Free GS1 QR Code Generator (GS1 Digital Link)

Paste a GTIN or UPC below and get a scannable GS1 Digital Link QR code — free, no signup. This is the same web-URI format retailers are moving to for Sunrise 2027, and you can download the result as an SVG and drop it straight into your label artwork.

Generate a GS1 Digital Link QR code

Need batch, serial, or expiry date encoding? Use the full GS1 Digital Link generator — it adds AI (10) batch/lot, AI (21) serial, and AI (17) expiration date to the URI.

What is a GS1 Digital Link?

A GS1 Digital Link is a web URI that carries a product's GTIN inside a normal HTTPS URL — for example https://id.gs1.org/01/09506000134352, where 01 is the GS1 Application Identifier for a GTIN. Encode that URI as a QR code and one symbol does two jobs: a point-of-sale system reads the GTIN out of it, and a shopper's phone opens a web page.

That dual purpose is why retailers are adopting 2D barcodes under Sunrise 2027 — the GS1 US initiative for retail point-of-sale to be able to scan 2D codes by the end of 2027. It is a retailer-driven industry initiative, not a law or a legal mandate. Packaging goes through a multi-year dual marking phase where the 1D UPC and the 2D code are printed together, so nothing breaks at checkout while scanner fleets catch up.

Background and timeline: the Sunrise 2027 explainer. To find out whether your own scanners can read 2D codes today, use the Sunrise 2027 readiness checker.

How to use the code you just made

• Test it before you print. Scan the QR with a phone and with the scanner model you actually use at the counter or dock. A 1D laser scanner will not read it at all — that is the point of the fleet upgrade.
• Put it on the label, not instead of the label. During dual marking, keep the existing UPC and add the 2D code beside it. Free layout starting points: GS1 label templates.
• Printing at volume? Zebra printers generate QR Code and GS1 DataMatrix natively in ZPL, so the code can be rendered on the printer instead of shipped as an image. We stock the label stock and can pre-print runs for you.

FAQ

Why does my 12-digit UPC come out with zeros in front?

GS1 Digital Link uses the 14-digit GTIN form, so shorter GTINs are left-padded with zeros. UPC-A 012345678905 becomes 00012345678905. It is the same product identifier, just in its canonical length.

It says my check digit doesn't match.

The last digit of a GTIN is a checksum calculated from the digits before it. If it doesn't validate, a digit was mistyped or transposed somewhere in the number — re-read it off the packaging.

Should the URI point at id.gs1.org or at my own domain?

Both are valid GS1 Digital Link syntax. This tool builds the canonical id.gs1.org form, which is the safe default for testing and for POS scanning. Brands that want the QR to land on their own product page use their own domain with the same /01/<gtin> path — the full generator handles custom domains.

I just need a plain UPC or Code 128 barcode.

Use our free barcode generator — it produces the linear symbologies (UPC-A, Code 128, Code 39) as well as plain QR codes. This page is specifically for the GS1 Digital Link URI format used for Sunrise 2027.

QR code or GS1 DataMatrix?

Retail point-of-sale is standardizing on QR codes carrying a GS1 Digital Link URI. GS1 DataMatrix is the usual choice in healthcare and for small-item marking. Both are 2D symbols and both need an imager, not a laser scanner.