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Google Maps QR code generator

Copy your place's share link from Google Maps, paste it here, and download a QR code. Scanning it opens the location in the Maps app, or in the browser on phones without it, ready for directions.

Google Maps QR code generator

What should the code open?
Website details

Paste the full link. If you leave out https://, it is added for you.

Colors, size and logo

Higher levels survive damage and logos but make the code denser.

Your image stays on your device. Adding a logo switches error correction to High.

Example QR code

Example. Fill in the form to make yours.

Static code. Free forever. It never expires.

How to make a Google Maps QR code

  1. Find the place in Google Maps

    Search for your business or address, or drop a pin on the exact spot, like a side entrance.

  2. Copy the share link

    Tap Share, then Copy link. On a computer, open the menu, choose Share or embed map, then Copy link.

  3. Paste it and test it

    Paste the link above, scan the code with your phone, and check it opens the right spot.

Any of these works in the generator. Pick the one that fits:

  • A share link (maps.app.goo.gl/...). The quickest: tap Share, then Copy link. It opens your business listing or the pin you dropped.
  • A search link (universal). https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query= followed by an address or coordinates, like 47.6205,-122.3493. It is longer, but it is written in Google’s documented format, so it does not depend on a short link.
  • A directions link (universal). https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination= followed by an address or coordinates. Add &travelmode=walking (or driving, transit, bicycling) if it helps.

Universal links need the api=1 part. They open the Google Maps app if it is installed, on both iPhone and Android, and a browser if not. Replace spaces in an address with +.

Get the exact spot, not just the street

For many places, the street address is not where people should go: the car park entrance, the side door, the stall in a market, the trailhead. Drop a pin there instead:

  1. In Google Maps, press and hold on the spot (on a computer, click it).
  2. Tap the dropped pin’s card, then Share and Copy link.

Google Maps also shows a Plus Code for a dropped pin, a short code like JJXX+HR8 with a town name after it. It works like an address for places that do not have one, and you can use it as the search text in a universal link.

Good uses

  • Event invitations and posters, opening the venue with directions. A wedding QR code page covers invitations in more detail.
  • Holiday rentals, in the welcome book: the nearest shop, beach or pharmacy. Pair it with a WiFi code for guests.
  • Shop and office doors, for a second location or a new address after a move.
  • Delivery notes with the right loading bay.
  • Trail and park signs, opening the start point or a meeting spot.

If you want visitors to leave a review after they find you, a Google review QR code opens the review form directly.

Business listing or dropped pin?

If your business has a Google Business Profile, share the listing rather than a pin. The listing shows your opening hours, phone number, photos and reviews, and people can save it or call you from the same screen. It also updates by itself when you change your hours.

A dropped pin is better when there is no listing, when the listing’s pin is in the wrong spot, or when you want people at a specific entrance. A pin shows only the location and its coordinates.

Either way, open the link on your own phone before you print and check it is the place you meant. Business names can match several places, and a link copied from a search result page can open the search instead of the place.

Printing and testing

A share link is about 40 characters, which makes a code 29 squares across. A universal link with coordinates is about 65 characters and 37 squares, so print it a little bigger, at least 2.5 cm (1 in) wide.

Before you print, scan the code on an iPhone and an Android phone, ideally one without Google Maps installed. Check that it opens the right place and that directions start correctly. Add a short line next to it, like “Scan for directions”, and the address in plain text. The print size guide has sizes for signs read from a distance.

The code is static, so it never expires and keeps working without our site.

Questions people ask

How do I get a Google Maps link for my location?

Search for the place or drop a pin, then tap Share and Copy link. You get a short link that starts with maps.app.goo.gl. Paste that into the generator.

Will the short maps.app.goo.gl link stop working?

Google retired its general goo.gl link shortener, but said links created by its own apps, such as Maps sharing, keep working. If you want a link that does not rely on a short link at all, use the universal Maps link described on this page.

What happens on an iPhone without Google Maps?

The link opens Google Maps in the browser, which shows the place and offers directions. People with the Google Maps app installed go straight to the app.

Can the code open directions instead of just the place?

Yes. Use a directions link like google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination= followed by your address or coordinates. The phone fills in the person's current location as the starting point.

My place has no street address. What do I use?

Drop a pin on the exact spot and share that, or use coordinates in a universal Maps link. A Plus Code, like the one Google Maps shows for a dropped pin, also works as the search text.

Does the code expire?

No. It holds the Maps link itself, with no redirect from us in between, so it works as long as the link does.