What Is a Cloud QR Code?
"Cloud QR code" isn't a distinct code format — it almost always describes a QR code that links to content stored in the cloud, like a shared Google Drive file, a cloud photo album, or a cloud-hosted document, rather than a special technical variant.
Any QR code that encodes a cloud storage link (Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, etc.) works exactly the same as one linking to any other URL — the "cloud" part describes what's on the other end of the link, not anything different about how the code itself is built or scanned.
A related but separate meaning worth knowing: some QR platforms use "cloud" to describe a dynamic QR code whose destination is managed through an online (cloud-hosted) dashboard, letting the owner log in and change where the code redirects at any time. In that context, "cloud" is really describing the dynamic/redirect model (see Dynamic QR Code) rather than anything about the linked content itself.
Practically, a QR code linking to a shared cloud file works exactly like linking to any other webpage: scanning opens the sharing link in a browser or the relevant app, subject to whatever access permissions were set on that file or folder (public, link-only, or restricted to specific accounts). The QR code itself has no awareness of or control over those permissions, they're entirely a property of the cloud service's sharing settings.
This is a common way to share a photo album, a shared document, or a folder of files at an event or in print, generate a QR code from the cloud service's own shareable link, and anyone scanning it lands directly on that shared content, without needing to know or type a long URL.