Email QR Code Generator
Scan opens a pre-filled email, ready to send in one tap.
Use High when adding a logo
Email QR Code Generator
Asking someone to email you from a physical sign, brochure, or poster usually means they have to remember the address, open their mail app, and type it in later. Most people never do. An email QR code shortcuts all of that: the scan opens the default mail client with the recipient, subject line, and even a draft body already filled in. The person just hits Send. This small reduction in friction can double or triple the response rate on feedback forms, support channels, and sales inquiry cards.
The code uses the standard mailto: URI format, which every email app on every platform recognizes. Your email address is encoded directly into the QR pattern and never passes through any external server.
How It Works
The mailto: URI format is simple: mailto:address?subject=text&body=text. The generator URL-encodes the subject and body fields to handle spaces, punctuation, and special characters safely. The complete string is then encoded into a QR matrix using byte mode. When a phone scans it, the operating system detects the mailto: prefix and launches the default mail application with all fields pre-populated.
The subject and body fields are optional. If you only need the recipient address, leave the other fields blank for a smaller, simpler QR code. Adding a subject line is recommended because it helps you sort incoming responses later.
Common Use Cases
Trade show exhibitors print email QR codes on booth displays so visitors can send a quick inquiry without stopping to fill out a form. Customer support teams place them on product packaging for easy returns and warranty claims. Hotels include them on in-room cards for guest feedback. Nonprofits add them to donation thank-you letters to encourage follow-up engagement. Real estate agents print them on property flyers so interested buyers can request a showing with one scan.
Tips and Best Practices
Keep the pre-filled body short: one or two sentences maximum. A long body might get truncated on some email clients. Include a subject line that clearly identifies the context, such as the product name or event, so you can filter incoming messages easily. Test with both Gmail and Apple Mail before printing, because they handle URL encoding slightly differently. If you want recipients to reach a team mailbox rather than a personal address, use a group alias like support@company.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which email apps support mailto QR codes?
Virtually all of them. Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, and Thunderbird all recognize the mailto: format. The phone operating system routes the scan to whichever app the user has set as their default email client.
Can I pre-fill the CC or BCC fields?
The mailto: standard supports cc and bcc parameters (e.g., mailto:a@b.com?cc=c@b.com). However, this generator focuses on the three most common fields: recipient, subject, and body. For CC/BCC, you can manually add those parameters to the recipient field using the full mailto syntax.
Is there a character limit for the body text?
The QR specification limits total data capacity, not the body specifically. With High error correction, you can encode about 1,270 characters total across all fields. In practice, keeping the body under 200 characters ensures a code that scans reliably at moderate sizes.
Will the email send automatically when scanned?
No. The scan opens the mail app with the fields pre-filled, but the user must tap Send manually. Automatic sending without user consent would be a security vulnerability, so no platform allows it.
Can I use this for a contact form instead of email?
Not directly. A mailto: QR code always opens the native email app. If you want people to fill out a web form, use a URL QR code pointing to your form page instead.
Related Tools
For sharing phone numbers instead of email addresses, try the phone call QR generator. For text messages, use the SMS QR generator. If you need full contact details in one code, the vCard generator is the right tool. Read about QR codes for marketing for campaign ideas.