Generate a QR code in Excel VBA

Shapes.AddPicture accepts a URL directly, so one VBA call places a QR code from the keyless API onto the sheet — no download step. Encode cell values with Application.WorksheetFunction.EncodeURL, loop a range to make a code per row, and use URLDownloadToFile when you need the PNG on disk.

Check the no-code route first

Excel 365's IMAGE() function puts a QR code in a cell with a formula and no macro security prompts — if that is available to you, start with how to make a QR code in Excel. VBA earns its keep on older Excel versions, for placing codes as positioned shapes, and for batch jobs that also write files.

One shape, one call

Shapes.AddPicture takes a URL as its filename argument, so the keyless API needs no download step at all:

Sub AddQr()
    Dim ws As Worksheet: Set ws = ActiveSheet
    ws.Shapes.AddPicture _
        "https://useqr.app/api/v1/qr?data=" & _
        Application.WorksheetFunction.EncodeURL("https://example.com") & "&size=512", _
        msoFalse, msoTrue, ws.Range("C2").Left, ws.Range("C2").Top, 96, 96
End Sub

The arguments after the URL: LinkToFile:=msoFalse, SaveWithDocument:=msoTrue embeds the image in the workbook, then left, top, width and height in points (96 pt ≈ 3.4 cm — around the 2 × 2 cm print floor once margins are considered, so size up if the sheet will be printed).

Application.WorksheetFunction.EncodeURL (Excel 2013+) is the important part: a raw & in a cell's URL would otherwise start a new query parameter and silently truncate the code's payload.

A code for every row

Sub QrForRange()
    Dim ws As Worksheet: Set ws = ActiveSheet
    Dim cell As Range, url As String
    For Each cell In ws.Range("A2:A101")
        If Len(cell.Value) > 0 Then
            url = "https://useqr.app/api/v1/qr?data=" & _
                  Application.WorksheetFunction.EncodeURL(CStr(cell.Value)) & "&size=512"
            ws.Shapes.AddPicture url, msoFalse, msoTrue, _
                cell.Offset(0, 1).Left, cell.Offset(0, 1).Top, 96, 96
        End If
    Next cell
End Sub

Each shape lands beside its source cell. The API's responses are deterministic and cacheable, so re-running the macro is cheap — but delete the old shapes first or they stack. Larger spreadsheet-to-labels workflows (mail merge, label sheets) are mapped out in QR codes from a spreadsheet.

Saving PNGs to disk

When the deliverable is files rather than shapes, declare URLDownloadToFile (Windows only — it lives in urlmon.dll):

Private Declare PtrSafe Function URLDownloadToFile Lib "urlmon" _
    Alias "URLDownloadToFileA" (ByVal pCaller As LongPtr, ByVal szURL As String, _
    ByVal szFileName As String, ByVal dwReserved As Long, ByVal lpfnCB As LongPtr) As Long

Sub SaveQr()
    URLDownloadToFile 0, "https://useqr.app/q/hello.png", "C:\qr\hello.png", 0, 0
End Sub

For print-quality output, request size=1024 or more, or format=svg if the downstream tool takes vector — a 96 px PNG enlarged later will be blurry on paper.

Two honesty notes: on a Mac, URLDownloadToFile is unavailable (the AddPicture route still works), and payloads containing credentials should not go through any web API — Excel is the wrong tool for WiFi-password codes; use an offline generator instead. The Google-side equivalent of this page is Apps Script.

FAQ

How do I insert a QR code with VBA?

Call Shapes.AddPicture with the keyless API URL as the filename argument. Excel fetches the image itself; no download code is required.

How do I encode the cell value safely?

Wrap it in Application.WorksheetFunction.EncodeURL before concatenating into the API URL. Unencoded ampersands truncate the payload silently.

Can I make a QR code for every row?

Yes — loop the range, build the URL from each cell, and AddPicture next to it. Delete previous shapes before re-running or they pile up.

Is there a way without macros?

In Excel 365, the IMAGE() function does the same job as a formula, which also avoids macro security warnings when sharing the workbook.