Help

Create a code

Which kinds of QR code can I make?

Pick one under Create in the sidebar: Link, Dynamic link, Text, Email, Phone, WhatsApp, Wi-Fi or vCard. Fill in the form and the preview updates as you type. For a link you can leave out https://; QR Studio adds it.

What is the difference between Link and Dynamic link?

A Link code contains the address itself: it works without an account, but you cannot change it after printing. A Dynamic link code contains a short QR Studio address that forwards to your destination, which you can change at any time and whose visits you can see. See Dynamic links.

How does a Wi-Fi code work?

Enter the network name, choose the security type and enter the password. Guests scan the code with their phone's camera to join. The code is made on your Mac; the password is not sent anywhere.

Do I need an account?

No. Every type except Dynamic link, plus templates, batch export and scanning, works without an account.

Design it

How do I change the shapes and colours?

Use the customisation panel next to the preview:

• Shapes: choose an Eye shape (the three corner squares) and a Pixel shape from the full set, all shown at once.
• Colors: give the pixels, eye borders and pupils each a solid colour or a linear or radial gradient, or apply one fill to all of them. The background can be transparent, a solid colour, a gradient or an image.
• Logo: choose a predefined logo or your own image (Choose image… or drop it in), keep its original colours or tint it, and set its size (10–30%), clear space, shape and position.

How do templates work?

Open Templates in the sidebar. Six templates are included (Studio, Forest, Editorial, Ocean, Plum and Copper). Save current style keeps your own colours, shapes and logo as a new template. Applying a template changes only the look, never the content of your code. Your own templates can be deleted; the included ones cannot.

Scan quality

What does the Scan quality row check?

QR Studio checks your design as you work: colour contrast of the pixels, eyes and pupils, inverted or mixed colours, the quiet zone (the empty margin around the code), the export size, transparency, and how much of the code a logo covers and where it sits. It shows No issues or the number of warnings and issues.

Why can't I export?

Some problems make a code unlikely to scan, such as very low contrast, a transparent foreground or a JPEG with transparency; they are marked Needs fixing before export. Open the details and use the suggested fix, such as Adjust colors, Use High correction or Use PNG. Warnings do not block export.

How can I be sure the exported file scans?

In the Scan quality details, use Verify export: QR Studio renders the file at the export size you chose and reads it back on your Mac; nothing is uploaded. It is an automated check, so still test the code with a phone before you print it.

Export and copy

Which formats can I export?

Choose File › Export… (⌘E). Formats: PNG, JPEG, SVG and PDF. Presets set the size for you (Web 512 px PNG, Social 1024 px PNG, Print 2048 px PDF at 300 dpi), or pick 256, 512, 1024 or 2048 px yourself. Error correction can be Low, Medium, High or Ultra High; higher correction scans more reliably, especially with a logo, at the cost of a denser code.

Can I copy instead of saving a file?

Edit › Copy payload (⇧⌘C) copies the content of the code, and Copy QR text art (⌥⌘C) copies the code drawn in text characters.

Batch from a CSV

How do I make many codes at once?

Open Batch in the sidebar and follow the steps: import a CSV file, review the rows, choose a template, then export. QR Studio makes a new folder inside the folder you pick, with one file per row, in PNG, JPEG, SVG or PDF. Batch codes always use the highest error correction, and existing files are never replaced.

What should the CSV file look like?

A UTF-8 file separated by commas or semicolons, with a header row, up to 1,000 rows and under 5 MB. QR Studio finds the name column (name, filename or file name) and the content column (url, content or text); you can choose other columns yourself. Each row becomes a Link or Text code. Download sample CSV saves an example:

name,url
Table 01,https://atelier.example/menu/01
Table 02,https://atelier.example/menu/02

Some rows are invalid. What now?

Correct the file name or content right in the review list, or tick Skip invalid rows to export only the valid ones.

Scan a code

How do I read a QR code on my Mac?

Open Scan in the sidebar and choose how:

• Scan your screen: drag the frame over a code in any window. macOS asks for Screen Recording permission the first time.
• Open QR image: drop or choose a PNG, JPEG, SVG or PDF file (also File › Scan QR Code from Image…, ⌘O).
• Start camera scan: use the built-in camera, an external one or your iPhone with Continuity Camera.

Decoding happens on your Mac. Depending on what the code contains, you can copy the text, open a link in your browser, copy a Wi-Fi password, call a number, start a WhatsApp message or save a contact to Contacts.

A permission was denied. How do I allow it?

Open System Settings › Privacy & Security and allow QR Studio under Camera, Screen Recording or Contacts, then try again.

Dynamic links

How do I make a dynamic link?

Sign in, choose Dynamic link in the sidebar and enter the destination (an http or https address). QR Studio creates a short link at qrstudio.io/r/… and the code points to it. Click Save to add it to My Links.

Can I change where it goes after printing?

Yes, that is the point. In My Links, choose Edit on the link, enter the new destination and confirm with Update Now. The printed code stays the same and sends visitors to the new address straight away.

Can I delete one dynamic link?

Not on its own yet: a link stays as long as your account. Point it somewhere else if you no longer need it. Deleting your account deletes all of its links, and their printed codes stop working.

Is there anything I may not link to?

Yes: phishing, malware, scams and anything illegal. We may disable such links. See the terms of use.

My Links and statistics

Where are my links?

My Links appears in the sidebar under Manage once you are signed in. Search by destination or short address, sort by visits, open or copy a short link, edit its destination and open its statistics.

What do the statistics show?

The Dashboard shows total visits, unique visitors and the number of links for your account, a chart of visits over the last 30 days, and the operating systems, browsers and devices visitors used. Each link has its own statistics with the same figures and a visit history.

Do you track the people who scan my codes?

Visits are counted, but visitors' IP addresses are not stored: each is replaced by a keyed pseudonym that is used only to tell unique visitors apart, and you never see it. The privacy policy has the details.

Your account

How do I sign up?

Click the account card at the bottom of the sidebar and choose Create account. Enter your email and a password of at least 8 characters. We email you a 6-digit verification code; enter it under Activate account. The code is valid for 24 hours, and you can ask for a new one.

I forgot my password.

On Sign in, choose Forgot password?, then Send reset code. Enter the code from the email and a new password with at least 8 characters, one capital letter and one number.

How do I delete my account?

Open your account, choose Delete account, confirm your password and choose Permanently delete account. This deletes the account, all of its dynamic links and their visit records. Printed codes that use those links stop working, and it cannot be undone. Your QR codes, templates and exported files on your Mac are not affected.

Settings

Open QR Studio › Settings… (⌘,) or Settings at the bottom of the sidebar.

Privacy: what does QR Studio send?

Under Privacy you choose what is shared with VPO Labs: Share anonymous usage data (daily counts such as exports and scans), Send error and hang reports, and Crash reports (Ask Each Time, Send Automatically or Never Send). None of it includes your QR content, links, file names or account details. Show… lets you see the usage waiting to be sent; you can also reset the random identifiers, and export or delete everything this Mac has sent.

Updates

The App Store version is updated by the Mac App Store. The website version can check for updates once a day and install them when you quit QR Studio; Check Now looks straight away (also QR Studio › Check for Updates…). Both show What's New and the Release History of every version.

About

About shows your version and links to the website, support, the privacy policy and other apps from VPO Labs.

Licence (website version)

This applies only to QR Studio downloaded from qrstudio.vpolabs.com. The Mac App Store version has no trial or licence key.

How does the trial work?

Every copy includes a 14-day trial of the whole app; Settings › License shows the days left. After the trial, exporting, copying and batch-exporting codes and creating dynamic links need QR Studio Pro. Scanning and designing keep working, and nothing you made is removed.

How do I enter my licence key?

The key arrives by email from Dodo Payments after you buy. After checkout, the thank-you page has an Open in QR Studio button: it opens Settings › License with the key filled in, and you click Activate. You can also open Settings › License, choose Enter License Key… and paste it. The button uses a qrstudio://license link; if nothing happens, open QR Studio first and paste the key instead.

How do I move my licence to another Mac?

One key works on two Macs at a time. On the Mac you no longer use, choose Settings › License › Deactivate This Mac…, then activate the key on the new Mac. If the old Mac is gone, use Your Macs in Settings › License, or the licence page with your key and purchase email, to deactivate it there.

Can I get a refund?

Write to support@vpolabs.com within 14 days of your purchase. See the terms of use. App Store refunds are handled by Apple.

Feedback and support

How do I report a problem or suggest an idea?

Choose Feedback in the sidebar or Help › Send Feedback…. Pick Feedback, Problem, Idea or Account & links, write your message and attach files or a snapshot of the window if it helps. You can include diagnostics (logs and recent crashes, nothing you made or typed). Replies appear in the app under Conversations, and by email if you add your address.

How do I contact you?

Email support@vpolabs.com. Include your QR Studio and macOS versions and what you were doing. Please don't send passwords, licence keys you haven't been asked for, or codes that contain a private Wi-Fi password.