Instagram QR Code: Use Theirs or Make Yours

Instagram already made you a QR code. It is free and it lives in your profile. If you print it once and never need to know how many people scanned it, stop there. If you want scan counts per spot, or a destination you can change, here's how to make a dynamic QR code.

Get the code Instagram makes

Per Instagram's help article "Find and customize the QR code of your Instagram profile" (checked again on 28 October 2026), the steps are the same on iPhone and Android:

1. Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right.
2. Tap Share profile below your bio.
3. To customize it, touch anywhere on the screen or tap the button at the top, and use Color, Emoji or Selfie.

Illustration, not a screenshot. Steps from Instagram's help page.

On a computer:

1. Click your profile picture on the left to go to your profile.
2. Click Settings at the top, then click QR code.
3. To customize it, click the circle with the color you want to use.

The same article notes that you can't log in to Instagram with a QR code. It's for sharing your profile, nothing else.

When Instagram's code is enough

It's enough when all you need is "scan to find us on Instagram", you print it once, and you never care how many people scanned it or from where. A cafe sticker, a market stall sign, a name tag.

You can also make a plain code yourself with our free QR code generator: choose URL, paste https://www.instagram.com/yourhandle, download PNG or SVG. No account. It works as long as that handle exists, so if you ever rename the account, check where the old link goes before you reprint.

Either way, the code goes straight to Instagram. Nothing sits in between, so there is nothing to count. Instagram's help article for its own code doesn't mention scan counts, either.

When you want more

Three cases where a code of your own in between helps:

• You print the same code in several places (receipts, window, flyers) and want to know which one gets scanned.
• You might not want the profile forever. A launch weekend, a giveaway, a link-in-bio page with your shop and your booking link. A dynamic QR code can send people there for a while and back to the profile afterwards, without reprinting.
• You run more than one account, or hand the printed material to a team, and one code needs to survive a change of handle or a new campaign. How to change a QR code after printing works the same for any destination.

If none of these fits, stay with Instagram's code. It costs nothing and has no extra step.

Set it up with QRZY

1. Sign up and select Create QR, then Start from Scratch.
2. Give the code a QR Code Name, paste https://www.instagram.com/yourhandle as the Default URL, and select Continue. Then Continue to Customize and Create QR Code.
3. To count each placement: open the code, and under Channels select Add Channel. Give each a Channel Slug such as window or receipt, select Create Channel, and use Copy to get that placement's link. Turn each link into its own printed code with the free generator.
4. To point somewhere else for a while: under Smart rules, select Add Step, set Condition Type to Time Range (Between Dates), pick the dates, and paste the other link. After the end date, scans go back to the Default URL.

What to know before you print:

• Channels start on Starter ($100 a year, 3 per code). Pro ($250 a year) has 10.
• A link-in-bio page is a hosted page, on Pro (5 pages). Pick the Link in Bio template under Pages, Create Page. It is a small landing page, so what goes on a QR code landing page applies.
• Free plan: one code, no channels. Instagram doesn't allow itself to be shown inside QRZY's Free-plan bar, so Free scans get the 5-second countdown before Instagram opens. What each free plan limits is in free dynamic QR codes.
• QRZY counts scans, not followers. It doesn't connect to Instagram, so it can't tell you who followed afterwards. Compare scans per spot with the followers you gain, week by week. Starter keeps 7 days of analytics and Pro 30, so write the counts down.

For what the scan counts mean, see how to track QR code scans. A code that changes after printing is what dynamic QR codes do, and shops and cafes are covered under QR codes for business.

Common questions

Does Instagram have its own QR code? Yes, one per profile, in the app. Instagram's help article calls it a way to help other people find your profile.

Can I use a QR code to log in to Instagram? No. Instagram says you can't log in with one.

Will a QR code I make myself stop working if I change my username? A link with your handle in it points at that handle. After a rename, check what the old link does. With a QRZY code, you change the Default URL once and every printed code follows.