Point a camera at a song and play it on Spotify
Paste a track, playlist, album or artist link and this makes a code that opens it in the Spotify app, or the web player if the app isn't installed. Put it on a poster, a wedding sign or product packaging and people press play without searching the title.
Spotify already has its own scannable Spotify Codes, but those only scan from inside the Spotify app's own scanner. A standard QR code opens from any phone's plain camera — the difference that matters the moment your code is on paper in front of a stranger.
Fill the form to generate a QR code
Spotify Codes versus a QR code
The waveform-style Spotify Code you see in the app is not a QR code and can only be read by Spotify's built-in scanner, with the app already open. If your audience has to launch Spotify first, half of them won't bother.
A QR code opens from the native camera on any phone, then hands off to Spotify. For anything printed for a general crowd, the QR is the more reliable door.
Track, playlist, album or artist
Grab the share link for exactly the level you want — one track to feature a single song, a playlist for a mood or event, an album for a release, or an artist page to grow followers. Each opens straight to that view in Spotify.
For an event like a wedding or a shop, a playlist is usually the winner: it keeps playing rather than stopping after one song.
How the app opens
On a phone with Spotify installed, the link deep-links into the app and starts on the track or playlist you chose; without the app it opens the Spotify web player, which can preview and prompt an install or login. Free-tier listeners may hit shuffle or ad limits — that's Spotify's account behaviour, not the code, so don't promise gapless on-demand play to everyone.
How to make a Spotify code
- Copy the share link. In Spotify, use Share then Copy Link on the track, playlist, album or artist, and paste it into the url field. Don't paste the Spotify URI (spotify:track:...) — use the https link.
- Pick the right level. Decide track, playlist, album or artist before copying. A playlist keeps playing; a single track stops after one song.
- Test the open. Scan it and confirm Spotify opens on the correct item, not a search result.
- Export for the surface. SVG for a printed poster or sign, PNG for a story or digital cover.
Technical details
- Maximum characters: 2953
- Recommended error correction: M (medium) — a Spotify share link is short, so medium recovery keeps a printed code light and easy to scan.
- Payload is a plain https open.spotify.com link, not a Spotify Code or URI.
- Deep-linking into the app is handled by Spotify's link rules, not the QR code.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this the same as a Spotify Code?
- No. A Spotify Code only scans inside the Spotify app's own scanner. This is a standard QR code that any phone camera reads, then opens Spotify. For printed material seen by a general audience, the QR is far more reliable.
- Can I link a whole playlist instead of one song?
- Yes. Copy the playlist's share link and paste it in. A playlist is ideal for events and shops because it keeps playing, whereas a single-track link stops after that one song ends.
- Will it open the Spotify app or the web player?
- Both. With the app installed the link deep-links into it and starts your track or playlist; without it, the Spotify web player opens with a preview and install prompt. You don't have to tell scanners which to use.
- Do listeners need Spotify Premium to play it?
- No, but the experience differs. Premium users get full on-demand play; free users may face shuffle, ads or skip limits set by Spotify. The code just opens the item — playback rules come from the listener's own account.
- Should I paste the URL or the Spotify URI?
- Paste the https share link, not the spotify:track: URI. The URI may not open reliably from a scan across all phones, while the web link deep-links cleanly into the app when installed and falls back to the web player otherwise.
- Does the code stop working if I edit the playlist?
- No. The code holds the playlist's link, so adding or removing songs is fine — the code still opens the same playlist. It only breaks if you delete the playlist or make it private, since then the link has nothing to open.