How to Add a Logo to a QR Code Without Breaking It

Centering a logo on top of a QR code covers up real data. It works anyway because of error correction, but only within limits, and going past those limits is the most common reason a branded QR code fails to scan.

Why logos don't normally break QR codes

QR codes include redundant data on purpose, specifically so a scanner can reconstruct content that's damaged, dirty, or covered. A centered logo is, from the code's perspective, just another form of covered modules. See our error correction guide for how the L/M/Q/H levels control how much can be covered before decoding fails.

The size limit that actually matters

A conservative, widely used ceiling is around 20 to 25% of the QR code's total width. Push meaningfully past that and the code is at real risk of failing regardless of error-correction level, since too much of the underlying pattern is simply gone. ClearQR defaults to a logo size around 22% of the code's width and hard-caps it at 30% for exactly this reason, deliberately smaller than some other generators' defaults.

Shape and placement

A small, centered, roughly square logo tends to scan most reliably. Very wide, very tall, or oddly shaped logos cover an irregular set of modules that's harder for the redundancy to compensate for evenly. A bit of padding or a solid-color background behind the logo (rather than a busy image edge blending into the code) also tends to help.

Always test after adding a logo

Because logos push a QR code closer to the edge of what error correction can recover from, this is exactly the case where testing matters most. Scan it with a couple of different phones and apps before printing or publishing, not just the one you happen to have in hand.