Free tool
QR code for a Google Photos album
Paste your shared album's link, download a print-ready QR code, and know exactly what guests will see when they scan it.
In Google Photos: open the album, tap Share, then create or copy the link.
Static code: it never expires and has no scan limit. Generated in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Need it on a printable sign? Use the photo-sharing sign generator.
Design
PNG, JPG, WebP or SVG. It stays on your device, and the code switches to the highest error correction so it still scans.
Getting the album link
In the Google Photos app, open the album — or create one with the + button — then tap Share and create or copy the link. On a computer, open the album on photos.google.com and use the share icon. The link looks like https://photos.app.goo.gl/… and goes straight into the generator above.
If you want guests to add photos rather than only look at them, turn on collaboration in the album's sharing options. Without it the link is view-only: people who scan it can browse the album but not add to it.
What guests need to add photos
Anyone with the link can view the album in a browser. Adding photos is different: the guest has to be signed in to a Google account, and the smoothest route is the Google Photos app. For guests who already live in Google's world, that is no friction at all. For iPhone users without the app or a Google account, it is exactly where many give up.
Two limits are worth knowing before an event. An album holds up to 20,000 photos and videos, and each photo stays tied to the Google account of the guest who added it — and is shared at whatever quality that guest's own backup settings use, which may be the compressed Storage saver rather than the original.
Printing the code
Download the SVG for print — it stays sharp at any size — and keep the printed code at least 2 cm wide on table cards. Add a line underneath that tells people what happens next, such as “Scan to add your photos to our album”, and test the printed code with an iPhone and an Android phone before the day.
Want a complete sign rather than just the code? The photo-sharing sign generator puts the same link on a printable A4 or Letter sign, with your own wording.
Common questions
Can guests add photos to a Google Photos album from a QR code?
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Yes, if collaboration is turned on for the album and they are signed in to a Google account. Without an account they can view the album but not add to it.
Doesn't Google Photos make its own QR codes?
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Recent versions of the Google Photos app can show a QR code for an album on screen. That is handy for sharing in person, but it is not a customisable, print-ready file — which is what this generator makes.
Will the QR code stop working?
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The code itself never expires. It stops working only if you delete the album, turn off link sharing, or stop sharing the album.
Are the photos compressed?
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They are shared at the quality they are stored in each guest's own account. A guest who backs up in Storage saver shares the compressed version, not the original.
How many photos can a shared album hold?
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Up to 20,000 photos and videos per album.
Is there a way to collect photos without a Google account?
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Yes. EventUploader gives your event an upload page that works in any phone browser, with no app and no account, and it keeps every photo and video at original quality.