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How To Create a QR Code for a Word Document for Free

Generally, we create a shareable link whenever we want to share a specific document with others. Although this process is easy and widely used, it can be cumbersome in certain situations. For instance, you might want to distribute your document to a large audience at a conference or workshop. In such cases, sharing a link can be impractical. Users may struggle to type or save long and complex URLs accurately. This is where QR codes shine. With just a few clicks, you can create a QR code for your Word document and share it anywhere. Users can simply scan the QR code with their mobile phones or a QR code reader to access your Word document.

In this tutorial, I will show you the simplest and cleanest way to create a free QR code for your Word documents in Windows. Let’s get started.

Before You Start

To generate a QR code for your Word document, you need to upload it to a cloud service and create a shareable link. This step is crucial as the QR code will link to this online version of your document. To do this, I’ll use OneDrive in Windows. You can use any cloud service of your choice. All we need is a shareable link. Depending on the cloud service you use, the steps to generate a URL may vary slightly. Remember to adjust your document’s sharing settings to control who can access it.

The QR code service we’re using (api.qrserver.com) is completely free and doesn’t require any registration. This makes it a convenient option for quick QR code generation without the need to sign up for any services.

Steps To Create a QR Code for a Word Document

  1. Open File Explorer by pressing Windows key + E.
  2. Select OneDrive on the sidebar of File Explorer.
  3. Copy your Word document to a folder in the OneDrive folder.
  4. Right-click on the copied Word document.
  5. Select OneDrive > Copy Link.
  6. Click the Copy button to copy the link.
  7. Now, paste the following URL in the browser while replacing “YourShareableURLHere” with the copied URL and press Enter. https://api.qrserver.com/v1/create-qr-code/?size=600x600&data=YourShareableURLHere
  8. Right-click on the generated QR code and select Save Image As.
  9. Go to a folder, enter a name in the “File name” field, and click OK.
  10. With that, you’ve created a QR code for your Word document.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, open File Explorer. You can do this by pressing the Windows key + E shortcut or by clicking the File Explorer icon on the taskbar. Once it opens, click OneDrive on the left sidebar of the File Explorer window.

Now, copy your Word document to a folder of your choice in the OneDrive folder.

Next, right-click on the Word document and select OneDrive > Copy Link.

select copy link option

The above action makes OneDrive generate a shareable link. By default, the document is editable. If you don’t want that, you need to change the sharing settings. To do that, click on Anyone with the link can edit option.

click anyone with the link can edit option

Click the Can edit option under the “More Settings” section and select Can View.

select can view

Click Apply.

apply share settings

Now, click the Copy button to copy the shareable link to your clipboard. For ease of use, I recommend pasting the link into Notepad.

copy share link

Next, paste the following URL in the browser while replacing “YourShareableURLHere” with the copied shareable link URL and press Enter.

https://api.qrserver.com/v1/create-qr-code/?size=600x600&data=YourShareableURLHere

For example: https://api.qrserver.com/v1/create-qr-code/?size=600x600&data=https://windowsloop.com

Important note: The URL we’re using generates a QR code with dimensions of 600×600 pixels. If you need a different size, you can modify the “size=600×600” part in the URL. For instance, for a larger QR code, you could use “size=1000×1000”.

After entering the URL, you will see the generated QR code. To save it to your computer, right-click on the generated QR code and select Save Image As.

select save image as

In the “Save As” dialog, go to a folder where you want to save the QR code image, enter a name in the “File name” field, and click Save.

save qr code

That’s it. You’ve created a QR code for your Word document for free and saved it to your computer. You can now share this QR code image or print it.

Word QR Code

Wrapping Up — Creating a QR Code for a Word Document

As you can see, creating a QR code for your Word document, or any other document for that matter is pretty easy. All you have to do is upload the document to a cloud service like OneDrive, create a shareable link, and use the link to generate a QR code. Once created, you can save the QR image or print it out for quick and easy sharing. Remember to verify the sharing settings before generating the QR code.

If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to help.

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