The short answer is that you can't. The QR code creator in InDesign defaults to v2.1 of vCard, which does not support the extended character set. The only solution is to use another QR code creator, one that does support vCard v3.0 (or 4.0, although my sense is that 4 is not widely supported yet). The problem there is that there are no good creation tools and apps among the hundreds out there — all, or most, seem to be crippled by things like added tracking, data scraping, binding the code to a pay platform, etc. I am, oddly enough, in the middle of writing a long info/how-to article on using InDesign's QR code generator (which is trustworthy, standalone and transparent) to manually create a variety of data types, including vCard 3 and 4, but it's not done yet. The short answer, if it's not too cryptic, is to use the Plain Text mode to enter the vCard format manually. It's not complex, but it is a bit involved. If you can't find a good example of vCard structure, try the Wikipedia article (not something I say very often!) as a start, and if you can wait, I should have this reference article done sometime this weekend.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VCard You should be able to cut and paste the example structure into the Plain Text field, add any fields you want, and export successfully. If not, try again. 🙂 Answer from James Gifford—NitroPress on community.adobe.com
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Adobe Express
adobe.com › express › feature › image › qr-code-generator › business
Free QR Code Business Cards | Adobe Express
Create a free QR code quickly and easily with the Adobe Express QR code maker. Generate a quality, customized QR code that can be added to your business card in seconds.
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Adobe Express
adobe.com › express › feature › image › qr-code-generator › vcard
Online vCard QR Code Maker | Adobe Express
Share your contact anywhere with ... Using the Swiftools vCard QR Generator add-on in Adobe Express, you can easily create a scannable code to replace physical business cards and streamline your networking....
People also ask

Does Adobe Express have a built-in QR code generator?
Yes. In the Adobe Express editor, you can find the QR code element under Elements in the left panel. The feature generates URL-based QR codes only. Color customization is available but logo embedding and non-URL QR types are not supported. For branded codes or types like Wi-Fi, vCard, or SMS, generate at a free external tool and import the PNG via the Media panel.
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quickresponsecode.com
quickresponsecode.com › home › resources › adobe express qr code generator
Adobe Express QR Code Generator: Free Workflow Guide (2026)
Is there a free QR code generator that works with Adobe Express?
Yes. QuickResponseCode.com is free, requires no account, and adds no watermark to the downloaded file. Generate the code there, download as PNG, then upload to Adobe Express via the Media panel. The full workflow takes about three to four minutes.
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quickresponsecode.com
quickresponsecode.com › home › resources › adobe express qr code generator
Adobe Express QR Code Generator: Free Workflow Guide (2026)
Can Adobe Express make QR codes for free?
Yes. The standalone Adobe Express QR generator is free to use without an account and generates URL-based codes with logo upload and preset color styles. The in-editor QR element also generates URL codes at no cost. Neither supports Wi-Fi, vCard, email, or other QR types, and neither exports as SVG. For those, generate at a free external tool and import the PNG via the Media panel.
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quickresponsecode.com
quickresponsecode.com › home › resources › adobe express qr code generator
Adobe Express QR Code Generator: Free Workflow Guide (2026)
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Adobe Express
adobe.com › express › feature › image › qr-code-generator
Free QR Code Generator - Create Custom, Branded QR Codes | Adobe Express
Generate a custom QR code directly in your browser - no special software of app download is required. Enter your URL, customize the colors and style to match your brand, and download in your preferred format.
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Adobe Support Community
community.adobe.com › home › app communities › indesign › questions › business card qr generator
business card qr generator | Community
April 6, 2023 - For business cards, there are 2 types of qr codes that you can generate: Business Card type and Plain Text using a vcard code, what type are you using?
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Better Marketing
bettermarketing.pub › how-to-handle-adobes-buggy-qr-code-generation-in-indesign-the-right-way-in-2022-6520eddc703f
How to Handle Adobe’s Buggy QR Code Generation in Indesign | by Stephan Romhart | Better Marketing
October 27, 2022 - And here is the result after clicking OK. The generator built a QR code as a vector graphic in the chosen Pantone color. ... At the first moment, we couldn’t understand at all why the errors happened when interpreting the QR codes. The QR code for business card data is in vCard format.
Top answer
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The short answer is that you can't. The QR code creator in InDesign defaults to v2.1 of vCard, which does not support the extended character set. The only solution is to use another QR code creator, one that does support vCard v3.0 (or 4.0, although my sense is that 4 is not widely supported yet). The problem there is that there are no good creation tools and apps among the hundreds out there — all, or most, seem to be crippled by things like added tracking, data scraping, binding the code to a pay platform, etc. I am, oddly enough, in the middle of writing a long info/how-to article on using InDesign's QR code generator (which is trustworthy, standalone and transparent) to manually create a variety of data types, including vCard 3 and 4, but it's not done yet. The short answer, if it's not too cryptic, is to use the Plain Text mode to enter the vCard format manually. It's not complex, but it is a bit involved. If you can't find a good example of vCard structure, try the Wikipedia article (not something I say very often!) as a start, and if you can wait, I should have this reference article done sometime this weekend.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VCard You should be able to cut and paste the example structure into the Plain Text field, add any fields you want, and export successfully. If not, try again. 🙂
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Just to close out this thread (hopefully) with useful info — it is harder to find a good "diagnostic" QR code reader than I thought. The nature of the micro-industry just seems to prevent anyone from creating and then maintaining something that doesn't generate revenue. But for anyone who wants to look at the bare bones of a QR code's data, from the raw encoding string to the stripped and parsed data, and a few other useful bits (although not the error correction mode — that would be nice), this web tool seems to be trustworthy, stable and useful. It is basically orphaned and no longer updated, and there are comments that it and some possible device apps have trouble with some newer iterations of code, but it's the best we have, more or less: ZXing Decoder Online and a sample decode:
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Skillshare
skillshare.com › en › classes › create-a-digital-business-card-with-adobe-express › 1740716772
Create a Digital Business Card with Adobe Express | Tammy De Zilva | Skillshare
Adobe Express essentials · Creating Digital Business cards from both templates and from scratch · Generating a QR Code · Bonus: Creating vCard files for direct import of your contact details into others' phone contacts · What you'll create: Your very own digital business card ·
Rating: 4/4 ​ - ​ 10 votes
Find elsewhere
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Quickresponsecode
quickresponsecode.com › home › resources › adobe express qr code generator
Adobe Express QR Code Generator: Free Workflow Guide (2026)
May 30, 2026 - The quickest route is to generate the QR code at a free external tool like QuickResponseCode.com - pick your QR type, set colors, add a logo if needed, download as PNG - then open your Adobe Express project, click the Media icon in the left ...
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Adobe Support Community
community.adobe.com › t5 › indesign-discussions › business-card-qr-generator › td-p › 13707914
business card qr generator - Adobe Product Community - 13707914
April 7, 2023 - For business cards, there are 2 types of qr codes that you can generate: Business Card type and Plain Text using a vcard code, what type are you using?
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Adobe
adobe.com › express › templates › business-card › qr-code
Free Business Card With QR Code Templates | Adobe Express
Choose from dozens of online business card with qr code template ideas from Adobe Express to help you easily create your own free business card with qr code. All creative skill levels are welcome.
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QR Code Generator
qr-code-generator.com › home › solutions › vcard qr code
Free vCard QR Code Generator | QR Code Generator
March 20, 2026 - Use vCard QR Code generator to create virtual business cards for free. Customize it with your colors and add a logo. Create your free vCard QR Code now!
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Quora
quora.com › How-can-you-create-a-QR-code-for-your-business-card-using-Adobe-Illustrator-or-Adobe-InDesign
How to create a QR code for your business card using Adobe Illustrator or Adobe InDesign - Quora
Answer (1 of 2): Illustrator can download third party extension that can generate QR code within illustrator. InDesign do have its built in QR code generator. However, if you want to have custom QR code with number of different parameter easily, you might want to use external third party tool a...
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Adobe Support Community
community.adobe.com › home › app communities › illustrator › questions › creating a vcard code using qrcode maker in illustrator cc to add to address book on phone
Creating a Vcard Code using QRCode maker in Illustrator CC to add to address book on phone | Community
November 15, 2017 - You can of course copy & paste the vCard's source code and have that encoded, but then it's up to your app to recognize it and make sense of it. Depending on what other users use this may not work, anyway, so frankly I'd just tell my client to ditch the idea. There's no way to make it work reliably for every user. Welcome to the world of mobile madness. ... Illustrator used to have a business card function associated with the QRCode creator where did it go?
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Adobe
helpx.adobe.com › in › express › using › Generate-QR-code.html
Generate QR codes | Adobe Express
April 2, 2026 - Create custom QR codes effortlessly with Adobe Express. Learn how to generate QR codes for links with easy-to-follow steps. Perfect for business cards, flyers, and more!
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Softmatic
softmatic.com › manual › qridext
Create QR Codes in Adobe InDesign 2021
Follow the instructions here for ... in the store. Creating a QR code in InDesign works in four easy steps: Select the data content of the QR code: Text, URL, phone no., email address, VCard......
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Adobe Support Community
community.adobe.com › t5 › acrobat-discussions › vcard-qr-code-acrobat-pro › td-p › 14808445
Vcard qr code acrobat pro - Adobe Product Community - 14808445
August 20, 2024 - Un champ de texte (qrcode) contient les données requises pour une vcard : BEGIN :VCARD VERSION :3.0 TYPE :individual N ; CHARSET=UTF-8 :SA ;;; FN; CHARSET=UTF-8 :Th TEL ; TYPE=TRAVAIL,VOIX :+32 TEL ; TYPE=ACCUEIL,VOIX :+32 EMAIL ; TYPE=PREF,INTERNET :jjj@jjj FIN :VCARD · un champ code-barres utilisant les données du champ « QRCODE »