Today, we have something really exciting to share with you - QR Codes in Excel! That's right, we'll show you how to generate QR Codes and use them to enhance your Excel spreadsheets.
The first is by creating a QR Code that links to an Excel file (via QCG). The second is by generating QR Codes using data in your Excel file.
00:00 - Introduction
01:14 - Create Excel QR Code Using Scanova
03:14 - Excel QR Code in Bulk By QR Batch
We will be using Scanova’s QR Code Generator Tool (QCG) to create the Excel QR Code.
You just need to follow these steps:
Go to Scanova and sign-up for a 14-day free trial. From QR Code categories, select the Website URL QR Code. On the page that loads, paste the link to your Excel file.
Now, click on Create QR Code. A window will pop up asking you to name and save the QR Code. Enter a suitable name and click Save.
Next, you will see three QR Code designs on your screen. These are-standard black-and-white, custom with a logo, and custom with a background.
You can proceed with either of them. Note that if your use case is marketing or promotional and you want to attract as many scans as possible, you must consider adding a design to your QR Code.
Once you specify the details, click Export. Your QR Code image will be exported.
Now let’s see how to create QR Codes with data present in an Excel sheet. In this case, you’ll have to generate QR Codes in bulk.
You’d have a spreadsheet (XLS, XLSX, or CSV) with data in each row for each QR Code. You’d need an online tool where you can upload Excel and generate QR Codes.
If this is what you need-you need a bulk QR Code generator tool such as QR Batch. Here is how you can get started. First, format your spreadsheet. To do it, follow these steps:
The first column should be the QR Code Filename. The QR Code images that will be generated in a zip folder will have these filenames.
The second column should be the content you want to encode. This will depend on the QR Code category you will select. To encode content in Excel, you can choose from the following three categories:
First category is Website URL QR Code
A Website URL QR Code, when scanned, takes the end-users to visit the encoded website address.
Here, the first column should be the Filename (QR Code 1, QR Code 2, etc). While the second column should be the Website URL that will be encoded into the QR Code.
Second Category is Plain Text QR Code
Plain Text QR Codes store textual information such as an address, product information, or, a short bio. To create a Plain Text QR Code using Excel, the second column should contain the text. While the first column, as usual, should be the Filename.
Third Category is VCard QR Code
A VCard QR Code, when scanned, displays contact information. These include details such as name, title/designation, company, email, phone, and website. It also prompts the user to ‘Add as contact’.
For a VCard QR Code, You can add contact details second column onwards. That is, the name is Column B, title in Column C, the company in Column D, and so on.
Now, choose the QR Code category-URL, VCard, or Text-as per requirements. As mentioned earlier, we have selected Website URL QR Code for demo purposes.
Next, Upload Spreadsheet. Upload the spreadsheet you created in Step 1 on the page that opens. You can upload it in CSV, XLS, or XLSX format. Now, Review Data.
For example, say you want to create Simple Text QR Codes. The ‘Review’ page on which you land will prompt you to confirm the columns. That means you need to select which column is QR Code filename and which column has text.
Moving on, Add Design. Once you review the data, you will be landed on a page where you will see three design options:
Standard design: It gives generic black-and-white QR Codes
Custom Logo Design: It allows you to add a logo and color to your QR Codes
Custom Background Design: It helps you add an image as QR Codes’ background
If you want a basic black-and-white QR Code, go for the standard QR Code.
But if your use case is promotional or customer-facing, choose one of the other two design options.
Also, custom QR Codes attract 50-100% more scans than plain black-and-white ones.
Next, specify batch name and other details.
After you finalize the design of your QR Code, a window will pop up prompting you to specify the batch name. In the same window, you will also get an option to choose how you wish to export the QR Codes.
Note that if in the beginning, you had selected Generate QR Code Images as batch, then you’ll have to select the size and format of QR Code images to be generated. On the other hand, if you had selected the Generate QR Code labels option, you’ll see the option to name the batch and choose the label sheet layout.
Generating QR Codes in Excel is a fantastic way to make your spreadsheets more interactive and user-friendly.
Whether it's for tracking inventory, creating interactive menus, or sharing information, QR Codes can be a game-changer.