Create QR code

Created: 2026-07-18 · Updated: 2026-07-18

The QR code panel generates static QR codes and places them directly on the current slide — either as an image or as native, losslessly scalable shapes. Supported types are URL, plain text, contact (vCard), Wi-Fi access, e-mail and calendar event. Colours, error correction, size and a logo in the centre of the code are all configurable.

Free version: 3 codes per day

From the Standard licence onwards the number is unlimited (Trial included). The Free version allows 3 QR codes per day. The preview is always unlimited — you can always look at the code before using up an allowance. The remaining allowance is shown below the insert button.

Opening

In the ribbon go to PPPTools → „QR Code" group and click QR Code. The panel opens on the right.

Code types

Pick the type at the top of the panel; the matching fields appear below it.

Type	Fields	What the scanner does
URL / Website	URL	Opens the page in the browser
Plain text	Text (multi-line)	Displays the text
Contact (vCard)	First name, last name, company, job title, phone, mobile, e-mail, website, street, ZIP, city, country	Offers "Add to contacts"
Wi-Fi access	SSID, password, security (WPA/WPA2, WEP, none), hidden network	Connects to the network directly
E-mail	To, subject, body	Opens a prepared e-mail
Calendar event	Title, location, start, end, all-day, description	Offers "Add to calendar"

Required fields are kept to a minimum: a vCard needs only a first or last name, Wi-Fi only the SSID, an event only the title. Empty fields are omitted.

Entering events

Date and time are entered as DD.MM.YYYY HH:MM, for example 24.09.2026 14:30. A date without a time is also accepted. Start and end are pre-filled with tomorrow 09:00–10:00 so the expected format is visible.

All-day ignores the times and writes only the date parts — for multi-day events such as company holidays, simply set a start and end date.

No time zone

The event is stored without a time zone and ends up in the device's local time when scanned. For an on-site event that is exactly right. For attendees in a different time zone, however, the event appears at their local time — in that case it is better to mention the time zone in the title or description.

Phone numbers without spaces

Enter numbers in the vCard as one continuous string, e.g. +41791234567. Numbers containing spaces are not picked up correctly by some scanner apps.

Settings

Error correction

The QR standard stores the data redundantly. The higher the level, the more damage the code tolerates — and the larger it becomes.

Level	Recoverable	When to use
L	7 %	Only for very long content that is printed cleanly
M	15 %	Economical option for short content
Q	25 %	Recommended — the default, and mandatory when using a logo
H	30 %	Large logos, rough printing conditions

Colours

Foreground and background can be typed in as a hex value or picked via the … button in the colour dialog. The accent colours of the active template are pre-loaded there as custom colours, so you can hit your corporate colours with a single click.

Mind the contrast

The foreground must be clearly darker than the background. Light codes on a light background, or inverted codes (light on dark), are not recognised by many scanners. When in doubt, stick to dark on light.

Transparent background lets the slide background show through. This looks better on coloured slides but can cost readability — only use it over a sufficiently light background.

Size and quiet zone

Size (cm) sets the edge length on the slide; the code is centred. The quiet zone is the white margin around it. The QR standard requires it — only switch it off if the slide already leaves enough space around the code.

Replace existing PPPTools QR code deletes a previously inserted code on the same slide instead of placing a second one next to it.

Output: image or native shapes

Output	Advantages	Drawbacks
Image (PNG)	Consistently fast regardless of data volume; logo possible	Pixelated when enlarged heavily, colours cannot be changed afterwards
Native shapes	Losslessly scalable, every module can be recoloured later, no embedded image file	Many shapes depending on content — PowerPoint becomes noticeably slower; no logo

For native shapes, horizontally adjacent modules are merged into a single rectangle. That roughly halves the count. Measured at error correction Q:

Content	Modules	Shapes	Without merging
Short URL	41 × 41	285	563
Wi-Fi access	41 × 41	291	547
E-mail with subject and body	57 × 57	609	1240
Event with location and description	73 × 73	1086	2140
Complete vCard	85 × 85	1531	2993

Rule of thumb

For URL and Wi-Fi the native mode is unproblematic. For a complete vCard or a detailed event the image is the better choice — more than a thousand shapes slow the slide down noticeably. That is why image is the default.

From 600 shapes onwards, PPPTools asks before inserting and states the exact number. If you confirm, the code is still inserted as shapes — nothing is blocked.

Logo in the centre of the code

A logo can come from three sources:

Button	Source
File …	An image file from disk (PNG, JPG, BMP, GIF)
From slide	The currently selected shapes on the slide are exported as an image
From snippet	A picture snippet from the snippet manager
Remove	Clears the logo

Logo only in image mode

A logo is embedded only in the image (PNG) output. It is ignored in native shape mode.

A logo covers part of the code. Therefore use error correction Q at minimum, ideally H. Always test a code with a logo using your phone before distributing it.

Examples

Guest Wi-Fi on the welcome slide

Select the Wi-Fi access type.
Enter SSID and password, security WPA/WPA2.
Error correction Q, size 5 cm, output native shapes (only ~290 shapes).
Click Refresh preview, then Insert QR code on slide.

The password is stored in plain text

The Wi-Fi password is contained in the QR code unencrypted and can be read by anyone who sees the slide. Use this for guest networks only, never for the internal corporate network.

Business card on the contact slide

Select the contact (vCard) type and fill in the fields.
Error correction Q, output image (PNG) — considerably leaner than 1531 shapes for a complete vCard.
Optionally add a logo via From slide: select the company logo on the slide, then click the button.
Insert it and verify with your phone.

Link to the registration page in corporate colours

Type URL / Website, enter the URL.
Click … next to foreground — the template accent colours are ready in the dialog. Pick a dark accent colour.
Output native shapes — the code stays sharp when scaled and can be recoloured at any time.

Notes

The codes are static: the content sits inside the code itself. Once inserted it cannot be changed — a new URL requires a new code.
Test every code before distributing it using a phone, especially when using a logo, custom colours or a transparent background.
If the content becomes too long, the panel reports this. Shorten the text or lower the error correction.
After insertion, native shapes behave like any other group: recolour, scale, animate. However, never modify individual modules — that renders the code unreadable.