Make a free video QR code that plays on scan
This video QR code generator links a printed surface to a video. A customer scans the code and the player opens: a product demo, a setup guide, a welcome message, a showreel. Use it on packaging, manuals, brochures, and posters.
The code stores a link, so the video needs to live somewhere public first: YouTube, Vimeo, Loom, or a page on your own site. The code itself is static, free, and never expires.
What a video QR code does
- Opens the player: the scan opens your video link in the phone's browser, or in the host's app when the phone opens links there.
- Works with any host: if the link plays in a phone browser, it works in the code.
- Stays fixed: the printed code always opens the same video.
Get the right link from your video host
The code opens the exact link you paste, so copy it from the host's own Share button.
YouTube on a computer
- Open the video on youtube.com.
- Under the video, click Share.
- To start at a set moment, check the Start at box and enter the time, for example 2:30.
- Click Copy, then paste the link into the generator above.
YouTube app on a phone or tablet
- Open the video and tap Share under the player. To start at a set moment, open Share at that moment and turn on the time toggle.
- Tap Copy link.
Vimeo
- Select the video in your library to open its settings page.
- Select Share at the top right.
- Select Copy link. If the video is Unlisted, set that first: Vimeo adds a privacy hash to an unlisted link, and the code needs it.
Google Drive, for an MP4 or other video file
- On drive.google.com, click New, then File upload, and choose the video.
- Select the file, click Share, and under General access choose Anyone with the link.
- Click Copy link, then Done.
Best uses for a video QR code
- Product manuals: show the assembly instead of describing it.
- Packaging: a demo video sells at the shelf.
- Real estate flyers: walkthrough videos straight from the yard sign.
- Warranty cards and inserts: troubleshooting videos cut support calls.
How to create it
- Paste your video link: the full URL in the field above, from YouTube, Vimeo, or your own site.
- Check the preview: scan it and confirm the video plays on a phone.
- Style it: set colors, add a center logo, and use a frame label like "Watch the demo".
- Download: PNG for print, at 4096 px (3000 px on an iPhone or iPad), or JPG for screens. SVG scales to any size. Turn on Make a printable design and the SVG button becomes PDF, at the exact page or card size.
Scan test on two phones before printing, and once on mobile data rather than WiFi.
A plain link code, or this generator?
A plain code for the video's link is enough for a quick share. Chrome on a computer makes one for the page you have open: More, then Cast, save, and share, then Create QR code, with a Download option. A code going on packaging, a manual or a sign needs more, and this generator adds it:
| Added here | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| A frame label: "Scan to watch" when you pick a label frame, or your own words up to 28 characters | People know what the scan opens |
| Your colors, and a play icon, a film icon or your own logo in the center | The code matches the pack or the flyer |
| PNG at 4096 px, plus SVG | Sharp at print size, and SVG scales to any size |
| Make a printable design: a poster (A4, A5 or US Letter) or a 3.5 x 2 in business card, as a PDF with "Watch the video" as its starting headline | A finished sign around the code |
| Save it as a dynamic code in a free account | Change the video after printing, and see scan counts |
Tips for reliable playback
- Label the payoff: "Watch the 60 second setup" tells people why to scan.
- Test on mobile data: a clip that loads on office WiFi can stall on 4G. Short videos win.
- Unlisted beats private: an unlisted YouTube video plays from the link without appearing on your channel. A private one plays only for you and the people you share it with by email, so it will not play for anyone else who scans.
- Keep contrast high: a dark code on a light background, with clear space around it.
Host settings that decide who can watch
The code opens the link, and the host decides who can watch. Check these settings before you print.
- YouTube: in YouTube Studio, open Content and set the video's Visibility to Public or Unlisted. Viewers of an unlisted video need no Google account.
- Vimeo: Unlisted needs a paid plan. An Embed only video cannot be watched on vimeo.com, so point the code at the page where you embedded it.
- Google Drive: Anyone with the link opens the file with no Google sign in. On a work or school account, your admin may restrict sharing outside the organization. A new upload can still be processing for other viewers after it plays for you, and Drive shows Playback limits once a video reaches its limit for viewers who are not signed in.
- Loom: a Public video plays for anyone with the link, with no Loom account. Workspace admins can turn public links off, and on Enterprise and Premium plans they can set public links to expire.
- Wistia: share the public link from the Share box on the video's Manage page (it contains /s/), with visibility set to Anyone with the link. Skip expiring links on anything printed.
FAQs
Which video hosts work?
Any host with a public or unlisted link: YouTube, Vimeo, Loom, Wistia, or a video page on your own site. The scan opens the link; playback happens on the host.
Can the code store the video file itself?
No. A QR code holds a link, not megabytes of video. Upload the video somewhere first, then encode its link.
Is there a YouTube-specific version?
Yes. The YouTube QR code generator also takes @handles, so one code can open your whole channel instead of one video.
Can I replace the video without reprinting?
Not on the static code: it holds the video link itself. To change the video later, save it as a dynamic code before you print. After you download a plain code, the generator offers Save it as an editable code, free. Your free QRplify account then starts with the same code as a dynamic QR code, with your link and design, so you can swap the video behind the same print and see scan counts. The offer does not show on a printable design.
How do I make a QR code for a video?
Copy the video's share link with the steps above, paste it into the generator, scan the preview with your phone to check the video plays, then download.
Can I make one for free, without it expiring?
Yes. The code above is free and needs no account. It holds your video link itself, with no QRplify link in between, so it has no expiry date and no scan limit. It keeps working while the video stays at that link with the same sharing setting.
Can I make a QR code for an MP4 file?
Yes, once the file is online. YouTube takes MP4 uploads, and Google Drive plays MPEG4 files. On Drive, upload the file, set General access to Anyone with the link, and paste that link into the generator.
Does the video play offline?
No. The code opens a link, so the phone needs an internet connection to load the video from the host.
Publish your video QR code
Paste the link above, scan test on mobile data, and download SVG for any size or a 4096 px PNG for print.