Creating Headstone QR Codes and Memorial Webpages for Your Loved Ones

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MemorialPics QR portrait product example
MemorialPics QR portrait, shown as a product example. Setup steps follow below.

A headstone QR code is a small square code that visitors scan with a phone camera to open an online memorial page for your loved one, with a biography, photos, and videos. With MemorialPics, the QR code comes on a picture you order, and you link it to a memorial page you create on memorialpics.com. Once the memorial's web address matches the unique number provided with your order, scanning the code opens that memorial page. Before ordering, check that the cemetery allows a QR code on the memorial.

How a headstone QR code works

A QR code stores a web address. When someone points a phone camera at it, the phone offers to open that address. The code on the picture does not change; it always points to the same address. What visitors see is the memorial page at that address, which you can edit and add to over time without changing the picture. Visitors need a phone with a camera and an internet connection, so a scan may not work where the cemetery has no signal.

Check with the cemetery first

A QR code picture is an attachment to the memorial, so the same rules apply as for any headstone picture. Some cemeteries limit additions or require approval of size, material, and placement, and some do not allow attachments at all. For example, the VA National Cemetery Administration's Directive 3425 prohibits objects attached to markers in the national cemeteries it administers. Ask your cemetery and get written approval. See cemetery rules for headstone pictures.

Setting up your QR memorial

Setup takes a few steps: order a picture with a QR code, create and get approval for your account on memorialpics.com, add a memorial, and change its link to match your order's unique number. The illustrated steps below this guide walk through each one with screenshots, starting with the memorial photos with QR codes you can order.

Test the code before and after installation

After you update the URL, scan the QR code on the picture with your own phone to make sure it opens the right memorial. Try it again at the cemetery after installation. If the code does not open your memorial, check that the URL ending exactly matches the unique number from your order, then contact MemorialPics.

What to put on the memorial page

  • Full name, dates, and a clear profile photo
  • A biography: where they grew up, work, service, faith, family, and what people loved about them
  • Photos and short videos from different times of life
  • Links to social media pages, if the family wants them shared

Remember that anyone who scans the code can see the page. Leave out private details such as home addresses or information you would not want strangers to read.

Keep your own copies

An online memorial depends on the website that hosts it. Keep your own copies of the photos, videos, and biography you upload, and if you have questions about how long a memorial page stays online, ask MemorialPics before you order.

Installing the QR code picture

Install the picture like any MemorialPics picture: on clean, dry, non-porous polished stone or smooth bronze, when outside and surface temperatures are at least 60°F, with a silicone caulk seal around the edge. Place it where visitors can reach it with a phone comfortably. See how to put a picture on a headstone.

Frequently asked questions

How do QR codes on headstones work?

The code stores a web address. Scanning it with a phone camera opens the online memorial page at that address, which you can edit over time.

Can I change the memorial page after the QR code is installed?

Yes. The code always points to the same address, and you can edit the biography, photos, and videos on the memorial page from your account.

My QR code does not open my memorial. What should I check?

Make sure the memorial's URL ending exactly matches the unique number provided with your order and that you clicked "Update URL." If it still does not work, contact MemorialPics.

Are QR codes allowed in every cemetery?

No. Each cemetery sets its own rules, and some do not allow attachments. Get written approval first.

Related guides

See the porcelain headstone photo guide, choosing the best photo, and the size guide.

Sources

Setup details come from the MemorialPics QR guide steps on this page and may change if the memorial site changes. Always confirm the rules with your cemetery.

How to Place a QR Code on a Headstone

STEP 1 - is to purchase a picture with a QR code if you haven't already done so. To purchase, please click on one of the options below.

STEP 2 - Once you've placed your order, please visit memorialpics.com and click "Log In." You will then be able to click "Sign Up" and fill out the form. You must sign up using the same email that was used to place your order.

We will then manually review your submission and approve your account. You will receive an email once the account is approved.

STEP 3 - Now you can login and click "Add New Memorial" to create a new memorial. You will be given the option to add the names, dates, and a profile picture for the memorial.

STEP 4 - Now that the memorial is created you must change the URL of the memorial to match the one for the QR code on the photo.

To do so you will go the the "Biography" tab and scroll down to "Memorial Link" and click "edit url." You then change the ending of the URL to the unique number that is provided with your order and click "Update URL."

Once you've done this the QR and the Memorial Page will be linked.

STEP 5 - You can now click "Edit Biography" in the Biography tab to add the story of your loved one and also add links to your loved one's social media pages.

STEP 6 - You can now head over to the "Gallery" tab where you can upload photos and videos of your loved ones.

And that's it! You now have a photo memorial with a QR code that links to an online memorial page for your loved one, where family and friends can visit to share in their memory.