How Many QR Code Combinations Are There
Jonathan Palley
Sep 12, 2025
How many different QR codes can actually exist?
With QR codes appearing on restaurant menus, product packaging, event tickets, business cards, and even memorials, it is reasonable to wonder whether there is a limit to how many can be created.
The short answer is that there are an enormous number of possible QR codes. There isn't a global supply of QR codes that businesses and individuals are slowly using up. Instead, QR codes are generated from data using standardized encoding rules, and the number of possible combinations is extremely large.
So, how many QR codes are possible? Let's break down what determines the number.
What Makes a QR Code Unique?
A QR code isn't simply a random collection of black and white squares. Several technical elements determine how information is converted into the final pattern.
1. QR Code Version
QR codes have 40 standard versions, ranging from Version 1 to Version 40.
Version 1 contains a 21 × 21 grid of modules, while Version 40 contains a 177 × 177 grid. As the version increases, the QR code has more modules available for storing information.
More space means more data can potentially be encoded.
For example, depending on the encoding mode and error correction level, a Version 40 QR code can store thousands of characters. This is one of the reasons the number of possible QR codes becomes so large.
2. Encoding Mode
QR codes can encode different types of information using different modes.
The main modes include:
- Numeric: numbers from 0 to 9
- Alphanumeric: numbers, uppercase letters, and selected symbols
- Byte: binary data and a wider range of characters
- Kanji: Japanese characters
The encoding mode affects how much information can fit into a QR code and how that information is represented.
3. Error Correction
QR codes are designed to remain readable even when part of the symbol is dirty, damaged, or obscured.
There are four error correction levels:
- L: approximately 7%
- M: approximately 15%
- Q: approximately 25%
- H: approximately 30%
Higher error correction provides greater resistance to damage, but it also uses more space for recovery information.
This means the amount of data that can be stored changes depending on the selected error correction level.
4. Mask Patterns
QR codes also use one of eight mask patterns.
Masking helps prevent problematic visual patterns that could make a QR code harder for scanners to read. Different masks can therefore produce different-looking QR codes while representing the same underlying information.
Together, these features create a huge number of possible configurations.
How Many Possible QR Code Combinations Are There?
This is where the numbers become difficult to imagine.
Consider a simple example: an alphanumeric QR code containing a 25-character string.
The QR Code alphanumeric character set contains 45 possible characters. If every position could independently contain any of those characters, there would be:
45²⁵ ≈ 1.4 × 10⁴¹
possible 25-character strings.
That's roughly 14 followed by 40 zeros.
And this is only one relatively small example. QR codes can contain much longer data, use different encoding modes, use different versions, and have different error correction and masking configurations.
So there isn't one simple number that represents every possible QR code. The total depends on exactly what you mean by a "different" QR code and which parameters are being counted.
The important point is that the number becomes enormous very quickly.
Are QR Codes Unlimited?
Technically, the number of valid QR code configurations is finite. But for practical purposes, the number is so large that it can be treated as effectively unlimited.
QR codes aren't issued from a central pool where someone claims a code and removes it from the available supply.
If you create a QR code for your website today, that doesn't mean you've taken one QR code away from another person.
The QR code is generated based on the information you provide and the encoding rules used to represent it.
This is why millions of businesses, organizations, and individuals can create QR codes without worrying about exhausting a worldwide supply.
Can We Run Out of QR Codes?
No practical QR code shortage exists.
Even if two businesses create QR codes at the same time, there is no requirement that each one receive a globally unique number from a central QR code registry.
For example, one business might create a QR code pointing to:
example.com/menu
Another might create one pointing to:
example.com/contact
Because the encoded information is different, the resulting QR codes can also be different.
Even a small change in the encoded content can produce a substantially different QR pattern.
This decentralized nature is one reason QR codes can be generated at such a large scale.
Can Two QR Codes Be the Same?
Yes. If two QR codes encode the same information using the same relevant settings, they can produce the same QR code structure.
At the same time, the same information can sometimes be represented by QR codes that look different because of factors such as masking or other encoding choices.
For example, two QR codes could both send users to the same website while having different visual patterns.
This is an important distinction: the appearance of a QR code and the information it contains aren't necessarily the same thing.
A QR code can look different while leading to the same destination.
Do Dynamic QR Codes Create More Possibilities?
Dynamic QR codes add another useful layer of flexibility.
A dynamic QR code typically points to a URL that can redirect users to a destination that you can change later.
For example, a printed QR code could initially send customers to:
YourWebsite.com/summer-sale
Later, the destination could be changed to:
YourWebsite.com/fall-sale
The printed QR code doesn't need to be replaced.
This doesn't mean dynamic QR codes create an infinite number of QR code patterns. Instead, the same printed code can be used for different destinations over time.
That's particularly useful for marketing materials, product packaging, posters, menus, events, and other printed materials that would be difficult or expensive to replace.
With a free dynamic QR code generator such as QR Codes Unlimited, you can create QR codes for different types of content and manage your campaigns without needing to print a new code every time a destination changes.
What About the Claim That We're Running Out of QR Codes?
You may have come across claims online suggesting that most QR codes have already been "used up" or that the world could eventually run out of them.
That's not how QR codes work.
There is no worldwide registry assigning every possible QR code to a person or business. QR codes are generated according to standardized encoding rules, so there isn't a limited inventory that gets depleted whenever someone creates one.
Whether you're creating one QR code for a business card or thousands for a large marketing campaign, you're not taking QR codes away from other users.
So, How Many QR Codes Are Possible?
There isn't one straightforward number because it depends on how the calculation defines a "unique" QR code.
However, the number of possible combinations is extraordinarily large.
Different data, QR versions, encoding modes, error correction levels, and mask patterns all contribute to the number of possible configurations.
And even a relatively small example, such as a 25-character alphanumeric string, can already produce around 1.4 × 10⁴¹ possible combinations.
That's far beyond anything people could realistically use up.
Create Your Own QR Code
There is no need to worry about running out of QR codes. Whether you need a code for a website, PDF, contact information, campaign, product, event, or another type of content, you can create one whenever you need it.
Ready to make your own?
Generate your QR code with QR Codes Unlimited and put it to work wherever your audience needs it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are QR codes unlimited?
QR codes are technically finite, but the number of possible configurations is so large that they are effectively unlimited for practical use.
Can two QR codes be exactly the same?
Yes. If two QR codes contain the same data and use the same relevant encoding settings, they can produce the same QR code structure.
Can different-looking QR codes contain the same information?
Yes. Different encoding choices, including mask patterns, can result in QR codes that look different while representing the same information.
Can we run out of QR codes?
There is no practical risk of running out of QR codes. They are generated from data and encoding rules rather than assigned from a limited global inventory.
What determines how many QR codes are possible?
The number depends on factors such as the QR code version, amount and type of data, encoding mode, error correction level, and mask pattern.
