Google Form QR code for surveys and sign-ups
Make a Google Form QR code that opens your survey, feedback form or sign-up sheet the moment someone scans a poster, a receipt or a table card. The code holds the plain forms.gle link, so it is static, never expires and passes through no third-party server. It is free with no sign-up, made entirely in your browser, and verified by a real scanner before you download it.
Content: Google Form link
In Google Forms, click Send, choose the link icon, tick "Shorten URL" and copy it.
Style
PNG, JPG or SVG up to 2 MB. It stays on your device.
Your codes on this device
Off by default. When on, each downloaded code (type, content, style) is saved in this browser only, never uploaded. You can delete them at any time.
How to make a Google Form QR code
- Open the form in Google Forms and click Send at the top right. Choose the link icon, tick 'Shorten URL' and click Copy; you get a forms.gle address about 35 characters long.
- For answers filled in already, such as the location or campaign name, choose 'Get pre-filled link' from the form's three-dot menu, fill the fields, click Get link and copy that instead; it is a long docs.google.com address, so the code will be larger.
- Paste the address into Google Form link and press Test link. Check the form's settings: if it requires sign-in or is restricted to your organisation, people without a Google account will be turned away.
- Optionally choose a Style preset, set your Foreground colour or add your logo with Upload logo.
- Wait for Verified: scans as URL, then Download PDF at the printed size for posters or Download PNG for receipts and screens.
Google Form QR code details
The code contains one address, the link to your form. A phone camera reads it, shows the link and opens the form in the browser; Google Forms works without an app on any phone. Responses go to the form’s Responses tab, exactly as if the person had clicked the link in an email. The code carries the address and nothing else, which is why it needs no account and cannot expire.
Getting the link
In Google Forms, click Send at the top right, choose the link icon, tick ‘Shorten URL’ to turn the long docs.google.com address into a forms.gle one, then Copy. The short link is about 35 characters and fits a 29 × 29 module code at error correction M. The long address, ending in /viewform, is 90 characters or more and needs 41 × 41 modules.
Pre-filled links for several codes
If the same form is used in several places, make a pre-filled link for each. Add a question such as ‘Location’, open the form’s three-dot menu, choose ‘Get pre-filled link’, pick the answer for that location, click Get link and copy it. Each printed code then opens the form with its own location set, and the Responses tab shows which poster or table produced each answer. Pre-filled links use the long address, so print those codes a little larger.
Common mistakes
- Requiring sign-in. Turn off the sign-in restrictions in Settings unless the form really is internal.
- Closing the form and reprinting. Reopen the form instead; the same code works again.
- No caption. Tell people what the form is for and that it takes a minute.
If a printed code is not opening the form, decode it with the QR code reader first to check the address is the one you meant.
This code never expires
The code stores the forms.gle address as text, so it keeps working for as long as the form is accepting responses. This is a static QR code: the data is written into the pattern, so scanning it needs no server, no account and no subscription. There is nothing to renew and no redirect that can be switched off, which is why a code made here keeps working for as long as the printed copy exists. The trade-off is honest: a static code cannot be edited after printing and does not count scans. If you need either, encode a link to a page you control. Read how static and dynamic codes differ, and if a code you already have has stopped working, see why QR codes expire.
Styling, formats and print size
Every code can be styled in the Style panel: six dot shapes, corner shapes, solid or gradient colours, a transparent background, a quiet zone of 0–8 modules, and your own logo up to 30 percent of the width. A contrast checker warns below 3:1 and blocks downloads below 1.5:1, and after each change the preview is decoded again so the badge tells you whether the styled code still scans.
| Output | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PNG | Web, documents, quick prints | 256 to 4096 px; transparent background supported |
| SVG | Designers and print shops | Vector, scales without limit; logo embedded |
| Printing at an exact size | Vector modules at a chosen width in mm or inches, optional caption | |
| JPG | Platforms that reject PNG | White background; no transparency |
| EPS | Legacy print workflows | Vector from the module matrix, no logo |
| Copy / Print | Pasting into a document; a quick paper test | PNG to the clipboard; print view with caption |
Print size: as a rule of thumb the code should be at least one tenth of the scanning distance wide, with the quiet zone included.
| Scan distance | Minimum width |
|---|---|
| 0.5 m (arm's length) | 5 cm |
| 1 m | 10 cm |
| 2 m | 20 cm |
| 5 m | 50 cm |
A table card or receipt is scanned from 30 cm, so 3 cm is enough; a poster read from 2 m needs 20 cm. Pre-filled links make a denser code, so print those larger.
The QR code size guide has a calculator for module size, DPI and distance.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Google Form QR code expire?
No. The code contains the form's address as plain text and the phone opens it directly, with no redirect service that can lapse. If you close the form to responses, people who scan see Google's not-accepting-responses page; reopen the form and the same code works again without reprinting.
Should I use the short forms.gle link or the long one?
The short one. Tick 'Shorten URL' in the Send dialog and you get a forms.gle address of about 35 characters, which fits a 29 × 29 module code. The long docs.google.com address is 90 characters or more and needs 41 × 41 modules. Both open the same form.
What is a pre-filled link and when should I use it?
A pre-filled link opens the form with some answers already set. Make one code per location or campaign, each with a different pre-filled answer, and you can see where responses came from without asking. It uses the long address, so the code is denser; print it at 3 cm or more.
Can people fill in the form without a Google account?
Yes, if the form allows it. In the form's Settings, under Responses, turn off 'Limit to 1 response', set 'Collect email addresses' to off or responder input, and do not restrict it to your organisation. Otherwise people who scan are asked to sign in, and many give up.
What happens when someone scans it?
The phone shows the link and opens the form in the browser; Google Forms works on any phone without an app. The responses go straight to your form's Responses tab and, if you link one, a Google Sheet. Nothing passes through us: the code only carries the address.
Related
Last updated . QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED. Open-source engines are listed on the how it works page.