Creating Dynamic QR Codes in Google Sheets

QR codes are modern ways to share URLs, text, contacts, or other information. You can create dynamic QR codes in Google Sheets that update automatically based on the changes in the spreadsheet. In this article, we will show how to create dynamic QR codes in Google Sheets.

Creating Dynamic QR Codes in Google Sheets

To create a QR code you can list your URL in the column.

• Select cell A2 and insert the URL.
• You can enter any text, URL, or contact information on this cell.

Though Google Sheets doesn’t have any built-in function to generate QR codes, you can use the IMAGE function combined with a third-party API.

• Select cell B2 and insert the following formula.
• Press Enter then the QR code will automatically appear in the cell.

Formula:

=IMAGE("https://api.qrserver.com/v1/create-qr-code/?size=150x150&data=" & ENCODEURL(A2))

This formula will create a QR code for the given URL of the A2 cell.

• https://api.qrserver.com/v1/create-qr-code/: It is the URL for the goqr.me API that generates QR codes.
• ?size=150×150: This is the size of the QR code which is (150×150 pixels).
• &data=: This indicates that the data you want to encode will follow.
• ENCODEURL(A2): The ENCODERUR function encoded any special characters of the URL.

You can adjust the size of the QR code by modifying the dimensions in chs=150×150 (e.g., chs=200×200 for a larger QR code).

Test the QR Code:

• Select the QR Code and scan it with any scanner.
• QR Code Reader shows the URL.

Making It Dynamic:

Every time you change the URL of A2 cell it automatically updates the QR code in your Google Sheet.

• If your Column A has other URLs, you just need to drag the formula down.
• Drag the formula down to create a QR code for the URLs.

The QR codes update dynamically based on the input in each row.

Conclusion

With the right function, you can create dynamic QR codes in Google Sheets. Google Sheets automatically updates the QR code when the data in your cells changes. This is a simple way to generate and manage QR codes for different types of information directly in Google Sheets.