Pick a symbology
Plain QR for links and contact cards, Data Matrix for parts marking, Aztec for tickets, PDF417 for documents, MaxiCode for parcels — each format shows only the controls it accepts.
Free tools · Barcodes
Every 2D code that isn't (just) QR.
QR family, Data Matrix, Aztec, PDF417 and MaxiCode — validated, tuned where each symbology allows, and self-test decoded, rendered on your device, never uploaded.
2D code generator
Type text, get a symbol.
Runs locally in your browser. Nothing is uploaded; the field clears after ten idle minutes.
Advanced (error correction, shape, GS1)
Style (colors, frame, caption, export size)
Symbol contrast 100.0% (minimum 40%). The companion color adjusts automatically to hold the minimum; downloads additionally require the colored symbol to re-decode.
Outer frame
Frame and caption ship in the SVG download; PNG exports the bare symbol.
How it works
Three steps, all on your device.
The same engine that reads 2D codes writes them — every symbol is decoded again before you see it.
Tune and style
Error correction for Aztec and PDF417, shape pinning, GS1 mode, flat custom colors behind a contrast gate, plus an outer frame and caption. Every symbol is read back to prove it scans.
Download and print
Take a resolution-independent SVG (frame and caption included) or a PNG at your chosen module size. Both are generated on your device — nothing is uploaded.
Questions
Generating 2D codes, answered.
If you manage servers by hand, see the engineering services behind this tools series.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. Encoding runs entirely in your browser via a self-hosted decoding engine — the page makes no network requests with your data, stores nothing, and wipes the field after ten idle minutes. You can verify this in your browser's developer tools or disconnect from the network after the page loads.
Which formats can I generate?
Ten 2D symbologies: QR Code, Micro QR and rectangular rMQR; Data Matrix; Aztec and the tiny Aztec Rune; PDF417 plus Compact and Micro variants; and fixed-size MaxiCode. For 1D retail and logistics codes (EAN, UPC, Code 128, Code 39), use the barcode generator.
When should I use the QR generator instead?
This tool covers plain QR end to end, but styled QR — custom dots and finder eyes, gradients, embedded logos, fine error-correction/version/ECI control — lives in the dedicated QR generator, whose controls reason about QR's finder anatomy and error-correction budget. When QR or Micro QR is selected above, a note points you there.
How do custom colors stay scannable?
Two gates: an ISO symbol-contrast proxy must pass (downloads stay disabled below the threshold), and the tinted symbol is decoded again on your device — the colored render must reproduce the payload or downloads stay locked. MaxiCode is black-on-white only per its print specification. A browser preview still cannot certify print quality.
What does the self-verify readout mean?
Every generated symbol is decoded again on your device before it is shown, and the readout shows the exact decoded form so there are no surprises at the scanner. Aztec Rune carries a single value 0–255; MaxiCode has a fixed size with nothing to tune.
PNG or SVG — which download should I use?
SVG for print, packaging and anything that gets resized: it stays razor sharp at any size and includes the frame and caption when enabled. PNG for quick sharing and apps that need raster images; the module-size slider controls its resolution (PNG exports the bare symbol). Both are generated on your device.
Why is there white space around the symbol?
That white margin is the quiet zone — empty space scanners need to tell where the code starts and ends. It is part of the symbol, not decoration: keep it calm and uncluttered when you print or screenshot, or scanners will struggle. The preview blends into the page around it; the white tight to the symbol is doing real work.
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