Every QR code you've ever scanned looks identical — a black-and-white square of pixels — but what's encoded inside varies a lot more than people realize. A QR code is just a container for text; what makes a "WiFi QR code" different from a "URL QR code" isn't the code itself, it's the specific text format inside that phones are pre-programmed to recognize and act on. This is a complete rundown of all 14 types this tool supports, what's actually inside each one, and when it genuinely beats just texting someone a link.
Link-Based Types
These five are really the same trick — a URL — pointed at a specific kind of destination:
- URL — any raw link, the foundation every other link-based type is built on. See the full URL QR code guide.
- Instagram — encodes
instagram.com/username, opening straight to a profile without anyone needing to search your handle. - YouTube — encodes a channel or video URL directly, useful on print materials pointing to a demo or tutorial.
- PDF — encodes a link to wherever a PDF is already hosted online. Important: this doesn't upload or embed the file itself, so the PDF needs to be hosted somewhere (your website, Google Drive, etc.) before you generate the code.
- Twitter/X and LinkedIn — same pattern, encoding a direct profile link for each platform.
Communication Types
- Phone — encodes a
tel:link, which opens the phone dialer pre-filled with the number, ready to call with one more tap. - SMS — encodes an
smsto:link with a phone number and optional pre-filled message, opening the default messaging app with a text draft ready to send. - Email — encodes a
mailto:link with an address and optional pre-filled subject and body, opening the phone's email app with a draft ready to go. - WhatsApp — encodes WhatsApp's official click-to-chat link format, opening a conversation without either party saving a number first. Full guide: WhatsApp QR codes explained.
Structured-Data Types
These four don't point anywhere — they hand the phone a small, self-contained piece of structured data that a native app already knows how to use:
- WiFi — encodes network name, password, and encryption type in a standardized format both Android and iOS camera apps recognize, connecting automatically with no typing. Full guide: WiFi QR codes explained.
- vCard — encodes a contact card (name, phone, email, company, website) in the same format phones use to export contacts, letting the scanner save it in one tap. Full guide: vCard QR codes explained.
- UPI Pay — encodes a UPI payment deep link (the same open format every UPI app uses), opening directly into a pre-filled payment screen. Full guide: UPI QR codes explained.
- Location — encodes GPS coordinates as a
geo:link, opening the phone's default maps app centered on that exact point. Full guide: Location QR codes explained.
Quick Reference: Which Type For Which Job
| You want to... | Use this type |
|---|---|
| Send people to a website or landing page | URL |
| Let guests join your WiFi without typing a password | WiFi |
| Accept a payment without a payment gateway | UPI Pay |
| Hand out a digital business card | vCard |
| Send someone to an exact physical location | Location |
| Start a WhatsApp conversation instantly | |
| Grow a social following | Instagram, Twitter/X, or LinkedIn |
| Share a document that's already hosted online | |
| Make it effortless to call or text you | Phone or SMS |
| Let someone email you with a pre-written subject |
One Thing True of All 14
Every type this tool generates is a static QR code — the data is baked into the pixel pattern the moment you generate it, and can't be edited afterward. That's fine for nearly everything above, but it's worth knowing before printing a code onto something permanent: if the underlying number, link, or network password ever changes, you'll need to generate and redistribute a new code rather than update the old one.
All 14 types are free to generate on the QR Code Generator, with no account, no watermark, and no limit on how many you create — everything is built directly in your browser, with nothing uploaded to or stored on our servers.