Free YouTube QR code generator

Send people straight to your video

Paste a YouTube video or channel link (e.g. youtube.com/@yourchannel or a youtu.be/… URL) and download a free YouTube QR code. Scanning it opens the video or channel so people can watch and subscribe in a tap. The code is built in your browser and never uploaded.

To create yours:

  1. 1

    Grab the YouTube link

    From a video, tap Share; from a channel, copy the youtube.com/@handle address from the browser bar.

  2. 2

    Paste the link above

    OpenQR treats it as a URL, so there are no other settings to touch.

  3. 3

    Brand it (optional)

    Add your channel logo, your accent colour and a “Watch now” frame so it reads on a thumbnail.

  4. 4

    Export with no watermark

    PNG for video end-screens and thumbnails, or vector SVG/PDF for posters and packaging.

Print once, point at every new upload

Pick “Make it editable” and the printed code becomes a dynamic link. Re-point it to each fresh upload — this week’s how-to, next month’s launch video — so one code on your packaging or poster always lands on your latest content, with scan counts included.

Link a video, a channel or a Shorts URL?

Pick a video link to send people to one specific thing, a channel link to win subscribers, and a Shorts link for mobile-first clips. All three are plain URLs, so the code is made the same way:

  • A single video (youtu.be/VIDEO_ID or youtube.com/watch?v=…) — best when the code should send people to one specific thing: a product demo on the box, a how-to in a manual, a talk on a conference handout.
  • Your channel (youtube.com/@yourhandle) — best for growing subscribers, where the goal is “see everything I make”, not one clip. Good on business cards and shop signage.
  • A Shorts URL (youtube.com/shorts/VIDEO_ID) — keep the /shorts/ path so it opens full-screen in the vertical Shorts player rather than the standard landscape one; ideal for fast, mobile-first content.

Link to a moment, not just the video

To start a video partway through, add a timestamp to the link before you generate — append ?t=90 (or &t=90s on a watch?v= link) for 90 seconds in. The scan then jumps straight to the relevant part, which is perfect for “see step 3” on a how-to or pointing at one section of a long talk. Note that timestamps don’t apply to Shorts.

Where to use a YouTube QR code

Add it to product packaging for a how-to, a conference slide, a flyer or the back of a business card. It opens from the native camera on iPhone (iOS 11+) and Android (10+) — no app needed. Want it branded? Use the logo QR generator.

Yes. No fee, no account and no watermark on the code — make as many as you need for videos, channels and Shorts. OpenQR is open source and runs entirely in your browser.

YouTube QR code generator by industry

The same tool, written for a specific trade, with the wording and examples that trade uses.

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