Create a QR code for a PDF
A QR code for a PDF is really a QR code for a link, so the file needs an address first. Drop the PDF on reshare and it gets one, like link.reshare.one/aB3xY9. Open the link's Sharing settings, choose QR code, and download it as a PNG for screens or an SVG for print. The code encodes the permanent link, so when you upload a corrected PDF to the same link, every code you already printed opens the new version.
QR codes are part of Pro. Uploading the PDF and sharing the link itself is free.
Drop the PDF
Free.
How it works
- 01
Drop the PDF
Sign in and the file is live on a short link in seconds. Any file up to 30 MB works the same way: decks, Word documents, spreadsheets, images.
- 02
Open Sharing, then QR code
In the link's settings, the Sharing tab has a QR code action. The code is generated from the link on the spot, with nothing to configure.
- 03
Download PNG or SVG
PNG at 1024 pixels for slides, email, and screens. SVG for print, where it scales to any size without blur.
reshare or a QR generator pointed at a Drive link?
| reshare | QR generator + Google Drive link | |
|---|---|---|
| When the PDF changes | Upload the new file to the same link. Printed codes keep working. | A new file is a new link, so the code dies unless you pay for a dynamic QR. |
| What the scanner opens | The PDF in the browser. No download, no account. | A Drive preview, sometimes behind a sign-in prompt. |
| Watermarks or expiry on the code | None. | Common on free tiers. |
| Knowing whether anyone scanned it | Every open is counted next to the link. | No view count without a paid tracking tier. |
A plain generator is fine for a URL that never changes. The trouble is that files do.
Why QR codes for files usually break
Most guides give the same recipe: host the PDF on Drive or Dropbox, copy the link, paste it into a generator. It works until the PDF changes. Replacing a file in Drive creates a new file with a new link, and the printed code still points at the old one. Dynamic QR services fix this by inserting a redirect you rent monthly. reshare already is that redirect: the link is permanent, and the file behind it is what you update.
Same link, same code, new file
Upload a corrected PDF to an existing link from the dashboard, or ask your AI assistant to publish it to the same link, and the link serves the new version. The QR code encodes the link, not the file, so it does not change. Earlier versions stay in history if you need to roll back.
Sizes that scan
For print, a code about one tenth of the expected scanning distance is the usual rule: 2 cm wide for a scan from 20 cm, 10 cm wide for a poster read from a metre away. The SVG download scales to any size without blur. Keep the white margin around the code; it is part of the standard and scanners rely on it. On screens, the 1024 pixel PNG covers slides and email.
A permanent address by design
The code encodes link.reshare.one followed by the link's slug, its permanent address, even when you have claimed a custom subdomain for it. While the subdomain is claimed, a scan opens there, so the viewer sees your branded address. Renaming or releasing the subdomain never breaks a printed code, because the slug address keeps working for as long as the link exists.
Not only PDFs
Decks, Word documents, spreadsheets, images, videos, and HTML pages get the same QR code action, because every reshare link works the same way. A menu, a brochure, a conference poster, a product manual: one code each, kept current by uploading the next version.