Quickly Share Your Instagram Acccount, Posts With a QR Code

Instagram now allows users to share posts, Reels, and locations through a QR code.

The function was first spotted in March(Opens in a new window) by mobile developer Alessandro Paluzzi. It’s now getting a more widespread rollout, with a number(Opens in a new window) of Instagrammers seeing it.

To see if you have it, update your Instagram app, and then navigate to your profile or specific post or Reel. Tap the three-dot menu and see if there is a QR code option. (Web users can add “/qr” to a post’s URL to generate a scannable code.)

(Credit: PCMag)

If you go with the profile option, a full-screen QR code will appear (above right); tap the menu up top to switch from a color view to emoji or selfie. From a post, you can shuffle through various color options and then save the QR code to your camera roll.

(Credit: PCMag)

If you’ve been to a restaurant in the post-pandemic era, you’re probably familiar with scanning a QR code to get a menu. These machine-readable optical labels contain data for a locator, identifier, or tracker that points to a website or application—in this case, Instagram content. (Be careful what you scan, though.)

It’s unclear how many accounts have the QR code option. Instagram parent company Meta did not immediately respond to PCMag’s request for comment. But it tells TechCrunch(Opens in a new window): “To make it easier for people and businesses to share specific content, we recently launched the ability to create QR codes for profiles, tags, locations, reels, and more.”

In 2020, Instagram began allowing folks to share and view individual profiles through QR codes, inviting people to connect primarily with businesses, but also find family and friends without typing in an account name. Create your own by navigating to your Instagram profile > menu > QR code. Personalize the page with a backdrop of profile-appropriate emoji, gradient colors, or mini selfies, then tap the share button in the top right corner to publish your geometric symbol online or distribute it through email or text.