QR Code Generator for Google Chrome
Chrome has a QR code generator built in — most people never find it. Where it is, how to use it, its two real limitations, and how to get a print-ready PNG or vector SVG for the same page without installing an extension.
Quick Answer
Chrome already generates QR codes without any extension. Click the share icon in the address bar — or right-click anywhere on the page — and choose 'Create QR code'. Chrome produces a code for the current URL with a small dinosaur in the middle. Its two limits are that it only works for the page you are on and only downloads a fixed-size PNG. For a code for any other link, or a vector file for print, use the generator above.
How to create a QR code in Google Chrome
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Step 1: Open the page you want a QR code for in Chrome, on desktop or Android.
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Step 2: Click the share icon at the right-hand end of the address bar. If it is not visible, right-click anywhere on the page instead.
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Step 3: Choose 'Create QR code' from the menu that appears.
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Step 4: Chrome shows a QR code for the current URL, with its dinosaur mascot in the centre.
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Step 5: Click Download to save it as a PNG, or hold your phone up to the screen to scan it directly.
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Step 6: For a code for a URL you are not currently on, or a higher-resolution or vector file, paste the link into the generator above instead.
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Step 7: On Chrome for Android, tap the three-dot menu, tap Share, then choose QR Code — the same feature in a different place.
The feature is already there
Almost everyone searching for a Chrome QR code extension does not need one. Chrome has generated QR codes natively since version 88, and the feature is genuinely convenient — two clicks from any page, no install, no permissions, nothing to trust.
The reason so few people know about it is placement. It lives behind the share icon in the address bar, which many users have never clicked, and in the right-click context menu, where it sits among a dozen other entries. Microsoft Edge has the same feature in the same place, as do most Chromium-based browsers.
Where Chrome's version runs out
It handles the common case well and then stops. Three limits account for essentially every reason people go looking for something else.
- 1It only encodes the page you are currently on. There is no field to type a different URL into, so making a code for a link someone sent you means navigating there first.
- 2It exports one fixed-size PNG with no resolution or size control, and no vector option. That is fine for a screen and inadequate for print, where enlarging it produces exactly the blurry code people then search for help with.
- 3It only makes URL codes. Wi-Fi credentials, vCards, phone numbers, SMS, calendar events, and plain text are all outside what it offers.
- 4The dinosaur is baked in. Charming, and unwanted on a client's business card.
Why you probably should not install an extension
QR code extensions are a category worth being careful with. Generating a QR code requires no access to your browsing at all — it is a pure text-to-image transformation that any web page can do locally. Yet many QR extensions request permission to read and change data on all sites, which is the broadest permission Chrome grants and is wildly disproportionate to the job.
Extensions also change hands. A useful tool with a large install base is a standing acquisition target, and there is a well-documented pattern of ownership transfers followed by injected affiliate links or tracking in an automatic update you never reviewed. A web page cannot do any of that: it runs only while the tab is open and sees only what you paste into it.
The practical split
Use Chrome's built-in feature when you want a quick code for the page in front of you and you are going to scan it off the screen or drop it into a chat. It is faster than anything else and it is already installed.
Use the generator above when the code is for a different URL, when it needs to go into print at a size that demands a vector file, when it is not a web link at all, or when you would rather not hand a client a QR code with a dinosaur in the middle. Both are free; neither needs an install.
Free, private, and permanent
WebsitesQR runs entirely in your browser. Codes you create are static and never expire; images you scan are never uploaded. Learn about QR code safety →
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Chrome have a built-in QR code generator?
Yes, since Chrome 88. Click the share icon in the address bar or right-click the page, then choose 'Create QR code'. It generates a code for the current URL with Chrome's dinosaur in the centre and offers a PNG download.
Where is the QR code option in Chrome?
On desktop, the share icon at the right end of the address bar, or the right-click context menu. On Chrome for Android, the three-dot menu, then Share, then QR Code. Microsoft Edge has the same feature in the same place.
Do I need a Chrome extension to make QR codes?
No, and there are good reasons not to install one. Chrome does it natively, and this page does it for any URL. Many QR extensions request permission to read and change data on all sites, which generating a QR code does not require at all.
Can I make a QR code in Chrome for a URL I am not on?
Not with the built-in feature — it only encodes the current page. Paste the URL into the generator above instead, which takes any link and also handles Wi-Fi, vCard, phone, SMS, and plain text codes.
How do I remove the dinosaur from a Chrome QR code?
You cannot; it is fixed. Generate the code here instead for a clean standard code, or one with your own logo in the centre if you want branding rather than Chrome's.
Is Chrome's QR code good enough for printing?
Usually not. It exports a single fixed-size PNG with no resolution control, and enlarging it for print produces a blurry code. Use the SVG export above for anything that will be printed at a size you cannot predict in advance.
Do Chrome QR codes expire?
No. Chrome generates static codes that encode the URL directly, as do ours. Codes that expire are dynamic codes routed through a third-party redirect, which is a different product sold on subscription.