Brett LindenbergTo make a QR code for a training video, copy the video's share link, paste it into a QR code generator, download the image, and scan a printed test copy with an iPhone and an Android phone before you post it. The phone camera reads the code and opens the link in a browser, so the video has to play on a phone without a sign-in your learners do not have. Put the code where the task happens, such as at the machine or in the onboarding packet, and print a label that says what the scan opens. If the video also asks questions and collects a name or employee ID, the same scan gives you a record of who watched and how they answered. The demo below asks where the QR code for a machine setup lesson should go.
How to make a QR code for a video
- Get a link that plays on a phone. Use the video's share link, not a file in a shared drive that asks people to sign in. Open the link in a private browser window on a phone to check it. In Mindstamp, the share link is on the video's Share page. For other ways to get a video in front of people, see how to share a video.
- Decide if you will need to change where the code points after you print it. Your answer picks between a static and a dynamic code (see the next section).
- Generate the code. In Mindstamp, select the QR code tile on the Share page and download the image. A free generator such as QRCode Monkey makes static codes with a logo and brand colors, and exports SVG, PDF, and EPS files for a print shop.
- Keep the contrast high. Use a dark code on a light background, and do not crop the blank margin the generator puts around the code. QRCode Monkey warns that low-contrast color choices may not scan in every reader.
- Test at the real size and place. Print one copy at the size you plan to use and tape it where it will go. Scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone from the spot where a worker will stand, in the light that is there during a shift.
- Add a label that says what the video is and how long it takes, for example "Scan for the 2-minute press setup check." Print a short web address under the code for people who cannot scan it.
Keep the link short. The U.S. government's introduction to QR codes on digital.gov notes that the code grows with the length of the address it holds, which matters on a small label.
Static or dynamic QR code: which do you need?
A static code holds the link itself. A dynamic code holds a short redirect address that belongs to the QR service, and the service forwards each scan to the destination you set.
| Static code | Dynamic code | |
|---|---|---|
| What the code holds | Your video link | A redirect address owned by the QR service |
| Change the destination after printing | No | Yes, in the service's dashboard |
| Scan counts | No | Yes, per code |
| Cost | Free from most generators | A paid subscription |
| If you stop paying | Nothing changes | QR TIGER's FAQ says its dynamic codes stop working when the plan expires |
QRCode Monkey says its free static codes do not expire and have no scan limit. The QR TIGER FAQ says a static code cannot be turned into a dynamic one later, so make the choice before you print. Marketers buy dynamic codes so one printed ad can point to a new offer each season, as SevenM's overview of QR code trends in advertising describes.
You may not need a dynamic code at all if the link inside the code never changes. A Mindstamp share link stays the same when you edit the interactions or the design, and also when you replace the video file with More > Replace source video. A static code made from that link keeps working after you re-record the lesson, as long as the video stays published. Pay for dynamic codes when you need a scan count for each printed label, or when the destination itself may move, for example to a new LMS.
Where to put QR codes for training
Put the code where the question comes up. The label then works as just-in-time training: a worker watches the step at the machine, at the moment they need it. The digital.gov guide gives the same example: a QR code on a piece of equipment that opens its manual or a how-to video. The demo above adds a safety rule: if the code sits behind a machine guard or on a moving panel, someone may reach into the hazard to scan it.
| Placement | What the video covers | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| At a machine's control station or checklist board | Setup or changeover steps, with a question before the risky step | Mount the code where a person can scan it without entering a guarded area. Use a durable label that survives cleaning. |
| Next to a portable fire extinguisher | A short refresher on that extinguisher | If you provide extinguishers for employee use, OSHA requires an education program on their use when employees start and at least once a year (29 CFR 1910.157(g)). Treat a video at the extinguisher as a refresher on top of that program. |
| On a chemical storage cabinet | Handling and spill steps for what is inside | The video does not replace safety data sheets. OSHA requires them to be readily accessible during each shift, and allows electronic access only when it creates no barrier to immediate access (29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(8)). |
| In a new hire's onboarding packet | A welcome from the team, a site tour, first-week tasks | Print a code with that person's own link, so every scan is tied to them (see the tracking section below). |
| At a point-of-sale terminal | Refunds or a transaction staff rarely do | Keep it short, because a customer is often waiting. |
| In a conference room | How to start a video call or connect a laptop to the screen | Put the code on the table, where people sit. |
| On a screen in a break room or lobby | Optional skill-building videos | Change the code with the content. This guide to digital signage in education shows how schools use screens for the same kind of messages. |
Send each code to the right moment
One long video can serve several stations. Add ?t= and a number of seconds to the share link, for example ?t=245, and the video opens at that point. Make a separate code for each station. If people also need to move around inside the video, add chapters; our guide to time stamped video shows how. For a step people repeat every day, a separate short video is often easier to keep current.
How learners scan a QR code for an e-learning video
Learners do not need a scanner app. The camera app on an iPhone, and on most Android phones, reads QR codes.
- iPhone: open Camera in Photo mode, point it at the code, and tap the link that appears at the bottom of the screen. Apple's guide to scanning a QR code on iPhone also shows the Scan Code control in Control Center.
- Android: open the camera app, point it at the code, and tap the address that appears, or tap Scan QR code in Quick Settings. Google's Android help notes that camera support varies by device model.
Before you roll out codes on a shop floor or in the field, check these at the actual spot:
- Signal. Play the whole video on the site's Wi-Fi and on a cellular connection. Mindstamp streams uploaded videos with adaptive quality, so on a slow connection the video starts faster at a lower quality and gets sharper when it can. Short videos and smaller files help too; see how to reduce a video file size.
- Phone policy. Confirm that people may use phones at that station. If they may not, put the code on a shared tablet mounted nearby.
Turn on captions as well, for noisy areas and for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
How to track who scanned and what they learned
A dynamic code counts scans. That count shows a phone opened the link; it cannot show who held the phone or whether they watched to the end. For a training record, the video player has to collect the person's identity and what they did.
In Mindstamp, the first scan on a phone starts a new viewer record, which shows as Anonymous until the video learns who the person is. Our help article on viewer identity covers the details. Pick one of these methods:
- Ask at the start. Turn on lead capture with a name and an employee ID field, so every view carries the person's ID.
- Print a personal code. For an onboarding packet or a badge, build the code from a personalized link (on supported plans), or add
?custom_id=and the employee number to the share link. - Set up shared devices. On a kiosk or a station tablet, turn off Remember viewers in lead capture, so the next person does not inherit the last person's identity.
To see which label was scanned, add a parameter to each code's link, for example ?placement=press-3. Mindstamp stores any parameter it does not recognize as a variable, and your exports can include it as a column (see how URL parameters work).
Each view then records the person, the share of the video they watched, and when the session started and ended. If the video asks questions, the view also records each answer and the score. Export the records as a spreadsheet for an audit, and use the question reports to find the step most people get wrong. Our guide to video analytics explains the metrics.
One decision to make early: a code that opens the share link keeps the records in Mindstamp. If your LMS must hold the completion record, point the code at the LMS course instead. A SCORM package passes the LMS learner ID to Mindstamp, but the learner then usually has to sign in to the LMS on their phone.
How to justify QR code platform spend to leadership
Start with what costs nothing. Static codes are free, and if your videos sit on a platform whose links do not change, a paid QR platform adds only scan counts and code management. Ask for budget when you need those.
When you do, build the case from numbers your finance team can check:
- Reprint cost you avoid: multiply the number of printed codes by the cost to reprint and re-mount one label, then by the number of destination changes you expect each year.
- Learner time: training time at a fully loaded hourly rate is often the largest cost. The free training ROI calculator works it out from your own inputs and prints the method with the result.
- A pilot with one outcome: pick one line or site and one measure that already has a baseline, such as setup errors or the days before a new hire works without help. Add the codes and compare the same measure after a fixed period.
Lead with your own pilot data. QR code vendors publish usage figures from their own platforms, such as the QR TIGER statistics report, but those numbers come from the vendor's own customers. A scan count also measures use alone. Report it next to completion and answers, so leadership sees what people understood after the scan.
Common questions
Do QR codes for videos expire?
A static code does not expire. It stops working only if the link inside it stops working, for example when the video is deleted or unpublished. A dynamic code works while you pay for the service that runs its redirect.
Are QR codes safe to scan?
The FBI warned in a 2022 public service announcement that criminals place their own QR stickers over real ones. It advises people to check the address after a scan and not to download apps from a QR code. For your own codes, check them for stickers during routine walk-throughs. Links from a domain people recognize also help. On supported plans, Mindstamp can share videos from a subdomain of your own site.
Can you put a QR code inside a video?
Yes, as an image on the video. It works when people watch on a TV or a projector and scan with their own phone. On a phone, nobody can scan their own screen, so use a clickable button that opens the same link. In Mindstamp you can show both at the same moment and hide the image on mobile devices.
How do I use a QR code in a webinar?
Put the code on a slide and leave it up for the time it takes people to find their phones. Paste the same link in the chat for people who watch on a phone. If you post the recording, add the link to the description, because the code in the recording is useless to phone viewers.
To try this with your own video, upload it to Mindstamp, add one question before the step people most often get wrong, and print the QR code from the Share page. Then scan it at the station and check that your test view shows in Reporting. Mindstamp's training use cases show more ways to build the lesson itself.
