QR code types

A QR code just holds text. What makes one open a map and another join a Wi-Fi network is the shape of that text. Here is every format, what it does, and a generator for each.

Wi-Fi QR code

Open →

Let guests join your network by scanning, instead of reading a password off a fridge magnet.

WIFI:T:WPA;S:MyHomeNetwork;P:your-wifi-password;;

vCard QR code

Open →

One scan drops your full contact details into someone’s phone.

BEGIN:VCARD

Email QR code

Open →

Open a pre-written email with one scan.

mailto:hello@example.com?subject=Table+12&body=Your+message

SMS QR code

Open →

A scan opens a text message, already written.

SMSTO:+15551234567:JOIN

Phone QR code

Open →

Scan, and the number is already in the dialler.

tel:+15551234567

Location QR code

Open →

Drop someone straight onto a map pin.

geo:37.7749,-122.4194

Calendar event QR code

Open →

Put your event straight into someone’s calendar.

BEGIN:VEVENT

WhatsApp QR code

Open →

Open a WhatsApp chat with your business, message already written.

https://wa.me/15551234567?text=Hi%21%20I%20have%20a%20question

Crypto QR code

Open →

A wallet address nobody has to re-type.

bitcoin:bc1qexampleaddress?amount=0.005&label=Donation

Which one should you use?

For anything that lives on the web, a plain URL code is almost always right. It is the shortest payload, so it produces the coarsest and most reliable pattern, and you can change what is at the other end without reprinting.

Reach for a specific format when the action should happen without a web page in between: joining a network, saving a contact, opening a dialler. Those work offline and need no server, which is exactly why they cannot be edited later.

Static and dynamic

Every format on this page produces a static code — the content is encoded in the pattern itself, so it never expires and does not depend on this site. The trade-off is that changing it means printing a new one.

If you need to re-point a printed code or count scans, sign in and create a tracked link instead. The guide explains the difference in full, and the FAQ covers the common questions.