Phone Number QR Code Generator

The code encodes a tel: link, so a scan puts your number straight into the dialler and the caller taps once to ring you. Use full international format with the country code and it works for anyone, anywhere.

Last updated: 2026-07-26

Dial-on-scan, and the number format that makes it reliable

The code encodes a tel: link. Scanning it opens the phone's dialler with the number already entered; the user taps the call button themselves, which is exactly what you want — a code that placed calls by itself would be abused within a day.

Use international format with the country code: +14155550123 rather than (415) 555-0123. A local-format number works when the scanner is in the same country and fails or dials something wrong when they are not, which matters more than people expect on packaging, hotel signage and anything a traveller might scan. Spaces, brackets and dashes are stripped before encoding, so you can type the number however you find it readable.

Extensions are the one weak spot in tel: across the mobile ecosystem. Some diallers honour a comma as a two-second pause and some ignore everything after the main number. If callers need an extension, put the main number in the code and print the extension next to it.

Call, text, or something else?

A tel: code is the right choice when a live conversation is the goal — a taxi rank, an out-of-hours line, a tradesperson's van, a helpdesk on a piece of equipment. When the answer is likely to be a short exchange rather than a conversation, an SMS or WhatsApp code converts better, because it does not put the scanner on the spot.

For a business that wants both, print two small codes side by side with clear labels rather than one code and a caption explaining the choice. People scan first and read second.

Emergency and out-of-hours contact on equipment and premises
Taxi ranks, service counters and reception desks
Vehicle livery and site boards where typing is impractical
Hotel rooms — reception, room service, housekeeping on one card
Any number long enough that transcription errors are likely

These are static QR codes — what that means for you

The code this page produces encodes your data directly in the pattern of black and white squares. Nothing is stored on our servers, no short link sits in the middle, and no account is involved. A phone camera reads the squares, decodes the text and acts on it. That is why the generator keeps working with your browser offline, and why there is no scan limit, no expiry date and no monthly fee.

The trade-off is that a static code cannot be edited after it is printed. The destination is baked into the image. If you print 5,000 flyers pointing at example.com/summer and then move that page, every flyer is dead. Dynamic codes — the ones behind most paid QR services — encode a short redirect URL instead, so the owner can repoint it later and count scans. They also stop working the day the service that hosts the redirect goes away or the subscription lapses, which is a real risk for anything meant to outlive a marketing budget.

A practical middle ground costs nothing: point the static code at a URL you control and can redirect yourself, such as yoursite.com/menu. You keep the free, permanent, no-dependency code, and you keep the ability to change where it lands.

Error correction levels, and why the logo option needs H

Every QR code carries redundant data so it still decodes when part of it is dirty, creased, curved around a bottle or partly covered. The QR standard defines four levels: L recovers about 7% of the code, M about 15%, Q about 25% and H about 30%. Higher levels pack the same message into more modules, so the pattern gets denser at the same physical size.

The generator defaults to H. That is deliberate, because H is what makes a centre logo safe: the logo covers modules, and the recovery data is what lets the scanner reconstruct them. If you upload a logo, keep the level at H and keep the logo at or below roughly 20% of the code's width — the size slider is capped at 30% for exactly this reason. Drop to L with a logo on top and you are relying on luck.

If there is no logo and the code will be shown on a clean screen, L or M produces a visibly simpler pattern that scans faster from a distance. Use the lower levels for screens, H for anything printed, laminated, stuck on glass or wrapped around a curved surface.

Sizing, printing and testing before you commit

The rule of thumb scanners have used for years is a 10:1 ratio — the code should be roughly one tenth of the distance it will be scanned from. A code read at arm's length (about 30 cm) works at 3 cm across; a poster read from 3 m needs about 30 cm. Below about 2 cm printed, cheap phone cameras start to struggle regardless of resolution.

Download the SVG rather than the PNG for anything going to print. SVG is vector, so it stays crisp at any size a printer can produce, and it is what design software expects. The PNG is the right choice for slides, emails and social posts where a fixed pixel size is what you want.

Keep the quiet zone — the empty white margin around the pattern is part of the specification, not decoration, and cropping it is the single most common reason a printed code fails. Keep the dark modules dark on a light background; inverted codes are read by fewer scanners than people assume. Then test the real artefact, not the screen: print it at final size, scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone, in the light the code will actually live in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the phone call start automatically?

No. The number is loaded into the dialler and the user taps call. Both iOS and Android deliberately require that tap — no QR code can place a call on its own.

What number format should I use?

International, with the country code and a leading plus: +442071234567. It works wherever the scanner is. Local formats fail or misdial for anyone outside the country, which is the usual reason a phone code works in testing and not in the field.

Can I include an extension?

You can type one, but support is inconsistent — some diallers treat a comma as a pause and some drop everything after the main number. The reliable approach is to encode the main number and print the extension beside the code.

Will it work on a tablet or laptop?

Only if the device can place calls. An iPad with Wi-Fi calling or a laptop with a linked phone will offer to dial; most others show the number as text, which is still useful.

Can I use one code for calls and texts?

Not in one code — tel: dials and SMSTO: composes a text, and they are different payloads. Print the two codes side by side with labels if you want to offer both.

Is the number visible to anyone who scans it?

Yes. A QR code is an encoding, not encryption. Treat the number as public the moment it goes on something printed.

Does the code expire or need an account?

Neither. The number is inside the pattern, there is no service in the middle, and the code keeps working as long as the number does.

How big should it be on a van or site board?

Roughly a tenth of the distance it will be scanned from. Read from three metres, that is about 30 cm — and use the SVG download so the printer can scale it without softening the edges.

Related free tools

More free utility tools