Does a QR code store my form, or just its link?

Just the link. A QR code is the text you give it, drawn as a pattern. It keeps working for as long as that address does, so if the form moves to a new address, make a new code and replace the printed one.

Can I see how many people scanned the code?

No. A QR code only opens the link, and a scan is not recorded anywhere. The form dashboard counts submissions, which is the number that matters for a sign-up or a survey, but people who scanned and left are invisible.

What happens if the form is password protected?

The code still opens the form, but the first page asks for the password. Put the password on the printed sheet next to the code if the people scanning it are meant to answer.

Why will the code not scan from my screen?

Screens often have glare, low contrast or a code that is too small for the camera to resolve at the distance you hold the phone. Print the code, or make it larger, and test it at the distance people will actually scan it from.

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Google form QR code: how to make one

A QR code lets someone open your form from a poster, a table tent or a flyer without typing a web address. The code only carries the link, so you need the form's address first and a generator second.

1. Copy the form’s address

Open the form in a browser and copy the address from the address bar. That is the link people should land on, so check it opens the form itself and not a sign-in screen or the editor. For a Seagit form the address contains the form’s view path, /forms/view/ followed by the form’s ID. For a Google Form, use the respondent link from Google Forms rather than the editor link.

Test the address in a private browser window too. If it opens only when you are signed in to the account that made the form, a stranger scanning the code will see an error.

2. Generate the code

Open the QR code generator at tools.seagit.com, paste the address and choose a size. It turns any URL or text into a QR code and lets you download it as a PNG, which suits a printed sheet, or as an SVG, which stays sharp at any size. It works in your browser.

The same generator makes a code for a link to any other form or page, so you can use one method across everything you share.

3. Test before you print

Scan the code with two different phones, one iPhone and one Android if you have both, using the normal camera app. Each should open the form straight away. A code that works on one phone and not another is usually too small or too close to the edge of the image, so regenerate it larger and add a clear margin of white space around it.

Scan it at the distance people will hold their phone from the sheet, not with the code filling the screen. A poster read from a metre away needs a much larger code than one held in the hand.

4. Print it with a line of text

A code on its own tells people nothing about what it opens. Put a short line beside it saying what the form is for, such as “Sign up for the Saturday rota” or “RSVP for the spring dinner”, so a passer-by knows why they should scan.

If the form is password protected, print the password on the same sheet. A scanner who reaches the password prompt without it will not know what to do, and a sheet that says so saves a question at the door.

What a QR code cannot tell you

A QR code is a link, so it records nothing about the scan itself. You will see the submissions in the form dashboard and in the CSV export, and each carries the time it was sent. A large gap between the number of people at a stand and the number of submissions is the only signal you get, so count the sign-ups on the day and compare.

Collect the answers in a Seagit form

If you do not yet have a form, the templates cover the common printed-code jobs: an RSVP for an event, a sign-up sheet for a rota, or an event registration with a capacity. Each one is free to start on the free plan, and the responses land in the dashboard as they arrive, with a CSV export when you want them in a spreadsheet.

Common questions

Does a QR code store my form, or just its link?: Just the link. A QR code is the text you give it, drawn as a pattern. It keeps working for as long as that address does, so if the form moves to a new address, make a new code and replace the printed one.
Can I see how many people scanned the code?: No. A QR code only opens the link, and a scan is not recorded anywhere. The form dashboard counts submissions, which is the number that matters for a sign-up or a survey, but people who scanned and left are invisible.
What happens if the form is password protected?: The code still opens the form, but the first page asks for the password. Put the password on the printed sheet next to the code if the people scanning it are meant to answer.
Why will the code not scan from my screen?: Screens often have glare, low contrast or a code that is too small for the camera to resolve at the distance you hold the phone. Print the code, or make it larger, and test it at the distance people will actually scan it from.

Keep reading

Compared with other form buildersGoogle Forms, Typeform, Jotform and Tally, with dated pricing and where each one fits.RSVP form templateA printed code makes the RSVP link easy to reach at the event itself.Sign-up sheet templatePut the code beside the sheet so people can sign up on their own phones.Embed a form on your websiteFor a web page rather than a printed sheet, embed the form directly.Form field typesChoose the fields people will see once the code has brought them to the form.