How to create a QR code for a PowerPoint presentation
- 1
Share the presentation
In PowerPoint, choose Share, set the link to “Anyone with the link can view”, and copy it.
- 2
Paste and design
Paste the link, then add your colours, logo and a frame such as “Get the slides”.
- 3
Add it to your deck
Download the PNG or SVG and put it on your first and last slides. Test it from the back of the room.
How a PowerPoint QR code works
The code holds a sharing link to your presentation on OneDrive or SharePoint. When someone scans it, the deck opens in PowerPoint’s web viewer on their phone, or in the PowerPoint app if they have it. Because it links to the file, not a copy, any changes you make later show up for everyone.
Where to put the code in your deck
- On the first slide, so people can follow along on their phones during the talk
- On the last slide, next to your contact details, while you take questions
- In the handout or programme, for people who leave early
Leave the last slide up during Q&A. People scan when they have a moment, not when the slide flashes by.
Make it scan from the back of the room
Projected codes are scanned from far away, at an angle, and often in a dim room. To make it work:
- Size: make the code at least a fifth of the slide height. Bigger is better in large halls.
- Contrast: black on white, even on a dark slide. Put a white box behind the code.
- Clear space: leave empty space around the code, and don’t put it in a corner that’s cut off by the projector.
- Test it from the back row before the session starts.
Sharing settings
Choose Anyone with the link and Can view. Links limited to your organisation or specific people will ask the audience to sign in, and most of them can’t. Some organisations turn off “Anyone” links or set an expiry date. Check with your IT team before an external talk.
Ideas beyond the last slide
- Trainers and teachers: course slides in the classroom and on the course page
- Sales teams: the pitch deck on a leave-behind card
- Conference organisers: every speaker’s slides on one programme page
- Trade show booths: a product deck on the stand
- Speakers: a LinkedIn or vCard code next to the slides code, so people can also stay in touch
Static and dynamic codes
This is a static code: free and permanent. A dynamic QR code lets you point the same code at a newer deck for your next talk, or at a recording afterwards, and shows how many people scanned at each event.
Print tips
On printed handouts, give OneDrive links at least 2 cm, and SharePoint links 2.5–3 cm. Keep the code dark on a light background, and don’t place it over images or gradients.