How much text can a QR code hold?

At the default level M a QR code holds about 2,330 bytes of text, or about 2,950 at level L. Accented letters take 2 bytes each in UTF-8 and most emoji take 4, so text with them fits fewer characters. The 4,296-character maximum applies only to the QR alphanumeric set: digits, capital letters and a few symbols.

Can I encode emoji or non-Latin characters?

Yes. The content is UTF-8 encoded, so any Unicode character works. Scanners that support UTF-8 (most modern phones) will display it correctly.

Does the text leave my browser?

All processing runs in your browser tab using the qrcode library.

Can I put line breaks in the code?

Yes. The text field keeps line breaks, and scanning the code returns the text with the same breaks. Spaces and line breaks at the very start or end are trimmed.

Text to QR Code Generator

Turn any text into a QR code, contact details, a short message, a phone number, or any plain string. Everything runs locally in your browser.

TEXT

0 chars

SIZE: 256px

ERROR CORRECTION

FOREGROUND

#000000

BACKGROUND

#ffffff

QR code generated locally using qrcode. All processing runs in your browser.

How it works

Plain text is encoded as UTF-8 and handed to the qrcode library, which runs entirely in your browser. The library chooses the smallest QR symbol version that fits your text at the selected error correction level, builds the module matrix, and paints it onto an HTML Canvas. The same matrix is also written as SVG so you can save a vector copy whenever the text needs to print at multiple sizes.

Processing runs in your browser

All QR code generation happens locally in your browser tab. Our servers are not involved at any point.

Related operations

To create 1D barcodes for products and labels, try the barcode generator. For reading codes back from a picture, use the QR code scanner. To percent-encode URLs before embedding them, see URL encode.

Frequently asked questions

How much text can a QR code hold?: At the default level M a QR code holds about 2,330 bytes of text, or about 2,950 at level L. Accented letters take 2 bytes each in UTF-8 and most emoji take 4, so text with them fits fewer characters. The 4,296-character maximum applies only to the QR alphanumeric set: digits, capital letters and a few symbols.
Can I encode emoji or non-Latin characters?: Yes. The content is UTF-8 encoded, so any Unicode character works. Scanners that support UTF-8 (most modern phones) will display it correctly.
Does the text leave my browser?: All processing runs in your browser tab using the qrcode library.
Can I put line breaks in the code?: Yes. The text field keeps line breaks, and scanning the code returns the text with the same breaks. Spaces and line breaks at the very start or end are trimmed.

Last reviewed September 30, 2026

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