If you're promoting an event on a flyer, poster or the last slide of a talk, a QR code lets people sign up from their phone. They scan it with their camera, and the registration page opens.
Creating the code is quick and free. It should open a page where people can register on the spot, as event registration software lets them. It also needs to be printed large enough for a phone camera to read.
Quick answer: A QR code is a web address stored as a picture, and a phone camera opens it. To create one for event registration, set up a registration page with its own address, turn that address into a code and print it at least 0.8 inches (2 cm) square. Checkout Page event pages have a QR code under Share event. Chrome on a computer can make one from any page, and free generators let you choose a different design.
What a QR code for event registration does
A QR code for event registration stores the web address of your sign-up page. When someone scans it, the page opens in their phone's browser instead of making them type the link from a poster.
People choose a ticket, answer your questions and pay on the registration page. The code should open that page, not a flyer or PDF. Our guide to creating a registration link for an event covers the page and its address.
Registration QR code or ticket check-in QR code?
The registration code goes on your flyer and opens your sign-up page. A separate check-in code is created for each ticket after someone registers. You scan that code at the door.
With Checkout Page, every ticket comes with its own check-in QR code, which you can scan with the event check-in app.
How to create a QR code for event registration
The steps below use a Checkout Page event page. Steps 3 and 4 also work with any registration page that has its own web address.
Step 1: set up your registration page
Create the page where people will register, with a free or paid ticket and the questions you need to ask. On Checkout Page, this is an event page. The Free plan covers both free and paid registrations. Our guide to the event registration form can help you decide what to include. The Free plan shows Checkout Page branding on the event page, which the Launch plan removes.
Set the page's address before making the code. A printed code always opens the address it was created from. If you later use Change slug in the Share event panel to change that address, the printed codes stop working. For a code that opens a checkout instead, see our guide to QR code payments.
Step 2: download the QR code from your event page
Every Checkout Page event page has its own QR code.
- Open the event in your Checkout Page dashboard.
- Select Share event in the top-right corner.
- Select QR code.
- Select Download to save the image, or Open in new tab to view it full size.
Checkout pages have the same panel under Share checkout, and the help article on sharing your page by QR code has the details.
Step 3: or create the QR code in Chrome
If your registration page is somewhere else, Chrome on a computer can make a QR code for any page you have open.
- Open the registration page in Chrome.
- Select the More menu (the three dots), then Cast, save, and share.
- Select Create QR code, then Download.
These steps match the official Chrome instructions.
Step 4: or use a free QR code generator for a different design
If you'd like a different design, a QR code generator lets you choose one. QR Code Generator's static codes are free and never expire.
- Copy your registration page's address.
- Paste it into the generator and choose your design.
- Download the image. QR Code Generator needs a free account for this.
Step 5: test the code on two phones
Before printing, scan the code with two different phones, ideally an iPhone and an Android phone. Check that the registration page opens and fits the screen.
Step 6: print it at the right size
Print the code at least 2 x 2 cm (about 0.8 inches square), as recommended in a guide to minimum QR code sizes. On a poster, make the code about a tenth as wide as the distance people will read it from. For example, a code read from 10 feet away should be about a foot wide.
Add a short line such as "Scan to register" under it, and print the web address too for anyone who'd rather type it. The same code can go on:
- flyers and posters
- the last slide of a talk or presentation
- a church, school or club newsletter
- a sign at the welcome desk or on each table
Static or dynamic QR codes for event registration
A static QR code stores your page's address in the pattern itself. It's free and never expires, but you can't change its destination after printing. Checkout Page and Chrome create static codes, as do free generators such as QR Code Generator.
A dynamic QR code stores a short link that the generator forwards to your page, so the destination can change later. QR Code Generator includes them on its paid plans. For a one-off event, a static code is usually enough, and you can still edit the event page's date, tickets or questions without reprinting.
If you'd like to try it, you can create a free event page on the Free plan and upgrade once your sales pass $3K a month.
Event registration QR code FAQ
Is there a free QR code for event attendance?
Yes, for both sign-ups and check-in. The registration code from your event page, Chrome or a free generator costs nothing. At the door, Checkout Page gives each guest a ticket with its own QR code, which the organizer can scan with the check-in app on the Free plan. Our roundup of free event registration software compares other options.
Where can I get a free QR code for RSVPing to an event?
You can make one from the page where people reply. On a Checkout Page event page, download the code under Share event. For any other RSVP page, open it in Chrome on a computer and choose Create QR code from the Cast, save, and share menu, or paste its address into a free generator.
Can I change where the QR code points after printing?
Only if it's a dynamic code, which generators such as QR Code Generator include on paid plans. A static code, like the one from your event page or Chrome, always opens the same address. You can still edit the page itself, from the date to the ticket types, because the code stores only the address.
Does Google Forms or Eventbrite make a QR code for you?
No, neither makes one. Google's help page on sharing a form lists a link, email and an embed code, but no QR code. Eventbrite adds a QR code to each ticket for check-in, not to the event page. Copy either link into Chrome or a generator. For registrations and payment in one form, see our Google Forms alternatives.
