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    Create a QR code for a PDF

    Paste your PDF's sharing link: the QR code appears, ready to print.

    Paste your PDF link.

    Scan the screen with your phone camera to check it.

    Colours, margin, error correction and size

    Create a QR code for a PDF without a paid hosting service

    To create a QR code for a PDF, the PDF first has to be online: upload it to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or your website, copy its sharing link and paste it into the box above. The tool recognises the service, reminds you of the sharing setting to change ("Anyone with the link" on Drive, for instance) and draws the code, ready as a PNG or an SVG. A typical 82-character Drive link gives a code of 37 × 37 modules at level M, still crisp when printed 3 cm wide. The file itself never goes through 75tools. The limit comes from that design: the code stores an address, not the document. Delete the file, move it or restrict its sharing, and every printed code leads to an error page.

    Why a QR code points to a PDF rather than containing it

    A QR code carries a few kilobytes at most: the ISO/IEC 18004 standard caps the symbol at 177 modules per side. Sites that promise to "put your PDF in a QR code" do what this page does with one step hidden: they host your file on their servers and give you a code pointing at their address, often through a redirect that only keeps working while you pay the subscription.

    Here the file stays on your own storage and the code holds its direct address, so nothing on our side can make it expire. For a scan to work you need three things: an https:// address, sharing that works without signing in, and a link with no expiry date. WeTransfer-style links fail the third test, and the tool warns you about them.

    Think about reading on a phone too. An A4 page shrinks to a small screen, and a heavy file crawls on 4G at a market stall. Run a large file through the PDF compressor before you upload it.

    Menus, brochures, manuals and CVs in France

    Restaurant or café menu. Many French restaurants keep a QR code on the table next to the paper menu. Keep the PDF to one or two pages, prefer direct display to a download, print the address under the code and keep a few paper menus for guests who would rather not scan.

    Brochure or event programme. A flyer gets scanned for months, so host the PDF on your own site under an address you will not change, and replace the file with each new edition under the same name.

    Manual or data sheet. On a product or a machine, choose error correction level Q or H in the settings: labels get scratched, and those levels still scan with part of the code worn away.

    CV for a French employer. A small code in a corner of a printed CV can open a portfolio or an English version. Anyone holding the paper can open it, so leave out personal details you would not post online. For a plain web page, the free QR code generator is enough.

    Frequently asked questions

    Why can't the PDF itself be stored inside the QR code?

    Because it does not fit. Denso Wave, the company that invented the QR code, gives a maximum of 2,953 bytes of arbitrary data, under 3 KB, and a code that full is already very dense. A one-page PDF usually weighs tens or hundreds of kilobytes. So the code holds the web address of your PDF, and the phone downloads the file when someone scans it.

    People who scan my code see "You need access" on Google Drive: what is wrong?

    The file is still restricted, so only people added one by one can open it. In Drive, click Share, then under General access choose "Anyone with the link" and keep the Viewer role. The link itself does not change, so a code you already printed starts working as soon as you save that setting. In OneDrive, the equivalent is the "Anyone" option in the link settings.

    Can I update my restaurant menu PDF without reprinting the QR code?

    Yes, as long as the address stays the same. On your own website, upload the new file under exactly the same name, for instance menu.pdf, and the printed code opens the new version. On a cloud drive, a newly uploaded file usually gets a new link, so check whether the service lets you replace a file's content while keeping its link; otherwise you will need a new code.

    My Dropbox link opens a Dropbox page instead of the PDF, how do I fix it?

    That preview page is normal for a Dropbox sharing link. Dropbox Help describes two variants: changing dl=0 to dl=1 forces a download, and raw=1 lets the browser display the file directly. The tool offers all three versions in one click. For a menu read at the table, the direct display is usually the most comfortable; test it on your own phone before printing.

    Is a PDF behind a QR code private?

    No. Anyone who scans the code, or gets hold of the link another way, can open the PDF, because link sharing needs no sign-in. Only publish what you would accept seeing passed around: a French landlord or employer does not need your passport scan or date of birth through a public link. You can cut access later by turning off sharing for the file.

    Sources

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