How to Make a QR Code in Canva (and Track the Scans)

Canva has a QR code generator built into the editor, so you can add a QR code to a flyer, a business card, a poster or a social graphic without leaving your design. It is free to use, and Canva's QR codes are now dynamic: you can change the link after you have printed.

What Canva's free and Pro plans don't include is scan tracking. This guide walks through making a QR code in Canva step by step, then shows how to see your scans without upgrading.

Everything below about Canva was checked against the Canva editor and Canva's help centre on 1 October 2026. Canva's plans change, so check there for the current details.

Watch: make a QR code in Canva and track the scans

How to Create a QR Code in Canva

Step 1: Open Your Design

Open an existing design in Canva or create a new one. QR codes work in any design type: social posts, presentations, flyers, business cards and so on.

Step 2: Find Canva's QR Code App

1. 1
   Click Apps in the left sidebar
2. 2
   Search for QR code
3. 3
   Choose Dynamic QR codes, Canva's own app

The search also returns a long list of third-party QR apps. Canva's own one is called Dynamic QR codes and opens straight away, without asking you to connect an account.

Step 3: Pick a Pattern

Canva asks you to choose a pattern first: blocks, round squares, circles, crosses, stars or hearts. A placeholder QR code appears on your design.

Step 4: Enter Your URL

1. 1
   Paste the URL you want the QR code to open
2. 2
   Click Save
3. 3
   The panel shows "QR code is ready" and the QR code on your design becomes scannable

Step 5: Customise the Appearance

In the same panel you can change the pattern and the corner style. By default the QR code has a Canva logo in the middle. Removing it, adding your own logo, setting a link expiry date and letting other editors update the link are marked with a crown, which means they need a paid Canva plan.

On the design itself, drag a corner to resize the QR code and drag it to position it.

Step 6: Download

Export your design in your preferred format (PNG, JPG, PDF). The QR code is part of the exported file.

Tips for QR Codes in Canva

Maintain Contrast

QR codes need strong contrast between the foreground and background to scan reliably. A dark QR code on a light background works best. Avoid:

• Light grey on white
• Similar colours for foreground and background
• Busy background images behind the QR code

Leave a Quiet Zone

QR codes need blank space (a "quiet zone") around them to scan properly. Don't place design elements right up against the edges of the QR code.

Test Before Printing

Always test your QR code by scanning it with your phone before sending it to print. Different phones and scanning apps can behave differently.

Size Matters

For printed materials, make your QR code at least 2cm × 2cm (about 0.8 × 0.8 inches), and bigger for anything read from a distance. See our print marketing QR code guide for detailed sizing recommendations.

What Canva's QR Codes Can and Can't Do

Can You Edit a Canva QR Code After Printing?

Yes. A Canva QR code does not contain your URL directly. It points at a Canva redirect address, and Canva forwards the scan to whatever link you saved. That is why the panel says you can update the link without the QR code changing: open the QR code in Canva, change the URL and save, and the printed QR code opens the new page.

Can You Track a Canva QR Code?

Only on some plans. Canva's scan Insights are available on Canva Business, Canva Enterprise and Canva for Nonprofits. On the free and Pro plans the Insights button carries a crown and opens an upgrade prompt, so you can make and edit a QR code but you cannot see whether anybody scanned it.

How to Track Canva QR Code Scans Without Upgrading

Put a short link inside the QR code. Canva's generator turns whatever URL you give it into a QR code, so give it a link that counts its own clicks.

1. 1
   Create a short link in Linkly: paste your page address, give the link a short ending, and save
2. 2
   Paste the short link into Canva's QR code panel instead of your page address, and click Save
3. 3
   Place the QR code on your design as usual
4. 4
   Watch the scans in Linkly: every scan shows up as a click on the link

On Linkly's free plan the report shows clicks by day and by country. Device and browser breakdowns, and Linkly's own styled QR codes, start on the Starter plan; see the pricing page for the current plans.

What Else the Short Link Gives You

• It works outside the QR code. Print the same link in plain text under the QR code for anyone who would rather type it, put it in the email and in your bio, and all of it lands in one report.
• Two places to change the destination. You can update the link in Canva, or change where the short link points in Linkly. Either way the printed QR code stays the same.
• Your own domain. The short link can use a custom domain, so the address people see after scanning is yours.

One thing to know: a scan now makes two hops, from Canva's redirect to your short link and then to your page. Each hop takes a fraction of a second.

Prefer One Hop?

Every Linkly link comes with its own QR code. You can download it as a PNG or SVG and upload it to your Canva design as an image. The scan then goes straight to your short link, with no Canva redirect in between, and you still get the click report.

When Canva's QR Code on Its Own Is Enough

• You are on Canva Business, Enterprise or Nonprofit, so scan Insights are already included
• You don't need to know how many people scanned
• It is for personal or internal use

When to Put a Short Link Inside

• You are on Canva's free or Pro plan and want to see scans
• The same destination is also going in emails, social posts or a bio, and you want one set of numbers
• You want the link on your own domain
• You want retargeting pixels or link rotation behind the QR code (these are on Linkly's paid plans)

Conclusion

Canva's QR code generator is quick, free and now dynamic, so for many designs it is all you need. The gap on the free and Pro plans is scan tracking. A short link inside the QR code closes it: you design in Canva, and the link tells you whether the flyer is working.

Want to see your scans? Get started with Linkly, create a short link, and paste it into Canva's QR code generator.