How to create your first QR code

Making a QR code on QR Crab takes a few minutes: create a free account, choose what the code should do, fill in the content, style it and download it. This guide walks through each step and shows where to find your codes afterwards.

Step by step

1. Create your account. Go to Sign up, enter your email and a password (at least 8 characters), and click Create account. Business name and “How did you find us?” are optional. You land straight in your dashboard.
2. Confirm your email. We email you a Confirm email link that works for 48 hours. Until you click it you can already make up to 50 static codes that hold their content (Wi-Fi, text, contact card, email, SMS, phone, event…), but not trackable codes, file uploads or static link codes (website, social and map links, which open through a qrcrab.com link). Nothing arrived? Use Resend email in the banner at the top of the dashboard, and check your spam folder.
3. Click New QR code and pick a type. The button is in the top bar. Types under Basics (link, Wi-Fi, contact card, text…) can be static or trackable; types under Pages, files & forms (menu, PDF, coupon, Google review…) are always trackable.
4. Add your content. Fill in the content section, for example the web address for a URL code. If the type offers both, choose Trackable or Static at the top of that section: this choice can't be changed later. The preview on the right updates as you type.
5. Style it (optional). Pick one of the Presets, add a Frame with a call to action, change the colors under Dots, or add your logo under Logo. Keep an eye on the scan check under the preview: you want it to say Scans well.
6. Name it and create it. Under Name (or Name & link), give it a name only you will see, then click Create QR code. Trackable codes get their short link at this moment.
7. Download it. Under the preview, choose the format and size and click Download. Then test it with your own phone before you print a lot of copies.

The two editor layouts

The steps above use the standard (classic) editor: one page with collapsible sections on the left and the live preview on the right. After you click Create QR code you go to the code's own page, on the Edit & design tab, where the download buttons are ready.

There's also a guided layout. Click Try the new editor (beta) at the top of the editor to switch. It splits the same options into three steps: Content, Look (presets, frame, colors and logo) and Finish (name and options). When you create the code it shows Your QR code is ready! with the download buttons and links to View stats or Create another. Back to the classic editor switches back. Your choice is remembered on that device.

Static codes whose content is stored in the image (Wi-Fi, text, contact cards and so on) can be downloaded before you create them. Trackable codes and static link codes need to be created first, because their short link doesn't exist yet. The editor says “Downloads unlock after you create the code.”

Finding your codes later

Your dashboard home, Your QR codes, lists every code you've made with a small preview. Use Search by name or the type filter when the list grows. Trackable codes show their scan count and when they were last scanned. Static codes say Not trackable.

Click a code to open it. Trackable codes have a Stats tab (and Responses or Claims for forms and coupons), plus Edit & design, where you can change the content, the style and the options, and download the code again. The top of the page shows the code's short link with Copy link and Test link. Keep in mind that opening Test link counts as a scan.

Editing a code after you make it

• Trackable codes: change the content and click Save changes. Printed copies open the new content at once. You can also switch a code off with the Active box. People who scan it then see a “not active” page until you switch it back on.
• Static link codes (URL, Facebook, X / Twitter, YouTube, Location): the destination is fixed. Make a new code if it needs to change.
• Static codes that hold their content (Wi-Fi, text, vCard and others): if you edit the content, the pattern changes, so you need to download and print it again. Copies you already printed keep the old content.
• Style (colors, frame, logo) can be changed on any code. The short link doesn't change, so trackable codes you already printed keep working. They just keep their old look.

Common questions

Do I need an account to make a QR code?

Yes. Codes are made in the dashboard, so you sign up first. The Free plan costs nothing, includes unlimited static codes (subject to fair use) and 3 trackable codes, and doesn't ask for a card.

Why can't I create a trackable code?

Either your email isn't confirmed yet, or you've used all the trackable codes on your plan. The New QR code page tells you which one. Until you confirm your email you can still create Wi-Fi, text, contact and other offline codes; once it's confirmed and only the trackable codes are used up, you can still create static codes. See QR Crab plans compared: Free, Premium and Pro.

Can I change my QR code after I print it?

If it's trackable, yes: open it, edit the content, click Save changes, and the printed code opens the new content. A static code can't be pointed somewhere else; you'd make a new code and print that one. Static vs trackable QR codes: what's the difference? explains the difference.

Which type should I choose for a website?

URL. Leave it on Trackable if you want to count scans or change the link later, or switch it to Static for a fixed link that doesn't use up a trackable code.

Read next: How to download and print your QR code and How to design a QR code: colors, logo and frames.