SMS QR code generator

Add your mobile number and the words you want people to send, then download the QR code. Scanning it opens a new text to you with that message typed, and they press send.

Free, no sign-up. Runs in your browser. Nothing you type or upload is sent to us or stored.

Phone number

With the country code, for example +44 7700 900123.

Message (optional)

55 characters. People can edit it before sending.

Link text (for the HTML)

SMS link

QR code

Link for your website (HTML)

<a href="sms:+447700900123?body=Hi%2C%20I%20scanned%20your%20poster.%20Can%20you%20send%20me%20the%20details%3F">Text us</a>

At a glance

What the QR code holds: SMSTO:, then the number, a colon and the message. ZXing's wiki lists it as seen in the wild, with no official specification; Source: github.com, checked 2026-11
The standard text link: RFC 5724 defines sms:<number>?body=<message>, with the number in international form starting with +; Source: rfc-editor.org, checked 2026-11
Scanning on iPhone: Open Camera in Photo mode, frame the code and tap the link that appears, or use Scan Code in Control Center; Source: support.apple.com, checked 2026-11
Apple's documented sms: format: Number only. Apple's archived URL Scheme Reference (last updated 2017) says the link must not include message text; Source: developer.apple.com, checked 2026-11

Give people every way to reach you

A Liite page puts a call button, your WhatsApp link and your email next to each other, behind one QR code you can print, with a count of how many people tapped each one.

Make your free page

SMS QR code generator: what to know

This page starts the SMS link generator for this case. For every option and how to use it, see the SMS link generator.

Why the code uses SMSTO: and the link uses sms:

There are two ways to write a text message as text. The sms: link from RFC 5724 is the standard one, and it's what the tool gives you for websites and emails. QR scanners grew up with a second form, SMSTO:number:message, which ZXing's barcode library reads and documents as a format seen in the wild. The QR code here uses SMSTO: because that's the form QR scanners have used in practice.

Neither Apple nor Google publishes a current spec for what their cameras do with a text-message QR code. Apple's only SMS link page is an archived reference from 2017 that covers the number alone. So treat the pre-filled message as a convenience: scan the code with an iPhone and an Android phone before you print, and make sure the poster still makes sense if someone's phone opens a blank text.

Write the message for the place you print it

The message is part of the code, so each place can have its own: "Hi, I scanned the poster at the station" on one, "Hi, I'm at table 4" on another. When the texts arrive you can see which poster or table they came from.

Keep it short and leave room for people to add their own details. Long messages make the code denser and harder to scan from a distance.

Questions

How can I generate a QR code for SMS?

Type your number with the country code and an optional message above, then download the QR code. It's free and made in your browser, and the code works for as long as the number does.

Can you send a QR code via SMS?

You can send the image, but the person can't scan a code on their own screen with that phone's camera. Send the sms: link from this tool instead: it does the same job in one tap.

Does the person pay to text me?

Scanning is free. Sending the text costs whatever their plan charges for a text message to your number, the same as typing it themselves.