Every email you send is a touchpoint. Your email signature sits at the bottom of every message — why not make it work harder? A QR code in your signature lets recipients save your contact info, visit your portfolio, book an appointment, or follow you on social media with one scan.
Here's how to set it up and what to link to.
What Should the QR Code Link To?
Before creating the QR, decide what action you want from the recipient:
vCard (save contact). The most practical option. The recipient scans and your name, phone, email, company, and website save directly to their phone. No typing required. Great for sales, consulting, and anyone who meets new contacts regularly.
Portfolio or website. For freelancers, designers, and creative professionals. The QR links to your best work. See our freelancer QR code guide.
Booking link. For consultants, salespeople, and service providers. The QR links to your Calendly, Cal.com, or booking page. Recipients scan and schedule a meeting without the email back-and-forth.
LinkedIn profile. For professionals who want to grow their network. Scan and connect — faster than searching for your name on LinkedIn.
Current promotion or campaign. For marketing emails. The QR links to a landing page, special offer, or event. Use a dynamic QR so you can rotate the destination.
Creating the QR Code
- Go to qree.app
- Select the appropriate type (URL for website/booking, vCard for contact info)
- Enter the details
- Customize colors to match your brand
- Download as PNG (email signatures need raster images)
For email signatures, download at a relatively small size — the QR will display at about 80-100 pixels wide in most email clients. A 300×300 px PNG is sufficient.
Adding the QR to Your Email Signature
Gmail
- Go to Settings → See all settings → General → Signature
- Click the image icon in the signature editor
- Upload your QR code PNG (or host it online and paste the URL)
- Resize to about 80-100 px wide
- Position it alongside your other signature info
- Save
Outlook
- File → Options → Mail → Signatures
- Create or edit your signature
- Click the image icon and insert your QR code
- Resize to fit alongside your text
- Save
Apple Mail
- Mail → Settings → Signatures
- Create or edit your signature
- Drag the QR code image into the signature editor
- Resize as needed
Other Clients
Most email clients support images in signatures. The process is similar: edit signature → insert image → resize. If your email client doesn't support images, you can link to a hosted QR image.
Design and Layout
The QR code should complement your signature, not dominate it. Here are layout options:
Side-by-side
John Doe | Designer | john@example.com [QR]
www.johndoe.com | +31 6 1234 5678
The QR sits to the right of your contact info. Clean and compact.
Below contact info
John Doe | Designer
john@example.com | +31 6 1234 5678
www.johndoe.com
[QR] Scan to save my contact
The QR is below the text with a small label. Good when you want the QR to be more prominent.
In a designed signature block
If you use an HTML signature with a designed layout (table-based), place the QR in a dedicated cell alongside your photo, logo, or social media icons.
Tips
Size: 70-100 px display width. Smaller than this and it won't scan well from a phone screen. Larger than this and it dominates the signature visually.
Add a label. "Scan to save my contact" or "Scan to book a call" — a one-line instruction below or beside the QR code. Without context, recipients won't know what it does.
Test across email clients. Send a test email to yourself on Gmail, Outlook, and a phone. Make sure the QR renders correctly and is scannable. Some email clients resize images aggressively.
Consider mobile recipients. If the recipient reads your email on their phone, they can't scan a QR code displayed on the same phone screen. For these users, the QR is less useful — but they can screenshot it and scan from their gallery (see our screenshot scanning guide), or they can use the text links in your signature directly.
Static for permanent info. For a vCard or LinkedIn profile that doesn't change, a static QR is fine. For campaigns, promotions, or seasonal links, use a dynamic QR so you can update the destination.
Keep the signature lean. A QR code adds visual weight. If your signature already has a logo, social icons, a banner, and legal disclaimers, adding a QR code might create clutter. Choose: QR code or banner, not both.
Host the image reliably. If you link to a hosted QR image instead of embedding it, make sure the hosting is reliable. A broken image icon instead of a QR code looks unprofessional.
When NOT to Use a QR Code in Email
Email is a digital medium. Your recipients are already on their device. In many cases, a clickable link serves the same purpose as a QR code without requiring a second device.
A QR code in an email signature is most useful when recipients tend to print your emails (legal, medical, real estate), when the email is forwarded to someone who might want to save your contact, or when you want to promote a specific action (like booking a meeting) in a visually distinct way that stands out from the text links.
Create Your Email Signature QR Code
Go to qree.app, create your vCard or URL QR code, and download it as PNG for your email signature.