Quick answer: make the code with the text to QR code generator, download the PNG, then use Insert > Pictures in Word or Excel to place it. Word and Excel do not have a built-in QR generator, so the code goes in as a picture.

That is a good fit for most documents: a link on a printed handout, a QR code on a price list, a code beside a row of data. The only limit to keep in mind is that the picture is fixed. If the text changes, you need a new code.

Step 1: Create the QR code image

  1. Open the QR code generator and type or paste your text or link.
  2. Choose a size. Large (500 px) is a good choice for a document, since a picture can be made smaller without losing sharpness but not larger.
  3. Click Generate QR Code, then Download PNG. You can also click Copy image and paste it straight into the document.

Add a QR code to a Word document

  1. Click where the code should go.
  2. Choose Insert > Pictures > This Device and pick the PNG, or press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac) if you copied the image.
  3. Drag a corner handle to resize it. Corner handles keep the shape square; side handles stretch it, which can stop the code from scanning.
  4. Use Picture Format > Wrap Text to place it beside text, or leave it in line with the text.
  5. Right-click the picture and choose View Alt Text to describe it, for example "QR code linking to our menu".

Add a QR code to an Excel sheet

  1. Click the cell where the top-left corner of the code should sit.
  2. Choose Insert > Pictures > This Device and select the PNG, or paste a copied image.
  3. In Microsoft 365 you can choose Place in Cell to put the picture inside one cell. Otherwise the picture floats over the sheet.
  4. For a floating picture, right-click it, choose Format Picture, open Size & Properties > Properties and select Move and size with cells if it should follow the row when you sort or resize.
  5. Make the row and column large enough for the code, and keep the white border around it.

Menu names can differ a little between versions and between Windows and Mac, but Insert > Pictures is in all of them.

One code for many rows

Each QR code holds one piece of text, so a sheet with 50 products needs 50 codes. Create each one in the generator and insert it next to its row. If you have many, consider a single code that points to one page that lists everything.

Tips so the code scans

  • Print it at least 2×2 cm (about 0.8 inch). Make it larger if it will be scanned from further away.
  • Keep the white border. Do not crop the edge or put text close to it.
  • Do not change the shape or recolor it. Keep it square, black on white.
  • Test a printed copy with a phone camera before you print a whole batch. If you share the file as a PDF, test the PDF too.
  • Keep the text short. Short text makes a simpler code that scans more easily when small.