Asking someone to email you means asking them to copy an address off a sign, switch apps, and type it correctly. An email QR code removes all three steps: they scan, their mail app opens with a new message already addressed to you, and the only thing left is what they actually want to say.
What the code actually contains
An email QR code holds a mailto: link — the same kind of link that sits behind an
email address on a web page. Nothing is looked up and nothing is sent when it is scanned:
mailto:hello@northgatedesign.com?subject=Quote%20request&body=Hi%20Dana%2C
The address comes first. Everything after the ? is optional prefill: subject
and body are the two that matter, and both must be URL-encoded — a space becomes
%20, a comma %2C. A generator handles that for you; hand-editing the
string is where these usually break.
Keep the prefill short. A long body pushes the payload past a couple of hundred characters, which makes the code denser and harder to scan for no real benefit — nobody reads a pre-written paragraph before replacing it with their own words anyway.
What actually happens when someone scans it
The address is the reliable part. The prefill is not, and it is worth designing around that.
- iOS Mail and Gmail — open a new message with the subject and body filled in as written.
- Some Android mail clients — open the message correctly addressed but silently drop the subject, the body, or both. There is no error; the fields are just empty.
- The address itself always works. Every scanner and every mail app honors the recipient.
So use the subject line for convenience, never for routing. If you need to know which poster a message came from, don’t rely on a subject like “Lobby enquiry” arriving intact — use a separate address or a form instead.
Static codes versus dynamic codes
This is a static code: the address and prefill live in the image. It works forever, needs no account, and has no service in the middle that could expire or start charging. It also can never be edited or tracked — change the address and every printed copy is dead, and because nothing contacts a server there is no scan count to look at.
If the address might change, or you want to know how many people scanned it, use a dynamic QR code instead. The free generator makes both.
Where people use them
- Job and enquiry posters — “Scan to apply,” with the role already in the subject line.
- Trade show and market stalls — a quote request that takes ten seconds instead of a form on a clipboard.
- Product packaging and manuals — a support address that doesn’t require reading eight characters off a folded insert.
- Invoices and statements — a billing-queries code that lands the message in the right inbox first time.
Frequently asked questions
Does scanning the code send an email automatically?
No, and it can’t. The code opens a draft in the scanner’s own mail app. They still read it, edit it, and press send themselves.
Why did the subject line not appear on my friend’s phone?
Some Android mail clients ignore the subject and body parameters of a mailto: link.
The message is still addressed correctly — only the prefill is dropped, and there’s
no way for the code to force it.
Can I change the email address later without reprinting?
Not with a static code. The address is encoded in the image. A dynamic code pointing at a contact page is the version you can edit after printing.
Does an email QR code expire?
No. There is no account and no service in the middle. It keeps working as long as the mailbox does.
Make your email code
Enter the address, add a subject if you want one, and download the code.
Create an email QR code Free, no account, generated in your browser.Last updated September 18, 2026.