The tool says my content is too large for a QR code. How do I fix it?

What the error message means

The message appears in the QR code generator where the code would be, and gives three figures: the size of your content in bytes, the level you chose, and that level's maximum. For example, 700 Arabic letters in a row take 1,400 bytes, so at level H the tool says the content is 1,400 bytes, more than a QR code holds at level H (1,273 bytes). These limits come from the QR specification for the largest possible symbol, so no other tool gets past them with a standard code.

The three fixes, with figures

1. Lower the level: the same 1,400 bytes are accepted at Q, giving a symbol 165 modules wide, and at M, 141 modules wide. That only suits a code on a screen or clean paper, since a lower level survives less damage.
2. Shorten the text: the maximum is roughly 636 Arabic letters in a row at H, 831 at Q and 1,165 at M, and spaces are cheaper at one byte each. Use the Word and character counter to see the bytes while you trim.
3. Use a link instead of the text: 1,200 Arabic letters take 2,400 bytes, which is refused at M, Q and H and accepted only at L, as a symbol 161 modules wide. A link to a page holding the same text takes twenty or thirty bytes.

Why being accepted is not enough

The tool accepting the content does not make the code practical. A symbol 141 or 165 modules wide has to be printed very large for its squares to show, and many phones will struggle to read it from a normal distance. As a rule, if you are close to the limit, that is a sign the content belongs on a web page, not in the code.

Common cases that hit the limit

• Full warranty terms or a returns policy inside a code on the box.
• Long Arabic usage instructions with diacritics, where each mark is two more bytes.
• A prepared email with a long body, because encoding Arabic letters in a link multiplies their length several times.