QR Code Barcode Add-In for Word

Generate, insert linear and 2D barcodes
for Microsoft Word

Generate high quality QR Code barcode images in Word documents with this add-in

Entirely compatible with Microsoft Office Word 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010 and 2007 versions
It is not necessary for users to know any programming skills
The professional barcode add-in asks for no barcode fonts
All printers can print the created QR Code & GS1 QR Code barcodes in Word successfully
Users are not required to know the QR Code barcode specifications
The generated barcodes conform to the industry standards of QR Code
Draw and create high quality QR Code barcodes in Word with just a few clicks

How to create QR Code in Microsoft Word documents?

Download QR Code Barcode Generator Word Add-in
Install QR Code add-in to insert, print QR Code barcodes in Office Word files
Step by Step Guide

Introduction of QR Code Barcode Add-In for Word

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QR Code Barcode Add-In for Word is a famous barcode generator, creating and inserting high quality QR Code barcodes in Microsoft Office Word documents without any barcode fonts and users do not need to know any programming knowledge.

OnBarcode.com focuses on professional barcode add-ins. QR Code Word Barcode Generator Add-In is one of its products. Additionally, OnBarcode.com also provides many other linear and 2D barcode add-ins for Word, like Code 39, Code 128, UPC-A, EAN-8, EAN-13, GS1 128, Data Matrix, PDF417, etc.

All high-resolution and low-resolution printers can print the created barcodes.
Generate high quality barcodes in accordance with the latest QR Code barcode specification.
Users can adjust various parameters of the created QR Code barcodes in Word.
QR Code barcodes can be inserted into serial letters in Word documents.
Be able to create QR Code barcode labels in Microsoft Word documents.
The quiet zones of QR Code barcodes are added automatically by this add-in.
Capable of generating and inserting GS1 compatible QR Code barcodes.

Insert QR Code Barcodes in Word

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How to Create a QR Code Barcode in Word

Open a new Word document first and go to "Add-Ins" tab. Then, click "Create Barcode" button. Next select "QRCODE" in "Barcode Type" under "Barcode Settings" on the right. After that, input valid data in the text box of "Data". Finally, click "Generate" button.

How to Adjust QR Code in Word Add-In Setting Panel

After the generation of QR Code barcodes is finished, select one barcode and switch to "Barcode Settings"."Barcode Settings". "Apply Tilde (~)" is designed to enable GS1 Application Identifiers and some special characters to be encoded when it is checked. Besides, users can check "GS1 Compatible Barcode" to generate QR Code barcodes which are compatible with GS1 standard. What's more, "Data mode", "Version" and "Error correction level" are designed for users to choose according to their demand.

QR Code Text & Binary Data Encoding in Microsoft Word

Here we will describe how to encode various data types into QR Code symbols using the add-in within Microsoft Word.

Encode ASCII Printable Characters

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a character encoding standard. It comprises 128 characters, including digits (0-9), uppercase and lowercase letters (A-Z, a-z), and special symbols.

Printable Range: ASCII values 32 to 126 represent readable characters (letters, numbers, punctuation).
Encoding Steps in Word:
1. Open the barcode generator pane in Microsoft Word.
2. Enter the ASCII printable characters directly into the Data text box.
3. The add-in will automatically generate the corresponding QR Code.

Encode Unicode Text

Unicode is a universal character encoding standard. QR Code symbology supports Unicode, enabling the encoding of text in various languages.

In the Barcode Settings pane, set the Data Mode property to BYTE (Byte mode).
Select an appropriate byte encoding format from the Encode for bytes dropdown. The default is UTF-8 (Unicode Transformation Format - 8-bit).
Input Unicode text into the Data text box or link to a compatible field.
Click the Update button.
Confirm the generated QR Code correctly displays all special characters and non-Latin scripts.

Encode QR Code with GS1 Business Message

GS1 (Global Standard 1) is a standardized data structure used in supply chain management. The QR Code generator for Word supports encoding GS1 data messages.

This add-in allows the generation of compliant, standard GS1 QR Codes directly within Word documents.

Encode Kanji (Japanese) Text

QR Code was invented in 1994 by Denso Wave. It natively supports Kanji (Japanese characters) encoding. Kanji mode compacts each character into 13 bits for efficient storage.

In the barcode generator pane, set the Data Mode to KANJI.
Input the Japanese Kanji text into the data field.
The add-in will encode the text using the appropriate Kanji mode.

Customize QR Code Image Dimensions in Microsoft Word

Adjusting the physical size of QR Code images is a common requirement for document formatting.

Select the QR Code image you wish to modify in the Word document.
Navigate to the Barcode Size tab in the Barcode Settings pane.
Enter the desired dimensions in the Image Width and Image Height text boxes.
Click the Update button.
Confirm the QR Code regenerates with the specified dimensions.

QR Code Fundamental Characteristics in Microsoft Word

This section outlines the core specifications and capabilities of QR Code symbology when implemented in Microsoft Word.

Encodable Character Sets

QR Code supports a comprehensive range of data types within Office Word documents:

Numeric Data: Digits 0 through 9.
Alphanumeric Data: Digits 0-9, uppercase letters A-Z, and nine special characters (space, $, %, *, +, -, ., /, :).
ASCII Text: Refer to the ASCII table for the full character set.
Unicode Text: Supports all major languages and scripts.
Binary Data: Encapsulates raw binary files (e.g., images, audio, video data).

QR Code Data Modes

Data modes define how QR Code encodes different data types into codewords. The supported modes are:

Numeric Mode: Optimized for digits.
Alphanumeric Mode: Optimized for mixed letters and digits.
Byte Mode: Defaults to ISO/IEC 8859-1 or user-specified encodings (e.g., UTF-8).
Kanji Mode: Specialized for Japanese characters, compressing each into 13 bits.

Note: The Word barcode generator add-in includes an AUTO mode.

The software automatically detects the input data type and selects the most efficient encoding mode.

Maximum Data Capacity (Version 40-L)

Version 40 is the largest standard QR Code symbol size. The maximum data capacity per symbol is as follows:

Numeric: 7,089
Alphanumeric: 4,296
Byte: 2,953
Kanji: 1,817

Note: If the input data exceeds the capacity of the selected version, the generator will display an empty image with the error message: "Invalid Barcode Settings".

Error Correction Levels

QR Code uses Reed-Solomon error correction (ECC) to restore data if the barcode is damaged. Four levels are available, ordered by increasing data recovery capability:

L (Low): 7% recovery capacity.
M (Medium): 15% recovery capacity.
Q (Quartile): 25% recovery capacity.
H (High): 30% recovery capacity.

Using OnBarcode Word Barcode add-in, select the desired error correction level directly from the properties panel in Microsoft Word.

QR Code Versions

The QR Code specification defines 40 standardized versions (Version 1 to Version 40).

Each version specifies the number of modules (smallest square unit) in the QR Code matrix.
Select the appropriate version via the Word add-in's properties panel.
If the data size exceeds the capacity of the chosen version, the generator add-in will automatically select a larger, compatible version to ensure scannability.

Common Asked Questions

What does QR stand for in code?

QR stands for "quick response", and QR Code is a 2-dimensional matrix barcode. The QR Code stores data information both horizontally and vertically. The QR Code is designed for high speed reading barcode. OnBarcode Word QR Code Generator add-in supports QR Code generation in Microsoft Word 365, 2024, 2021, 2019 and older versions on Windows system.

What is the maximum data in a QR code?

A standard QR Code can store up to three kilobytes (KB) of data. A QR Code symbol with version 40-L can hold the following maximum data characters:

numeric data: 7,089 characters
alphanumeric data: 4,296 characters
byte data: 2,953 characters
Kanji data: 1,817 characters

In Office Word document, if the encoding QR Code data size is over the maximum QR Code data capacity, the OnBarcode Word barcode software will print an empty image with error messages printed in the document.

What is the smallest I can make a QR code in Word documents?

The recommended smallest size of QR Code is 2 x 2 cm, and they will be scanned and read by cameras from smartphones (iOS or Android). If the generated QR Code is for QR Code scanners, the minimum size for a QR Code is 1 x 1 cm.

Using Word QR Code Generator add-in, you can create and customize the printed QR Code dimension size in Micrsoft Office Word.

Does the color of a QR Code matter?

Choose whatever colors you want but always make sure the fore (bar) module and back (space) moduel colors have high contrast. We suggest at least 70% darker to ensure reliable camera scanning, and always scan and test your QR code using the camera in your smartphone.

You can customize the QR Code bar and space colors in Microsoft Word document in Barcode Property settings pane.

What is the difference between a barcode and a QR Code?

Barcode is usually known as 1d or linear barcode symbology, which can store limited number of characters. QR Code or Quick Response Code, is a type of two-dimensional code, which will store characters horizontally and vertically, and a QR Code can hold more than 4,200 alphanumeric characters.

Using OnBarcode Word Barcode Generator add-in, you can create, insert QR Code (standard, GS1, Micro, Macro versions) and other 20+ 2d, 1d barcodes such as Code 128, Data Matrix, EAN/UPC barcodes in Microsoft Office 365, 2021, 2019, 2016 on Windows system.

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