Round QR code generator
Make a round QR code with circular dots and softened corner markers instead of hard squares. 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, so a softer look never costs you a scan.
Content: URL
The full address of the page. https:// is added if you leave it out.
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 make a round QR code
- Paste the link into Website address.
- This page starts with the Dots preset. Under Dot shape choose dots, rounded, extra-rounded, classy or classy-rounded; square is the plain original.
- Set Corner squares to dot or extra-rounded and Corner dots to dot for a fully rounded look.
- Check that the badge reads Verified: scans as URL. If it does not, step back to rounded or raise Error correction.
- Download SVG for print or Download PNG for screens.
Round QR code details
A QR code is a grid of modules, and a scanner only cares whether each cell is mostly dark or mostly light, which leaves some freedom in how a cell is drawn. Dot shape offers six styles: square, the original; rounded, a square with softened corners; dots, a circle in each cell; classy and classy-rounded, which round selected corners so modules flow together; and extra-rounded, which turns runs into pills. This page starts with the Dots preset, circular modules and round corner markers in near-black on white.
Corner squares and corner dots
The three large finder patterns in the corners are how a camera locates the code, so they get their own controls. Corner squares can be square, dot or extra-rounded, and the inner Corner dots can be square or dot. Rounded finders are tolerated well because the camera looks for the 1:1:3:1:1 ratio of dark and light bands across the pattern, and rounding barely changes it.
Why the dots cannot shrink
Each circle needs to stay at roughly 70 percent or more of its cell. Below that, the sampling point a scanner uses can land in the light gap between dots and read a dark module as light, and errors pile up faster than correction can fix them. The generator keeps dots at a safe diameter, but combining the dots style with a light colour, a gradient and a large logo can still tip a code over the edge. That is what the verification badge is for: it decodes the styled render, and Could not verify means the style went too far.
What a round code is not
The grid stays square, since there is no circular QR standard; a circular frame around it is fine if the quiet zone stays clear. Check the finished artwork with the QR code reader and use the size guide for the print width.
This code never expires
Rounding the dots changes how the modules are drawn, not what they encode, so the address inside a round code is just as permanent. 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 |
Round dots carry slightly less ink than squares, so print a dotted code about 10 percent larger than a plain one: 4 cm on a card, 12 cm at a metre. Avoid very small prints with the dots style.
The QR code size guide has a calculator for module size, DPI and distance.
Frequently asked questions
Can a round QR code really be scanned?
Yes. A scanner samples the centre of each cell and asks whether it is dark or light; it does not care about the outline. As long as each dot covers most of its cell, a circle reads the same as a square, and this page verifies every render with a real decoder.
Can I make the whole code a circle?
The grid itself stays square, because there is no circular QR standard and the corner finder patterns must sit at the corners. You can round every module and finder, then place the code inside a circular badge in your layout, keeping the quiet zone clear inside the circle.
What do the dot shape options mean?
Square is the original. Rounded softens the corners of each square. Dots draws a circle per module. Classy rounds two opposite corners so neighbouring modules seem to flow together, and classy-rounded softens the rest. Extra-rounded joins runs of modules into pills.
Why must the dots stay large?
Each dot has to cover roughly 70 percent or more of its cell. Smaller than that and the scanner's sample point can land in the light gap between dots, reading a dark module as light. A few such errors are absorbed by error correction; more and the code fails.
Which corner options are safest?
All of them work in practice. The camera locates the three finder patterns by the ratio of dark and light bands across them, which rounding barely changes. Dot corners with dot inner marks give the softest look; extra-rounded squares keep more of the classic outline.
Can I combine round dots with a logo?
Yes, and the With logo page starts from a rounded style for that reason. A logo forces error correction to H and removes some modules, so keep the logo at 20 percent or below. Watch the badge: a large logo plus dots plus a gradient is the usual failure.
Related
Last updated . QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED. Open-source engines are listed on the how it works page.