Location QR code generator
This location QR code generator puts a place inside a code: either exact coordinates in the geo: format every phone understands, or a Google Maps link you already have. The code is static, so it never expires and nothing routes through a server. It is free with no sign-up, made entirely in your browser, and verified by a real scanner before you download it.
Content: Location
Latitude must be a number between -90 and 90.
Longitude must be a number between -180 and 180.
Style
PNG, JPG or SVG up to 2 MB. It stays on your device.
Your codes on this device
Off by default. When on, each downloaded code (type, content, style) is saved in this browser only, never uploaded. You can delete them at any time.
How to use the location QR code generator
- Choose the Location format: Coordinates (geo:) for a code any maps app can open, or Google Maps link if you want people to land on a named place with its reviews and opening hours.
- For coordinates, enter the Latitude and Longitude in decimal degrees, for example 51.500729 and -0.124625. Find them in Google Maps by touching and holding the spot (right-click on a computer) and copying the numbers.
- For a maps link, open the place in Google Maps, tap Share, copy the link and paste it into Google Maps link.
- Turn on Show encoded text to see the exact geo: string or link the code will hold.
- Wait for the badge under the preview to read Verified, then choose Download PNG, Download SVG or Download PDF.
Location QR code details
A location QR code holds either a pair of coordinates or a link to a map. In the coordinates form, the Eiffel Tower is geo:48.858370,2.294481: the word geo, a colon, latitude, a comma and longitude, nothing else. That string is 22 characters, so the code is small, usually 25 × 25 or 29 × 29 modules, and it depends on no company’s servers. In the maps-link form the code holds the address Google Maps gives you when you share a place, such as https://maps.app.goo.gl/…, which opens that place with its name, photos, reviews and a directions button.
What the encoder does with your input
Latitude and longitude are checked against their ranges: latitude between −90 and 90, longitude between −180 and 180; the form refuses anything outside them or anything that is not a number. Values are rounded to six decimal places, about 11 cm on the ground, so extra digits pasted from a GPS app are dropped without any loss that matters. Enter decimal degrees with a dot as the separator, not degrees, minutes and seconds. A Google Maps link is stored exactly as pasted; the generator does not shorten or rewrite it.
What phones do with each format
A geo: code is understood by iPhone and Android alike, and the phone offers to open it in its default maps app: Apple Maps, Google Maps or whatever is set. A Google Maps link opens the Google Maps app if installed and the Google Maps website if not. Use geo: for the widest compatibility and the smallest code; use the link when the listing matters more than the exact pin, for example a business with opening hours and reviews.
Finding coordinates
In Google Maps, touch and hold the spot on a phone, or right-click it on a computer; the coordinates appear at the top, and tapping them copies both numbers. Apple Maps shows them when you drop a pin and scroll down in the place card.
Where it earns its keep
Venue signs and wedding invitations that lead guests to the right entrance, trailhead and campsite markers where there is no address, and delivery points on large sites.
Common mistakes
- Swapping the two numbers. Latitude comes first. If the pin lands in the sea, swap them.
- Copying the address from the browser bar. Those Google Maps addresses can run to several hundred characters and make a dense code. Use the Share link or switch to coordinates.
- Vague coordinates. Two decimal places are about a kilometre apart. Use at least five.
Decode the downloaded code with the QR code reader to confirm the coordinates, and check the size guide before printing a sign read from a distance.
This code never expires
A geo: code holds nothing but two numbers, so it will still point at the same spot on the map in twenty years. This is a static QR code: the data is written into the pattern, so scanning it needs no server, no account and no subscription. There is nothing to renew and no redirect that can be switched off, which is why a code made here keeps working for as long as the printed copy exists. The trade-off is honest: a static code cannot be edited after printing and does not count scans. If you need either, encode a link to a page you control. Read how static and dynamic codes differ, and if a code you already have has stopped working, see why QR codes expire.
Styling, formats and print size
Every code can be styled in the Style panel: six dot shapes, corner shapes, solid or gradient colours, a transparent background, a quiet zone of 0–8 modules, and your own logo up to 30 percent of the width. A contrast checker warns below 3:1 and blocks downloads below 1.5:1, and after each change the preview is decoded again so the badge tells you whether the styled code still scans.
| Output | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | Web, documents, quick prints | 256 to 4096 px; transparent background supported |
| SVG | Designers and print shops | Vector, scales without limit; logo embedded |
| Printing at an exact size | Vector modules at a chosen width in mm or inches, optional caption | |
| JPG | Platforms that reject PNG | White background; no transparency |
| EPS | Legacy print workflows | Vector from the module matrix, no logo |
| Copy / Print | Pasting into a document; a quick paper test | PNG to the clipboard; print view with caption |
Print size: as a rule of thumb the code should be at least one tenth of the scanning distance wide, with the quiet zone included.
| Scan distance | Minimum width |
|---|---|
| 0.5 m (arm's length) | 5 cm |
| 1 m | 10 cm |
| 2 m | 20 cm |
| 5 m | 50 cm |
Location codes go on signs, trail markers and delivery labels that are often read from a step or two away, so print them at least 4 cm wide and keep the quiet zone; the PDF export sets an exact physical size.
The QR code size guide has a calculator for module size, DPI and distance.
Frequently asked questions
Does a location QR code expire?
No. In the geo: form the code holds two numbers and nothing else; there is no service that could stop resolving them. A Google Maps link depends on Google keeping that link alive, which it has done for years, but if that worries you, use coordinates. Either way, nothing on this site is involved after the download.
Should I pick coordinates or a Google Maps link in this location QR code generator?
Pick coordinates for outdoor spots, entrances and anything without a proper listing; the code is smaller and opens in whichever maps app the phone prefers. Pick the Google Maps link when the destination is a business with a listing and you want people to see its name, hours and reviews rather than a bare pin.
How accurate are the coordinates?
The generator keeps six decimal places, which places the pin within about 11 centimetres. GPS on a phone is rarely better than three to five metres anyway, so the rounding never shows. If you need to guide someone to a specific gate or door, drop the pin on it deliberately rather than on the building's centre.
Will it open Apple Maps or Google Maps?
A geo: code opens in the app the phone treats as its default: Apple Maps on most iPhones, Google Maps on most Android phones, and some phones offer a choice. A Google Maps link opens the Google Maps app when installed, otherwise Google Maps in the browser. Both then offer directions from the current position.
Can I add a label or an address to the pin?
Not inside a geo: code; the format carries only coordinates, and phones show them as a dropped pin. Print the name and address next to the code so people know what they are opening. If a named destination matters, use the Google Maps link form instead, which opens the listing with its name.
How big should a location QR code be printed?
A coordinates code is tiny, around 25 to 29 modules per side, and scans well at 3 cm on an invitation or a label. On a sign read from two metres, use 20 cm. A rule of thumb is width equals scan distance divided by ten, and always keep the white margin around the code.
Can I use it for delivery instructions?
Yes, and it is one of the better uses: a code on the gate or the order label that opens the exact drop-off point saves the driver from guessing at a long driveway or a shared entrance. Combine it with a line of text for anything a pin cannot say, such as which bell to ring.
Related
Last updated . QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED. Open-source engines are listed on the how it works page.