# Version information

> Version information is an 18-bit block present only in QR codes of version 7 and above, recording the code's size. Smaller codes do not need it because the decoder can count modules directly.

Source: https://useqr.app/glossary/version-information · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, MIT licensed, no signup.

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## Structure

6 data bits for the version number plus 12 Golay error-correction bits, stored twice — once
near the top-right finder pattern and once near the bottom-left.

## Why only version 7 and up

For a small code, counting the modules between finder patterns is unambiguous. As codes get
larger, accumulated sampling error makes a miscount plausible, so the version is stated
explicitly.

The threshold at version 7 (45 × 45 modules) is a spec decision, not a physical boundary.