QR code asset tags that open the SharePoint list row

Short answer: to make a QR code for a SharePoint list item, open the item, select Copy link, then open that link in Microsoft Edge, right-click a blank area and choose "Create QR code for this page". Download the PNG and print it as that asset's label. Each label holds the web link to that asset's row, so a phone camera opens the row showing the owner, location and status. This guide shows the steps, a way to print the labels, and the limits you should know before you start.

This guide is about the label on the item. For the register itself, see "How to set up an asset register in SharePoint". That guide says a list is not a barcode system, and that is still true here. A QR label is a link, not a scanner feed. If you want one code that opens a checkout form from a shelf, see "Equipment checkout with no record: how to track who has what". That is one code for many items. This guide is one code per item.

What this gives you

Picture a laptop in a cupboard with a label on the lid. Someone finds it and wants to know whose it is. Today they ask around. With a QR label they point a phone at it and see the row: owner, location, status, notes. They can fix a wrong location on the spot.

Good uses:

Finding who owns an item.
Checking the status of an item you are holding.
Updating the location or status where the item sits.
Telling a new team member what a piece of equipment is.

What this cannot do

Be clear on this before you print anything.

A phone camera opens the link. It does not scan into a field. The code does not type anything into a column, and it does not check an item in or out by itself. Scanning to fill a field needs a different kind of app.
People need access to the site. If a person cannot open your list, the code takes them to a page that says they have no access. Check that the people who will scan have at least read access. If you are not sure how access is set, check with your admin.
The code is only a link. If the item moves to another list or site, the old link may stop working. The code does not follow it.

Before you start

You need a working asset list with one row per asset and an asset tag column. If you do not have one yet, build it first using "How to set up an asset register in SharePoint".

Check the Title column. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: rename it Asset name so it holds the main label, because the Title is what you see first when the row opens.

Also decide what the label will say in words. A QR code alone tells a person nothing. One way to start is to print the asset tag, such as AT-0007, in large type beside the code.

Step 1. Copy the link to the row

Open your asset list in a browser.
Select the row for one asset.
Select Copy link. Microsoft's page says: "To share a list item, select the list item you want to share, and then select Copy link."
To choose who the link works for, select Settings, pick an option, then select Apply and Copy. Microsoft's page says: "When you're ready to send the link, select Copy and paste the link where ever you want to send it."

The link is the address your QR code will hold. Choose the access option with care: a link set to "People you choose" works only for those people, as the page describes.

A Microsoft Q&A answer from 2020 shows another pattern, adding DispForm.aspx?ID= and the row number to the list address, and the same thread reports that this may open a classic page with values missing. Do not build the link by hand. Use Copy link and test it as shown in Step 3.

If the row opens in a side panel, open it in its own page first, then copy the link.

Step 2. Make the QR code in Edge

Microsoft Edge has a built-in feature for this. Microsoft's Edge page describes these steps:

Open the copied link in Edge.
Right-click a blank area of the webpage and choose "Create QR code for this page".
Download the code as a PNG image that you can email or print.

Microsoft says features, functionality and availability may vary by region, so the exact names may differ in your version. The code holds the page address, so it is only as good as the address you were on when you made it.

Save the image with the asset tag as the file name, for example AT-0007.png. Keep all images in one folder so you can find them later.

On your screen you should see a square black and white code with a Download option beside it.

Step 3. Test the code before you print

Open the saved image on a screen.
Point a phone camera at it. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: if your camera does not offer the link, use a QR reader app.
Open the link that appears.
Check that the right row opens, that it shows the right asset, and that you can see the columns you need.
Ask one person who is not a site owner to try it. If they get an access message, fix their access before you print.

If the wrong row opens, the address you copied was for a different item. Go back to Step 1.

Step 4. Print and attach the labels

This is one way to start. Your own supplies may differ.

Put the QR image and the asset tag text on a page. A table in a word processor works, one cell per label.
Print a test sheet on plain paper and try scanning it from the distance you expect people to stand.
Make the code large enough to scan easily. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: start with a code the size of a postage stamp, then test and adjust.
When it scans well, print on label stock that suits the item. A laptop lid and a dusty workshop tool need different labels.
Stick the label in a spot that stays clean and is easy to reach. Avoid curved edges and seams.

Cover the label with clear tape or buy durable label stock if the item is handled a lot. Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: test a label after a week of real use before you print labels for the whole group.

Step 5. Record that the label exists

Add a column to the list so you know which assets already have a label. One way to start is a Yes/No column named "Labelled". Then make a view that shows rows where it is No. That view is your to-do list for the next labelling session. To keep it simple, use Yes/No and the "is equal to" filter.

Keep the labels working

Do not rename or move the list without testing a label afterwards. A move can change the address.
Keep the asset tag in the row. If a label is damaged, you can find the row by tag and make a new code.
When an asset is retired, set Status to Retired and keep the row. The label then still opens a row that says what happened to it.
Our advice, not a Microsoft rule: re-test one label each quarter. Pick one at random and scan it.

What to avoid

Do not print a whole batch before you test one. A wrong link on fifty labels is a lot of waste.
Do not use a code with no words beside it. If the link fails, a person needs the asset tag to find the row.
Do not put private information in the row on the assumption that only the people who scan will see it. Anyone with access to the list can open it.
Do not give everyone Edit access just so scanning works. Read access is enough to look. Give Edit to people who must update rows.
Do not expect the code to check items in or out. It opens a row and nothing more.
Do not make the link by typing it. Use Copy link.

Honest limits

A QR label is a cheap, small step. It saves the walk to a desk and the question "whose is this?". It does not give you stock counts, scan history or alerts. If you need those, you need a system built for scanning, and you should look at it as a separate project. Start with one category of asset, such as laptops, label them, and see if people use the codes. If they do, add the next group.

When to get help

You can build all of this yourself in Microsoft 365. If you would rather have it built and tested for your team, I do that. A tracker like this is a fixed price: $5,000 for one, built in 2 weeks. See "What a SharePoint tracker costs to build". Bring one example of the problem to a free call.

Tell me what's still manual

I am Al Davies. I run 250 High Street LLC and build SharePoint trackers and Power Automate flows for operations teams. I work remotely. The first call is free, and I will not try to sell you anything.

See trackers I built: Tools I built

FAQ

How do I create a QR code for a SharePoint list item?

Select the item, then Copy link. Open the link in Microsoft Edge, right-click a blank area, choose "Create QR code for this page" and download the PNG.

Do I need special software to make the QR codes?

Not for the codes. Microsoft Edge has the feature "Create QR code for this page". Microsoft says availability may vary by region.

Can the phone scan the code straight into a column?

No. A phone camera opens the link. It does not type anything into a field. Scanning into a field needs a different kind of app.

Who can open the row when they scan?

Microsoft's sharing page says the link works for the audience you set, such as people in your organization, people with existing access or people you choose. If someone gets an access message, change their access, not the code.

What if the list is moved?

The old link may stop working. Test a label after any move, and keep the asset tag in the row so you can make a new code.