Turn a PDF into a QR code.
NudgeHost turns a PDF of up to 25MB into a link and a QR code in one upload. A free account keeps 10 links live and downloads each code as a 1200 × 1200 PNG, sharp in print up to 10 cm wide, or as an SVG for anything larger. Replace the PDF later and every printed code opens the new version.
- 1200 pxPNG, sharp to 10 cm
- SVGfor prints of any size
- Same codeafter you replace the PDF
What stays the same
Print the code once. Change the PDF whenever you like.
The code holds the PDF's own link. Replace the file, and the link, its open count and the printed code stay as they were.
- The same code after every replace
- A 1200 px PNG or an SVG to print
- No redirect service in between
How it works
How to turn a PDF into a QR code.
Upload the PDF
Drop it on the uploader, signed in or not. Signed out, it can be up to 25MB, and you can hold 3 links at once for 7 days each.
Get the code
Signed out, the card after the upload shows the QR code. On an account, click the QR icon on the file's row in the dashboard for the Download PNG and Download SVG buttons.
Print it
The PNG is 1200 × 1200 pixels, black on white with the blank border scanners need, and prints sharp up to 10 cm wide. The SVG scales to any size.
After you print it
The code keeps working for you.
Replacing, end dates and open counts work on Free. Open details come with Pro and Studio.
Change the PDF, keep the code
Upload a new version over the old one. The printed code opens the new PDF, and the open count stays.
Scans count as opens
A scan counts as an open, the same as a click. Free accounts see the count, and Pro and Studio add the time and country of each open.
Give it an end date
After the date, a scan shows that the link has expired. Move or clear the date and the same code works again.
QR generators
Next to the QR generators.
Hovercode, Adobe Express and QR Planet were among the QR generators ranking on Google in the US for “pdf to qr code” when we checked in October 2026. Each row comes from the company's own pages.
| NudgeHost | Hovercode | Adobe Express | QR Planet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A code without an account | Yes, on screen for 7 days, with no download | Yes, a static code for a PDF up to 2 MB | Makes a code for a URL and doesn't host the PDF | No, an account comes first |
| Change the PDF behind a printed code | Yes, on every account plan | With an account. The free plan has 3 dynamic codes | No. It makes static codes only | Yes, with its dynamic codes |
| When a trial or plan ends | A free plan with no time limit. Links keep opening if a paid plan ends | The first 3 dynamic codes never expire. Codes beyond those go inactive if you cancel | Codes never expire | Paid plans start with a 15-day trial, and an account with no payment details goes inactive when it ends |
| Cheapest paid plan | Pro, $12 a month | Pro, $12 a month | Premium, US$9.99 a month | Starter, 5 US$ a month, with no monthly billing and a 3-month minimum |
Dynamic codes from QR generators work through a redirect. The printed code points at the generator's short link, which forwards to the file, so it keeps working only while that service and your plan do. A NudgeHost code points at the file's own link, and Replace changes what sits behind it.
Read on 13 October 2026 from each tool’s own pages. Hovercode, PDF to QR code and pricing. Adobe Express, QR code generator and pricing. QR Planet, PDF QR code and pricing.
Menus and flyers
Change the menu without reprinting the code.
A restaurant prints the code on its table cards, pointing at its menu PDF. When prices change, the owner exports a new PDF, opens the link's settings in the dashboard and uses Replace. The link keeps its address, its open count, any password and its end date, so every table card opens the new menu on the next scan.
Replacing works on every account plan, and you can swap the file without changing the URL as often as the menu changes. Nobody reprints the cards and nobody gets a new link.
The code holds the file's own address, nudgehost.com followed by the link name, with no redirect service in between. The glossary explains what a QR code actually holds, and why the printed pattern only changes when the address does.
A signed-out upload can't be replaced, so a menu that will change needs a free account. On the free plan a PDF of up to 25MB stays live until you delete it, with room for 10 links. The link works without the code too, in an email or a chat, because the same upload is how you put a PDF online.
A scan opens the PDF in the phone's browser. Each scan counts as an open, the same as a click on the link, and the two can't be told apart. Free accounts see the open count, and Pro and Studio add the time and country of each open. You can see when your link was opened in the dashboard.
Guides
More ways to share a PDF.
- A link to a PDFSend the PDF as a link instead of an attachment.Create a link to a PDF
- A wedding invitationPrint the code on the invitation and keep the details on one page.Share a wedding website
- A file with no sign-upGet a link straight away, before you make an account.Share a file without an account
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account to turn a PDF into a QR code?
No. Signed out, upload a PDF of up to 25MB and the card after the upload shows its QR code. That link and code stop working after 7 days, and the code has no download. A free account keeps the link until you delete it and adds the PNG and SVG downloads.
How big can I print the code?
The PNG is 1200 × 1200 pixels, which stays sharp up to 10 cm wide at 300 dpi. For anything larger, download the SVG, which prints at any size.
Will the printed code still work if I change the PDF?
Yes. Replace keeps the link's address, so the same code opens the new PDF. Replacing needs an account and works on every plan.
What does someone see if they scan after the link ends?
If you set an end date, they see “This link has expired” and a note to ask you for a fresh link. Moving or clearing the date brings the same code back. A signed-out link after 7 days, or a deleted file, shows a 404 page.
Can I count scans?
Scans count as opens, the same as clicks, so the two can't be told apart. Free accounts see the open count. Pro and Studio add the time and country of each open and a CSV export. Link-preview crawlers and your own visits while signed in don't count.
Does the code go through a redirect?
No. It encodes the file's own address, nudgehost.com followed by the link name. There is no short-link domain in between, so the code depends only on the link staying live.
What happens to my codes if a paid plan ends?
Every link keeps opening, so printed codes keep working. If an account ends up holding more than 10 links after a paid plan ends, it can't replace files or change settings until it's back to 10 or upgrades.
Related tools
Other things you can do on NudgeHost.
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