What an email QR code does
Scanning an email QR code opens the phone's mail app with the recipient, subject and body already filled in — the person only has to tap send. It removes the two biggest reasons people never write: having to type an address correctly and having to decide what to say. This generator builds the code from an address, an optional subject and an optional body, in your browser, and gives you a PNG or SVG to print or embed.
What is inside the code
The code contains a standard mailto: link, the same thing an email link on a web page uses:
mailto:support@example.com?subject=Order%20question&body=Order%20number%3A%20
Recipient after mailto:
Subject and body as URL-encoded query parameters (spaces → %20)Because it is a plain mailto: URL, every phone and desktop scanner understands it, and it opens whichever mail app the user has set as default — Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail or anything else. The generator handles the encoding of spaces, punctuation and line breaks for you.
Writing a good pre-filled message
- Subject: make it something you can filter on — “Quote request — Spring catalogue” lets you route replies automatically.
- Body: prompt for what you need rather than writing the whole message. “Order number:” followed by a blank line gets better answers than a paragraph the sender has to edit.
- Length: keep subject plus body under about 200 characters. Longer bodies make a dense code and some mail apps truncate very long
mailto:bodies. - Plain text only:
mailto:cannot carry formatting, attachments or HTML. - Multiple recipients can be separated by commas in the address field; CC and BCC are supported by the standard but not by every mail app, so test if you rely on them.
Common uses
| Where | Subject / body idea |
|---|---|
| Product packaging | "Support: [product name]" — body asks for serial number and description |
| Restaurant table or receipt | "Feedback on my visit" — body prompts for date and table |
| Business card | No subject — just the address, so the card is not tied to one purpose |
| Job posting or flyer | "Application: [role]" — body reminds to attach a CV |
| Event signage | "Sponsorship enquiry" or "Press pass request" |
| Property listing | "Viewing request: 12 Oak Street" — body asks for preferred times |
| Classroom | "Homework question — Week 3" to the teacher's address |
Email QR vs contact QR vs URL QR
An email QR starts a message. A contact (vCard) QR saves your details to the phone's address book instead — better for business cards where the person may not want to write immediately. A URL QR to a web form gives you structured fields, spam protection and tracking, at the cost of needing a page and a connection. Choose email when you want the lowest possible friction to a human reply.
Spam and privacy considerations
- The address is readable by anyone who scans the code, exactly as if it were printed. Use a role address (
hello@,support@) rather than a personal one on public signage. - A distinctive subject line makes it easy to filter or auto-label incoming messages — and to spot if the address starts receiving spam from a scraped code.
- Nothing about the sender is captured by the code itself; you only see what they choose to send.