Text QR code generator
Turn any text into a scannable QR code — notes, serial numbers, coupons, or instructions. Style the colors and download as PNG or SVG in seconds.
There's an API for this — free, no key
Everything this generator does is also one GET request away. Build any QR code above, press API, and you get a shareable URL that renders the exact same design — PNG or SVG, any size up to 2048px, all dot styles, marker shapes, and colors.
https://in.bio/api/qr?url=https://example.com&dot_style=dots&marker_shape=circle&foreground=1a56db
30 requests/minute per IP, cached for a day. Read the API docs
A text QR code carries plain words, not a link. Whatever you type is encoded straight into the pattern and simply appears on the scanner's screen — no website, no app, no internet connection. That makes it ideal for serial numbers, device labels, safety instructions, or a hidden message on a gift.
What a text QR code encodes
Unlike a URL code, a text code holds the literal characters you enter — nothing is fetched. When scanned, the words show up as text the person can read, copy, or search. Because the data lives inside the pattern itself, it works entirely offline: a scanner reads it in airplane mode, in a basement, or on a factory floor with no signal.
The trade-off is density. Every character you add makes the pattern more complex, so keep it as short as the message allows.
How much text is too much
This generator accepts up to about 2,000 characters, but that is a ceiling, not a target. Under a few hundred characters a code scans reliably from any phone at a normal distance. Push toward the limit and the pattern becomes a dense grid that needs a steady hand, good light, and a close scan — fine for a label read up close, poor for a poster across a room. If you genuinely need paragraphs, host the text on a page and use a short link QR code instead.
What happens when someone scans it
On both iPhone and Android the camera recognises the code and displays the decoded text, usually with options to copy it or run a search. There is no destination to open and nothing leaves the phone, which makes text codes a safe, self-contained way to attach information to a physical object — a machine, a bin, a product — that anyone can read without trusting a link.
Print it so it actually scans
Keep high contrast, leave the quiet-zone margin clear, and size the code to the reading distance — bigger for a wall, smaller is fine for a handheld label. Download a PNG for screens or an SVG for print, which stays crisp at any size. Managing a lot of labelled assets? Pair short text codes with trackable short links where you need to know something was scanned, and see more on the blog.
A text code or a hosted page?
Text codes and link codes solve different problems, and picking the wrong one is the usual mistake. Reach for a text code when the information is short, must work with no signal, and will never change — a serial number, a bin label, a part number on a factory floor. Reach for a hosted page behind a short link when the content is long, might be updated, or benefits from formatting, images, or tracking. A maintenance manual or a changelog belongs on a page; a fixed asset tag belongs in a text code.
The deciding factor is permanence. Because a text code cannot be edited once printed, encoding anything that might change bakes a future problem into the label. When you are unsure, host it and point a short link at it — you keep the option to change your mind later, and you learn whether anyone actually scanned it.
Other QR code types
Need a different kind of code? Try the URL QR code and email QR code. Any code here can become a dynamic QR code you edit after printing and track on every scan — and if you just need a short link, the URL shortener counts every click.
What people use it for
- Serial numbers and asset tags on equipment
- Safety or setup instructions on packaging
- Coupon codes, puzzle clues, and hidden messages