Grab Our Google Sheets Magic Tricks (Includes QR Code Generator Formula)
Our favorite Google Sheets tricks that will make you look like a spreadsheet God fast. Copy and paste formulas make it easy to implement every trick!
Thanks to the IMAGE function and the hero that created Google's chart API, we can easily generate a qr code in any table you make in Google Sheets. Oh, and it's free!
Here's how build your own QR code generator inside of Google Sheets (for free) without a complex add on.
Step #1 Log into Your Google Account and Create a New Google Sheets Spreadsheet
Unless you already have a large list of URLs you want to generate QR codes for, it will be easiest if we start from scratch.
Step #2 Create 2 Column Headings "URL" and "QR Code"
You will always need at least two columns for this to work. For simplicity's sake, put the URL header in cell B2 and the "QR Code" header in cell C2.
Step #3 Put the First URL Below the URL Heading Column (Cell B3 in This Demo)
If you have multiple URLs, you can paste those in the column as well and we can drag and fill the formula when we have it made.
Step #4 Enter This Formula into Cell C3 (Directly Below the "QR Code" Header Column)
The formula to generate QR codes in Google Sheets is this...
=IMAGE("https://chart.googleapis.com/chart?chs=200x200&cht=qr&chl="&B3&"")
It looks complex but it's actually quite a simple formula when you realize that we only need to change one variable, the cell that has the URL in it.
In this example, it is cell B3 because that is the cell that has the URL in it.
QR codes stand for Quick Response Codes. They are identification codes that work to provide quick responses to information or online locations with something similar to a traditional barcode. These are wildly useful and are adopted in many traditionally offline industries now like restaurants. The case uses are endless.
Step #5 Repeat and Drag the Formula Down to Create QR Codes for All Needed URLs or Elements
Don't rewrite this formula every time you need to generate QR codes. Simply select the cell that has the first QR code inside of it and drag the blue box downward to fill the formula across the Google sheet.
Step #6 Resize the Column and/or Row Size to Fit
By default the QR code will be extremely small at first. To make the image easier to view and scan, we need to expand the rows and columns heights and widths.