# How to make a QR code in Google Docs

> In Google Docs use Insert → Image → By URL and paste a UseQR API link such as https://useqr.app/api/v1/qr?data=your-link&size=600 — the code appears immediately, no download or upload needed. Docs fetches the image once and stores its own copy, so the document keeps working regardless of the URL later.

Source: https://useqr.app/docs/how-to/how-to-make-a-qr-code-in-google-docs · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, MIT licensed, no signup.

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## 1. The one-step route: insert by URL

Google Docs can insert an image straight from a URL, and every UseQR code has one — the
[keyless API](/docs/developers/free-qr-code-api-no-key) turns any payload into a PNG:

1. Build the URL. The pattern is:

```
https://useqr.app/api/v1/qr?data=https://example.com/your-page&size=600
```

   If your payload contains spaces, `&` or other special characters, URL-encode it —
   or simpler, build the code in the [generator](/url) first and copy the API link.
2. In the Doc: **Insert → Image → By URL**, paste, and confirm.

The code appears in the document immediately. No file was downloaded to your machine or
uploaded to Drive.

## 2. What Docs actually stores

A detail worth knowing: Docs **fetches the image once at insert time and stores its own
copy** inside the document. The image does not re-fetch on every open. Consequences:

- The document keeps working forever, offline included — it does not depend on the API
  being reachable later.
- Changing the code means repeating the insert with a new URL. Editing the old URL
  changes nothing already placed.
- The payload itself is still **static** — the destination is baked into the code, and
  [static codes never expire](/docs/basics/do-qr-codes-expire).

## 3. Size it for how the doc will be read

Click the image and drag a **corner** handle (sides distort), or use Image options →
Size for exact dimensions. Two regimes:

- **Printed docs**: at least **2 cm** wide at reading distance — the
  [print size rules](/docs/print/qr-code-size-for-print) apply the moment paper is
  involved. Generate with `size=600` or more so 300 DPI is available at that width.
- **Screen-only docs**: anything from ~150 px display width scans from a phone
  [pointed at the monitor](/docs/scanning/scanning-a-qr-code-off-a-monitor), but bigger
  is kinder.

Keep clear space around it — no table borders or text against the code's white margin,
which is its [quiet zone](/glossary/quiet-zone).

## 4. The alternative: insert a file

If you want styling — colours, logo, module shapes — build the code in the
generator, download the PNG, and **Insert → Image → Upload from computer**. Same
result, one extra step, full styling control. (Docs does not accept SVG uploads; use PNG
at 600 px or more.)

## 5. Verify from the final artefact

If the document will be printed, print one copy and scan it. If it ships as a PDF
(File → Download → PDF), scan the PDF on screen or run it through the
[validator](/validate). Google's PDF export preserves image quality well, but thirty
seconds of checking beats a reprint.

## Gotchas

- **The URL must return a raw image.** A link to a QR *page* will not insert; the API URL
  above returns the PNG itself.
- **Docs recompresses very large images** — `size=600` to `size=1024` is the sweet spot;
  there is no need for 4096 px in a document.
- **Copy-pasting a code from a website** often carries a tiny thumbnail into the doc.
  Insert by URL or upload the real file.
- **Templates**: a code left in a shared template gets copied into every new document —
  make sure the payload is meant to be that permanent.

Build the code and copy its API link: [make a QR code](/url?data=https://example.com).

## FAQ

### How do I insert a QR code into Google Docs?
Use Insert → Image → By URL with a QR API link like https://useqr.app/api/v1/qr?data=your-link&size=600. The code appears immediately without downloading or uploading anything.

### Does the QR code in my Doc stop working if the API goes away?
No. Docs stores its own copy of the image at insert time, and a static QR code encodes its destination directly, so the printed or shared document keeps working regardless.

### Can I make a styled QR code for Google Docs?
Yes — build it in a generator with colours and a logo, download the PNG, and use Insert → Image → Upload from computer. Docs does not take SVG, so upload a large PNG.

### What size should the QR code be in the document?
At least 2 cm wide if the document will be printed and scanned at reading distance. Resize with corner handles only, so the code stays square.

## Try it

- https://useqr.app/url
- https://useqr.app/validate