You put a link on your slide, and the room goes quiet while everyone squints and tries to type it into their phone. Half of them get it wrong, and the rest give up. A QR code on your presentation slides lets your audience grab your slides, resources or next meeting link in one scan.
Why links on slides don’t work
Sharing a web address during a talk seems simple, but it rarely goes smoothly:
- URLs are long and fiddly. One wrong letter and the page won’t load.
- The slide doesn’t stay up long enough. You move on before people finish typing.
- People in the back can’t read small text. And online viewers may be watching on a small screen.
- “I’ll email the slides later” often doesn’t happen. Or it happens days later, after interest has faded.
A QR code solves all of this. Anyone with a phone camera can scan it from their seat, or from their screen during a webinar.
How to use QR codes in presentations and webinars
- Decide what to share. Common choices are your slide deck, a resource list, a sign-up page, a feedback form or the link to your next session.
- Use one code for everything. If you have several resources, point a single code to a link-in-bio page that lists them all. That way you only need one code across the whole talk.
- Make it dynamic. A dynamic QR code lets you update the destination after the event, for example adding the recording once it’s ready, without changing your slides.
- Show it early and often. Put the code on your title slide, repeat it at key moments and finish with it on your final slide. Leave it on screen long enough for people to scan.
- Size it for the room. In a large hall, the code should take up a good portion of the slide. For webinars, remember many viewers are on laptops, so make it large and centered.
- Keep high contrast. A dark code on a white panel scans best, even if your slide theme is dark or busy.
- Say it out loud. “Scan this to get the slides and everything I mention today” is all it takes.
- Test from the back. Before you present, project your slide and scan it from the farthest seat. For webinars, scan it from a second screen.
Joining meetings by QR code
Printed agendas, event signs and invitation slides can include a code that opens your meeting link directly. If you run regular Zoom sessions, a code for your meeting saves attendees from copying long IDs and passcodes. Just keep the meeting link up to date if it changes from session to session.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Flashing the code for two seconds. People need time to open their camera.
- A tiny code in the corner of the slide. It won’t scan from the middle of the room.
- Linking to a file that needs permission to open. Check that your shared slides are viewable by anyone with the link.
- Different codes on every slide, which leaves people unsure which to scan.
- Forgetting the people who can’t scan. Show a short, readable link under the code as a backup.
Troubleshooting
- Won’t scan from the projector: make the code larger and dim the stage lighting on the screen if you can.
- Webinar viewers can’t scan: some see a small video window. Paste the link in the chat as well.
- Page loads slowly: venue WiFi may be busy. Link to a lightweight page rather than a large file download.
How to do it with Infinite QR
In the QR code generator, create a dynamic URL code pointing to your slides or resource page, or build a Bio Links page with all your resources in one place. Both are on the Free plan, which includes 3 dynamic codes, 1,000 scans, color customization and 4 shapes. Download as PNG for your slides or SVG for printed materials.
The Zoom type, for meeting links, is included on paid plans, starting with Starter at $1 a month, which also lets you add your logo to the code. Dynamic codes record each scan with the date, time, approximate city and device type, so you can see how many people grabbed your materials. Learn how to track QR code scans or compare plans on our pricing page.
