GS1 Digital Link QR Code Generator
Build a GS1 Digital Link URI from a GTIN you already own, then turn it into a QR code. Enter the batch, serial or expiry data and the link is assembled to the standard, with the GTIN check digit verified before anything is generated. Bring your own identifier — this tool does not issue GTINs.
Common Uses
How to Use
Enter the GTIN printed under your barcode and the domain that will host the link, add any batch, serial or expiry data, then click Generate QR Code. The check digit is verified first — if the number does not add up you are told what it should be, rather than getting a code that scans to nothing. Check the encoded content box before you download, because a Digital Link only resolves if the resolver at that domain knows about your GTIN.
What a GS1 Digital Link actually is
A GS1 Digital Link is a web address that carries a GS1 identifier. Rather than a bare landing-page URL, the address starts with the identifier itself — /01/ followed by the GTIN — so the product identity travels inside the link instead of being implied by wherever it happens to point.
That is the difference from an ordinary QR code on packaging. A plain URL code tells the scanner nothing until the page loads. A Digital Link tells scanning software which item it is looking at before any network is involved, and only then asks a resolver what to return. One symbol on the pack can therefore serve a warehouse scanner and a customer's phone camera.
- The identifier is the GTIN, so the code still means something to a system that never goes online.
- Batch, serial and expiry data travel in the same link, which is what makes recalls and traceability answerable.
- The resolver decides what to show, so the destination can change without reprinting the packaging.
Where the GTIN has to come from
A GTIN is not a number you can invent or buy from a reseller. GS1 allocates a company prefix, and that prefix is what makes your numbers unique and globally recognisable. In the UK that means joining GS1 UK: membership starts at around £50 a year and includes a company prefix and an allocation of GTINs.
This matters beyond paperwork. Retailers and marketplaces verify product identifiers against the GS1 database, and Amazon states plainly that EANs and UPCs which do not match GS1 records are treated as invalid. Numbers bought from third-party sellers fail that check, which is the usual way a barcode becomes a rejected listing.
This tool does not issue, sell or resell GTINs or company prefixes, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by GS1. It takes a number you already hold and builds the link around it.
- Use the GTIN from your own GS1 membership — not a number bought on a marketplace.
- EAN-13 and UPC-A both work: enter them exactly as printed and they are padded to the 14-digit GTIN form.
- If all you need is a QR code pointing at a web page, the URL QR code generator is the simpler tool.
How the URI is assembled
The URI uses the standard's numeric form, so the pieces appear in a fixed order: the stem, then the primary identifier, then its qualifiers, then any data attributes as query parameters.
Two details trip people up. The GTIN is always written as 14 digits with leading zeros, so an EAN-13 gains a zero at the front. And reserved characters in a batch or serial number have to be percent-encoded — a lot number of AB/12 becomes AB%2F12 in the path, because an unencoded slash would be read as the start of another segment.
/01/— the GTIN, 14 digits, check digit verified before generation./10/— batch or lot number, optional./21/— serial number, optional.?17=— expiry date as YYMMDD. Day 00 is legal and means the last day of the month.
Before this code reaches a printed pack
A Digital Link QR code that a phone can read is not automatically a barcode a supermarket till can read. Retail scanning of 2D codes depends on symbol-level requirements the scanner has to find inside the symbol itself, and a general-purpose QR generator does not apply them. Printed barcodes are also graded for print quality — ISO/IEC 15416 for linear symbols and ISO/IEC 15415 for 2D — which no web tool can grade on your behalf.
Treat the output of this page as a code for phones, labels and internal use. If it is heading for a retail point of sale, have the artwork verified by whoever prints the packaging, and test the finished symbol with the actual scanners your staff and customers use. If you are still choosing a code type, static versus dynamic QR codes explains when a fixed link is the right answer.
Privacy
Your data is processed to generate the QR code and is not stored permanently on our servers. Static QR codes are generated in real time and the content is not retained.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I generate a GS1 Digital Link without a GTIN?
No. The GTIN is the identifier the link is built around, so there is nothing to encode without one. If you want a QR code that simply opens a web page, the URL QR code generator is the right tool.
Does this tool issue or sell GTINs?
No, and it never will. GTINs and company prefixes are allocated by GS1, and identifiers bought from resellers are treated as invalid by the retailers and marketplaces that check them against the GS1 database. Join GS1 in your country, then come back with your number.
Which barcode symbology does this produce?
A QR code carrying the Digital Link URI, which is the form GS1 guidance describes for retail. In healthcare the identifier is normally carried in a GS1 DataMatrix and converted to a Digital Link in software, so check what your sector actually requires before printing.
Can I change the destination after the code is printed?
Only through the resolver at the domain inside the link, which is exactly why the resolver is separate from the symbol. If you do not control a resolver, the printed destination is fixed — the same trade-off as any other static QR code.
Do I need a GS1 membership to use this generator?
You need a GTIN, and GTINs are issued by GS1, so in practice yes — either directly or through the business that manufactures the product. This generator does not issue numbers; it takes a GTIN you already hold and builds the link around it.
What is the difference between a GS1 Digital Link and a normal URL QR code?
Both are QR codes, but the payload differs. A URL QR code encodes a plain web address. A Digital Link encodes a GS1 identifier inside a web address, so scanning software can tell which product, batch or serial it is looking at before anything loads. If you only need a link to a page, the URL QR code generator is simpler and scans just as easily.
Why is my GTIN being rejected?
Almost always the check digit, which is the final digit and is calculated from the rest of the number. Enter the GTIN exactly as printed under the barcode — 8, 12, 13 or 14 digits — and this tool will tell you the number it expects. The other common cause is a digit missing from the front of a longer GTIN.
Should I use my own domain or the default resolver for the link?
Use a domain you control if the code is going on real packaging, and configure a resolver there. The default resolver domain only answers for identifiers that have been registered with it, so a code pointing at it can resolve to an error page for products that are not registered.