Free tools · Nothing is uploaded
Will that QR code actually scan?
Upload any QR code image — yours, a designer's proof, a competitor's export — and it gets decoded at smaller and smaller sizes, simulating distance, blur and small print. The smallest size that still decodes is its real safety margin, measured before the print run finds out for you.
Upload the code to test
The image never leaves this browser: it is decoded on your device with the same open-source decoder our scanner uses, and there is no upload for us to keep. Shrinking the copy before each decode stands in for scanning from further away.
The code appears here. Include the whole grid and its white border in the crop.
When the verdict disappoints — what to fix, in order
Fix 1
Raise the contrast
Dark modules on a light background, and never the reverse of nearly-equal tones. Subtle brand palettes are the single most common reason a designed code stops decoding.
Fix 2
Respect the quiet zone
The empty border around the grid is part of the code — decoders use it to find the edges. Cropping it tight, or printing the code against a busy background, costs more margin than any styling choice.
Fix 3
Print it bigger, or encode less
Every character becomes modules, and every module needs pixels in the camera. A shorter URL means a coarser grid; a bigger print means bigger modules. Our size calculator does the arithmetic for your scan distance.
Fix 4
Budget the logo against error correction
A centre logo spends the code's error-correction budget — the same budget that pays for creasing and glare. Keep the logo small, use high error correction with it, and never cover the three corner squares.
Sizing question instead? The print-size calculator turns your scan distance into a minimum print size. And every design our own free generators produce is machine-decode-verified before it ships — this check, run for you in advance.
Questions
Why does shrinking the image test real-world scannability?
A camera further from the print sees fewer pixels per module — mathematically the same as decoding a smaller copy. Shrinking with smoothing on also mimics focus blur. A code that only decodes at full resolution has no margin for distance, light, or ink spread.
Is my QR code uploaded when I check it?
No. The image is decoded on your device by an open-source decoder running in your browser; nothing is transmitted to us, and there is nothing for us to keep. That's checkable in your browser's network tab.
The checker says Fragile — what do I fix first?
In order of usual impact: contrast between modules and background, the quiet zone around the grid, printed size versus scan distance, then logo size and error-correction level. The four cards above cover each.
Codes that pass this test by construction
Every style in our designer ships decode-audited, and dynamic codes stay repointable after the ink dries.