your browser's question. The box then fills with your device's coordinates, and the code is made from them: a geo: code, unless you tick the Google Maps box. The position is used in your browser to write the code and is not sent to our servers. If your browser says no, or cannot find the position, type the place instead, and check the place before you print.
Is there a QR code that can track location?
No: a QR code made here holds a place that you chose, and scans do not pass through Varnip. A phone reads a static code directly, so Varnip does not count or limit them. The Use my location button reads the position of the device you are making the code on, only with your browser's permission, and the position is used in your browser and is not sent to our servers.
Can I change the place after I print the code?
No: a static code can't be changed after you print it, so to change the place, make a new one. Check the address or the coordinates before a print run, and scan one printed code before you print many.
Does a location QR code expire?
Static QR codes made here do not expire on a date of ours: each one keeps working as long as what it points to does. For a location code the place is written inside the code, so a venue that moves does not change it: the code still holds the old place until you make a new one.
Can I make a Google Maps QR code from a link I already have?
Yes, you can make a Google Maps QR code from a link you already have, as a Website code on the QR code generator. Any link is a Website code: paste the link, and the page adds https:// when it is missing and says so.
How do I add a location QR code to an invitation card or a flyer?
To add a location QR code to an invitation card or a flyer, download the code and place the file on the card at a size you pick by where it will go. The page offers four printed sizes, each named by its use, from 2 cm for business cards to 10 cm for banners and signs. SVG is a vector file sized in millimeters, and PNG is 600 dpi by default. Leave the blank margin alone: DENSO WAVE says a QR Code requires one four squares wide on every side, and every file here has it. If the card may get worn, pick a higher level of damage protection: DENSO WAVE adds that raising the level makes the code larger.
Does this page scan a location QR code?
No, this page makes QR codes; it does not read or scan one you already have. Our tests read location codes back with a software decoder, at every published build.
Is the location QR code generator free, and does it need a sign-up?
Yes, the location QR code generator is free, and you do not need to sign up. There is no account, no login and no email to give. What you type is encoded in your browser and is not sent to our servers. The Use my location button follows the same rule for the position it reads.