How to make a QR code with your logo, and how to scan one safely

How to create a QR code

1. Open QRBench on the Create tab and pick the type:
   • Link: a web address; https:// is added if you leave it out.
   • Text: any text, up to the capacity of a QR code.
   • Wi-Fi: the network name, password and security type. Guests scan it and join without typing the password.
   • Contact: a business card (vCard) that phones offer to save to contacts.
2. Set the look: colours of the code and the background, a transparent background, module style (squares, rounded or dots) and the quiet zone around the code.
3. Optionally add a picture in the centre.
4. Check the result line under the code, then download PNG (256–2048 px) or SVG, copy the picture, or share it.

QR codes made here never expire and do not pass through any redirect service: the content is in the code itself.

Colours, logo and error correction

A QR code has built-in error correction: part of it can be damaged or covered and it still scans. There are four levels:

When you add a logo, QRBench switches to H on its own and lets you set the logo to 10–30% of the code’s width. Clear the space behind it removes the modules under the picture instead of covering them.

For colours, keep the code dark on a light background with strong contrast. QRBench warns about low contrast, an inverted code (light on dark, which some scanners cannot read), a narrow quiet zone and a very dense code.

Checking the code and print size

After every change, QRBench draws the code separately and reads it with a scanner on your device. You see one of three results: Scans correctly, Reads, but the text differs, or Does not scan. Fix the design until it scans.

The panel also shows the QR version (the grid size), the error correction level, how much data it holds and the smallest print size: about 0.5 mm per module and never less than 2 cm. Shorter content gives a simpler code that can be printed smaller and scanned from further away, so use a short link where you can. For posters, scanning distance is roughly ten times the code’s width.

Use SVG for print: it stays sharp at any size and the logo is embedded in the file.

How to scan a QR code safely

1. Open the Scan tab and allow the camera, or choose a picture, drag it in or paste a screenshot.
2. Point the camera at the code. Several codes in one picture are all found and outlined.
3. Read the analysis before you open anything. QRBench never opens a link by itself.

Fake QR codes stuck over real ones on parking meters, posters and restaurant tables are a common scam (“quishing”). For links, QRBench shows the real main domain and warns about:

• unencrypted http://, link shorteners and redirect services;
• an IP address instead of a domain, look-alike letters from other alphabets (punycode), an “@” in the address and unusual ports;
• direct downloads of .apk or .exe files;
• tracking tags, with Copy without tracking to remove them.

It also explains Wi-Fi codes (the password is hidden until you tap), contacts and events you can save, phone numbers, SMS, email, map locations, crypto payments, and otpauth:// codes, which contain a two-factor secret and should never be shown to anyone.

Privacy

Codes, logos, camera frames and pictures are processed only in your browser; nothing is uploaded. Where the browser has a built-in barcode detector (Chrome on Android and macOS, ChromeOS), QRBench uses it; elsewhere it loads the open-source jsQR scanner once from jsDelivr. Recent codes you exported or scanned are kept on your device; what you type into the fields, such as Wi-Fi passwords, is not stored until you save a code.

Frequently asked questions

Do these QR codes expire?

No. The content is stored in the code itself, not on a server, so it works for as long as the link or data inside it is valid.

Can I track how many people scanned my code?

Not with a static code. Counting scans requires a redirect service in the middle, which QRBench deliberately does not use. You can add tracking tags to your own link, for example UTM tags for your analytics.

Why does my code with a logo not scan?

The logo is too big, the contrast is too low or the quiet zone is too narrow. Make the logo smaller, use a darker code colour and turn on “Clear the space behind it”.

Is SVG or PNG better?

SVG for print and design tools, PNG for websites, documents and messengers.

Can I edit a code I scanned?

Yes: Edit as a new code moves the content to the generator, where you can change it and save a new code.