Location QR code
The scan opens a map at one fixed point. A guest taps once and sees where to go, instead of copying an address into a search field and being routed to the wrong side of the building.
Create a location codeCoordinates or address, opens any map app
Editorial teamLast reviewed: 29 October 2026Editorial standards
Short answer
Use a maps link with the coordinates, latitude first and longitude second, with a decimal point. Five or six decimals are enough. A coordinates pin is more precise than a street address, which is the whole reason to use this type.
An address describes a street. A coordinate pair describes a point. For a festival site, a delivery ramp, a back entrance or a building inside a courtyard, that difference is the design.
The payload is a link, so it works in any browser and hands over to whichever map app the reader has.
What is in the code
A maps URL with a query of two decimals, for example https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=52.5200,13.4050. The latitude comes first, the longitude second, and both use a decimal point rather than a comma, because a comma is the separator between the two values.
This form is more portable than a geo: URI. The geo scheme is elegant and handled inconsistently: some browsers ignore it, some phones offer a choice of apps, and iOS has historically not supported it at all. An https link is opened everywhere.
- Latitude first, longitude second, decimal point as the separator
- Negative values for south and west, positive for north and east
- Five or six decimals is roughly a metre, more adds digits and no accuracy
- Check the pair on your own phone before the print run
Why the pin beats the address
Large plots, courtyards, industrial estates and shopping centres have addresses that resolve to a gate, a fence or a corner. A visitor who is sent to the wrong side of a building has to call, and the call costs more than the code did.
With a pin you place the point yourself: at the driveway, at the ramp, at the loading bay, at the entrance that is actually open on a Sunday. That is the value of this type, not convenience.
Where the pin should sit
Put the pin where the person has to arrive, not where the building is on a map. For a wedding, that is the car park entrance. For a delivery, it is the ramp. For a sports club, it is the gate that is unlocked.
If a site has several entrances and each is used by a different group, give each one its own code and label it. One code for everything is how guests end up at the staff door.
What it cannot do
It does not start navigation. It opens the map with the destination; the reader still has to press route and choose a mode. It also does not replace a written approach note where the access is genuinely complicated, one sentence about the second driveway saves more calls than any code.
It does not work underground or in a dead mobile signal. In a car park two floors down, the code is unreadable because nothing can load, so print the address as text as well.
Questions about location codes
Should I use coordinates or an address in the code?
Coordinates when the address is ambiguous or when the arrival point matters, an address when the place is easy to find by name. A maps link with a query works for both, since a query can be a text address too.
How do I get the coordinates?
In Google Maps or Apple Maps, press and hold on the exact spot, then copy the pair that appears. On a desktop, right click the point. No account is needed.
Why does the map open in the wrong place?
The two values were swapped, or a comma decimal was used. Swap them back, check that the first value is between -90 and 90, and test before printing.
How long does an outdoor location code last?
As long as the material and the target. Use a matte laminate or a metal plate rather than paper under foil, and keep the same coordinates if the entrance moves.