# How to make a QR code in Word

> Insert the generated code with Insert → Pictures, set the exact printed size in centimetres in the Layout dialog, and give it square text wrapping so paragraphs cannot squash it. For one code per record — labels, letters, certificates — use mail merge with an IncludePicture field pointing at the UseQR API URL.

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

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## 1. Generate the code

Make the code at UseQR and download it. Word (Microsoft 365 and 2019+) inserts **SVG**
directly, which is the best choice because it prints sharp at any size; older versions
take **PNG** — generate it at
[300 DPI for the final printed size](/docs/how-to/how-to-make-a-high-resolution-qr-code)
(a 3 cm code needs 354 px; 5 cm needs 591 px).

## 2. Insert and size it exactly

1. **Insert → Pictures → This device**, choose the file.
2. Right-click the image → **Size and Position** (the Layout dialog).
3. Untick nothing — the aspect lock should stay on — and type the width in centimetres:
   the physical size the [10:1 distance rule](/docs/print/qr-code-size-for-print)
   demands, and never under **2 cm** for a handheld document.
4. On the **Text Wrapping** tab choose **Square** (or In Front of Text) so reflowing
   paragraphs cannot squash or displace the code, and drag it into position.

Dragging corner handles by eye is how codes end up 1.7 cm on a printed page; typing the
number takes five seconds and removes the guess.

## 3. Keep white space around it

Leave a margin of clear page around the code — the quiet zone, at least 4 modules —
free of borders, table rules and text. Placing the code inside a
tight table cell with visible borders is the classic Word failure.

## 4. Many codes: mail merge with IncludePicture

For one code per record — event badges, certificates, letters, [Avery label
sheets](/docs/how-to/how-to-make-avery-labels-with-qr-codes) — combine mail merge with the
[keyless API](/docs/developers/free-qr-code-api-no-key):

1. Set up the merge (Mailings → Start Mail Merge) with your data source; say it has a
   `Code` column.
2. Where the QR should appear, press `Ctrl+F9` to insert field braces and build:

```
{ INCLUDEPICTURE "https://useqr.app/api/v1/qr?size=600&data={ MERGEFIELD Code }" \d }
```

3. Finish the merge to a new document, then **select all (`Ctrl+A`) and press `F9`** to
   force every picture field to fetch its image — Word caches the first one otherwise,
   giving every record the same code.

This needs an internet connection at refresh time. For a fully offline batch, generate a
ZIP of images from your spreadsheet with the [bulk tool](/bulk) instead — see
[QR codes from a spreadsheet](/docs/how-to/how-to-make-qr-codes-from-a-spreadsheet) — and
insert them per document, or let the bulk tool produce finished label PDFs directly.

## 5. Print a proof and scan it

Print one page at 100% (no "shrink to fit"), measure the code with a ruler, and scan it
from arm's length. For extra certainty, run a photo of the print through the
[validator](/validate). Laser printers render 2 cm codes more crisply than inkjets on
plain paper.

## Gotchas

- **"Compress pictures"** (File → Options → Advanced, and the Picture Format ribbon)
  downsamples images to 220 PPI or less on save. Set default resolution to
  **High fidelity** for documents carrying codes, or use SVG which is immune.
- **Copy-pasting the code from a browser** instead of inserting the file often embeds a
  low-resolution bitmap. Insert the downloaded file.
- **Word's image effects** — shadows, reflections, artistic filters — belong nowhere near
  a QR code.
- **Emailing the .docx**? Recipients' versions may re-render it; export to **PDF** so the
  code ships exactly as laid out.

Generate the code to insert: [make a QR code](/url?data=https://example.com).

## FAQ

### How do I insert a QR code into Word?
Generate and download the code (SVG for modern Word, else a 300 DPI PNG), then Insert → Pictures, set the exact width in centimetres in the Layout dialog, and use square text wrapping.

### Can Word generate QR codes by itself?
Not through the standard interface. Practical routes are inserting a generated image, or a mail-merge IncludePicture field that fetches each record's code from a QR API URL.

### How do I mail merge QR codes in Word?
Use an IncludePicture field wrapping a MERGEFIELD inside the API URL, finish the merge, then select all and press F9 so every record fetches its own image rather than reusing the first.

### What size should a QR code be in a Word document?
At least 2 cm wide for a handheld page, set by typing the width into the Layout dialog rather than dragging. Bigger if the printed page is read from further away.

## Try it

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