Everyday · sharing · UTF-8 plain text

Text that lives in the code

A note, an instruction, a message on a gift — stored in the code and shown as is when scanned. No link to follow, nothing to load.

Make this code now →

Opens the generator with this type selected. Everything happens in your browser.

Round WIA Code carrying a short text
Rendered by the same engine as the generator. Point the WIA scanner at it — or a plain camera at the small booster QR in the middle.

What the code carries

Plain UTF-8 text in any language. Line breaks are kept. What you type is exactly what the scanner displays — there is no page behind it.

UTF-8 plain text

What happens when it is scanned

  1. The scanner reads the text out of the code; it works in a basement or on a plane.
  2. The text is shown on a card, with a copy button.
  3. Nothing else happens — no browser, no download, no permission prompt.

Why a WIA Code for this

A short text QR is easy; a long one is not. A WIA Code holds far more of it at the same size.
It keeps working after your site, link or account is gone — the words are in the dots.
The code can be a shape that fits the message: a heart for a note, a circle for a label.

How much fits

Measured on the live engine (bytes of content, after error correction). The QR column is a standard QR code of the same printed size, for comparison.

GridWIA Code (bytes)Same-size QR (bytes)With booster QR
S · 64 modules · round23960—
M · 96 modules · round608151—
L · 128 modules · round11283221092

This page's example is 108 bytes. The booster QR is a small standard QR placed in the centre so phones without the WIA scanner still get somewhere useful — it leads to the web scanner, which then reads the full code.

Questions people ask

Is the text encrypted?
No — anyone with the scanner can read it. For private notes use the locked card, which encrypts the text with a passphrase.
Which languages work?
Any Unicode text: Korean, Japanese, Arabic, emoji. Non-Latin scripts use more bytes per character, so the capacity table counts bytes, not characters.
Can it hold a whole letter?
An L-grid square holds well over a thousand bytes. For longer texts, WIA Stream splits the content over several codes in a video.
Does a plain camera show the text?
A plain camera reads the booster QR, which opens the WIA web scanner. The scanner then shows the text.
Can I add a link inside the text?
You can write one, but it is shown as text. Use the link code if you want it opened with one tap.
Make this code now →All kinds of content →

Other kinds of content

A link, inside the codeWi-Fi, joined by scanningA place, in the codeAn event that adds itselfAll kinds of content →

WIA Code is a radial-symmetry 2D code. The content lives in the code; there is no server in between when it is scanned. Generated with the WIA Code engine · scannable · no account needed