Comparisons
Static vs Dynamic QR Codes
What the redirect actually buys you, measured on real encoded codes, and which payloads are worse off for it.
16 min readTikTok QR code generator
TikTok's own code lives in the app and comes out as a screenshot. This makes one from your profile or video link, so you get a vector file for a shop window or a flyer, and it opens for people who have never installed TikTok.
Download your QR code
✓ Scan-tested: this code reads back correctly.
Contrast 21:1, Strong
Version 3 · 37 modules · print at least 14.8 mm wide
TikTok already has a code. Here is what it cannot do.
TikTok has a code of its own. Open your profile, tap the menu, then the QR icon, and you can save or share it. You will find it under TikTok app, profile, QR icon. For meeting somebody in person it is the faster option, and this page is not trying to replace it. It runs out in four places.
- It is a screenshot from a phone, so there is no vector file and the resolution is whatever your screen was. Blown up for a window it goes soft.
- It points at your profile only. A single video, a sound or a playlist needs a code you make yourself.
- The design is TikTok's, so it will not sit inside artwork you have already laid out.
- It is app-only, so on the computer where the poster is being designed, it is out of reach.
Which TikTok link to encode, measured
Characters become modules, and modules decide how small the code can be printed and still read. These are the same link, in the forms TikTok actually hands out, each one encoded and decoded when this page was built.
| Link form | Characters | Version | Modules | Print at least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profile handlehttps://tiktok.com/@examplehandleThe shortest form and the one to print. Handles are short, so profile codes stay small. | 33 | 3 | 37 | 14.8 mm |
| Profile with the www prefixhttps://www.tiktok.com/@examplehandleWhat the address bar copies. Four characters for nothing. | 37 | 3 | 37 | 14.8 mm |
| A single videohttps://www.tiktok.com/@examplehandle/video/7395028461739283206The video id is nineteen digits, which makes this the densest code on the table. | 63 | 4 | 41 | 16.4 mm |
| The app's short share linkhttps://vm.tiktok.com/ZMhKq2rT8/From the share sheet. Much shorter than the full video URL, and it is a redirect, so it depends on TikTok keeping the shortener alive. | 32 | 3 | 37 | 14.8 mm |
A nineteen digit video id is the whole problem with printing a TikTok video code. The share sheet's short link is less than half the length, which on a flyer is the difference between a code you can read across a table and one you cannot.
For anything printed that has to last, I would still use the profile handle. The short link is a redirect through vm.tiktok.com, and a printed redirect is only as permanent as the service behind it.
Where a TikTok code actually goes
- Shop windows and event stands
- Read from a metre or more away, so print well above the measured minimum. The profile form keeps the code sparse enough to survive that distance.
- Packaging and product inserts
- Pointing at a demonstration video. Use the short share link here, because the space is tight and the video is the point.
- Business cards for creators
- A close read with almost no space. Handle form only, and print the handle in text beside it so people can type it instead.
Three ways these go wrong
- Printing the full video URL
- Nineteen digits of video id plus the handle makes a dense symbol for no reason. Take the share link, or point at the profile and let people find the video.
- Screenshotting the in-app code for print
- Raster image, phone resolution, soft module edges once it is enlarged. It is fine on a phone screen and wrong on a poster.
- Assuming the video will still be there
- A printed code outlives the content it points at. Videos get deleted and accounts get renamed, and the sticker on the packaging does not know.
The download here stays locked until a decoder has read the finished code back, so the first of those cannot happen to a file you get from this page. For a code whose destination might need to change after printing, the dynamic generator keeps the printed symbol and moves the target.
Codes for the other platforms
Same engine, different link anatomy on each one. The social media hub covers what applies to all of them: the screenshot problem, the codes that only scan inside their own app, and why one code beats six.
Messaging and communities
Where a code opens a chat or gets somebody into a server. Watch the invite expiry on Discord.
- WhatsApp33 modules, from 13.2 mmOpen a chat with your number, with the plus and the dialling zero fixed for you.Make a WhatsApp code
- Telegram33 modules, from 13.2 mmEncode a t.me username, group or channel, with the invite-link revocation trap explained.Make a Telegram code
- Discord37 modules, from 14.8 mmEncode a server invite, with the default expiry setting that kills printed codes explained first.Make a Discord code
- Reddit37 modules, from 14.8 mmSubreddit, profile and post links measured, including the title slug you can safely delete.Make a Reddit code
Video
Long identifiers on both, so the short link form is the difference between a code you can print and one you cannot.
Photo and visual
Two of these ship a code a phone camera cannot read, and one retired theirs entirely.
- Instagram37 modules, from 14.8 mmA profile, reel or post as a printable vector code, rather than the screenshot the app gives you.Make a Instagram code
- Snapchat37 modules, from 14.8 mmAny camera can read this, unlike a Snapcode, which only scans inside the Snapchat app.Make a Snapchat code
- Pinterest37 modules, from 14.8 mmPincodes are gone, so this is the way to a board from print. Profile, board and pin links measured.Make a Pinterest code
Profiles and feeds
Where claiming a username or picking the right domain shrinks the printed code the most.
- LinkedIn37 modules, from 14.8 mmTurn a LinkedIn profile into a code any camera reads, with the print size measured for badges and CVs.Make a LinkedIn code
- Facebook37 modules, from 14.8 mmEncode a page, profile or group, and see how much smaller a claimed username prints.Make a Facebook code
- X37 modules, from 14.8 mmx.com against twitter.com, measured, including the redirect a printed old link now costs.Make a X code
Music
Spotify Codes only scan inside Spotify, which is the whole reason this page exists.
TikTok QR code questions
How do I make a QR code for my TikTok?
Paste your profile address, tiktok.com/@yourhandle, into the generator on this page and download the SVG for print or the PNG for screens. It opens your profile in any browser, so it works for people who do not have the app.
Where is the QR code in the TikTok app?
On your profile, under the menu, as a QR icon. It is app-only and gives you a screenshot rather than a vector file, so it suits sharing on a phone rather than printing on anything.
Should I use the short vm.tiktok.com link?
For a video on packaging, yes: it is less than half the length of the full URL and produces a much sparser code. For anything meant to last years, use the profile handle instead, because the short link is a redirect and a printed redirect depends on TikTok keeping it running.
Will the code break if I change my username?
Yes. The handle is inside the address, so a rename kills every printed copy. If a rename is even possible, point the code at a page you control and redirect from there.
QRMakery builds this code on your own device. The link you paste and the file you download never reach a server.
More for social profiles
Twelve platforms, each with the link form that prints smallest and the mistake that kills its codes.
- Social media QR codesPick a platform: twelve pages, each with the link form that prints smallest and the mistake that breaks it.
- LinkedIn QR codeTurn a LinkedIn profile into a code any camera reads, with the print size measured for badges and CVs.
- Instagram QR codeA profile, reel or post as a printable vector code, rather than the screenshot the app gives you.
Guides worth reading
All guides- Printing
QR Code Sticker Size: The Circle Costs You 30%
The usable square inside a round sticker is 70% of its diameter. Measured minimum sizes for real links, against every common sticker size.
8 min read - Reference
Offline QR Code Generators for Every Device
What each platform already ships, the measured cost of each payload type, and how to check an offline claim yourself.
26 min read
