# QR codes on livestream overlays

> A stream viewer scans from 50 cm to a metre away with a second device, so 180–300 px on a 1080p canvas is right. Keep the code static and out of the region where chat and alerts appear.

Source: https://useqr.app/qr-codes-on/livestreams · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, MIT licensed, no signup.

---

| Typical scan distance | **50 cm–1 m** |
|---|---|
| Minimum code width | **180–300 px** |
| Error correction | **M** |

## Bitrate is the enemy

Live encoders at 3–6 Mbit/s allocate bits to motion. A QR code sitting over a busy gameplay
scene gets starved and blocks up. Two fixes: place the code over a **static** region of the
layout — a solid panel, a border area — and keep the payload short so modules are large.

## Where to put it

Not in the lower third (alerts), not in the corner where the chat overlay sits, not under
the webcam frame. A dedicated panel in the layout that is always a flat colour is the right
home.

## Hold it up

A code that appears for five seconds during an alert will not be scanned. Either leave it in
the layout permanently, or bring it up deliberately and talk over it for twenty seconds.

## Scenes

If you switch scenes, the code must exist in every scene where you might mention it —
otherwise you point at a code that is not on screen.

## Say the URL

Streaming audiences are often listening rather than watching. A memorable short URL, spoken
and printed, reaches people whose eyes are elsewhere.

## Try it

- https://useqr.app/url
- https://useqr.app/size-calculator
- https://useqr.app/validate