Contact QR code (vCard)

How do I put my contact details in a QR code?

One scan saves your name, number and email to a phone's contacts.

What the code holds

First name

Last name

Organization

Job title

Phone

Website

Street address

Postal code

City

Country

Code options

Minimum error correction

Download size

Your QR code

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Fill in the fields to make the code.

Shown here when the code is ready

The QR code
PNG and SVG downloads
This code contains
Code details

How to use

Choose what the code holds: a link or text, a Wi-Fi network, a contact, an email, a text message, an event, a location or a payment.
Fill in the fields. The code updates as you type, and the text under it shows exactly what a phone will read.
Download it as PNG for documents and messages or SVG for print, then scan it once with your own phone before you share it.

How it works

A QR code stores text in a grid of black and white squares. Phone cameras read the text and act on its form: a web address opens in the browser, a WIFI: line joins a network, a vCard becomes a contact. The codes made here are static: everything is in the squares themselves, so they work without this site, never expire and nobody can count who scans them. So-called dynamic codes hold only a short link to someone's server, which can stop working or record every scan.

The code follows the QR standard ISO/IEC 18004. The text is split into 8-bit codewords, and Reed–Solomon error correction codewords are added so a scratched or partly covered code still reads: about 7 % of it can be damaged at level L, 15 % at M, 25 % at Q and 30 % at H. Larger content or a higher level needs a larger version, from 21 × 21 squares (version 1) up to 177 × 177 (version 40), which holds at most 2,953 bytes at level L. A link such as https://how.box/ is 16 bytes and fits version 1.

The contents follow the formats phones read: the ZXing WIFI: format for networks, vCard 3.0 (RFC 2426) for contacts, mailto: (RFC 6068), SMSTO: for text messages, iCalendar events (RFC 5545), geo: URIs (RFC 5870) and the European Payments Council's EPC QR (EPC069-12) for SEPA credit transfers in euros.

Keep codes short and print them at least 2 cm wide, dark on light. Wi-Fi and event codes depend on the phone's camera app; most current Android phones and iPhones read them.

Frequently asked questions

What happens when someone scans a contact code?

The phone shows the details and offers to save them as a new contact. Nothing is sent anywhere.

How much can I put on one code?

Name, organization, title, phone, email, website and address fit easily. Every extra field makes the code denser, so leave out what people don't need.

Which format is used?

vCard 3.0, which iPhones, Android phones and email programs all import.

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