Do QR codes expire?

Why a static code can't expire

A QR code is a picture of some text. Scanning it turns the pattern back into that text: a web address, Wi-Fi details, a phone number. Nothing is looked up anywhere, and no company has to keep anything running. The QR format is an open ISO standard, so no one charges for it or can withdraw it.

So a static code keeps scanning for as long as the printed copy is readable. What can still go wrong:

• The website goes away. A code for yourshop.com/spring works only while that page exists. If you move or delete the page, the code leads to an error page.
• The details change. A Wi-Fi code stops joining once you change the password; a phone code dials the old number.
• The print wears out. Fading, scratches, water and sunlight can damage a code past what error correction can repair.

Why some QR codes stop working

Many QR sites make dynamic codes by default, sometimes without saying so clearly. A dynamic code holds an address on the service's domain. When someone scans it, the service forwards them to your real link.

That lets the service change where the code goes and count scans, which is useful. But your printed code now depends on that service:

• If a free trial ends or you stop paying, the forwarding may stop.
• If the service closes or changes its terms, the code can break.
• You can't move the code to another provider, because the address inside it belongs to them.

That's why people find menus, posters or packaging that suddenly lead to "this QR code is inactive". The pattern is fine; the forwarding behind it was switched off.

How to tell which kind you have

Scan the code and read the address your phone shows before you tap it:

• It shows your real address (your website, your Wi-Fi network, your number): it's static and won't expire.
• It shows a short address on a QR company's domain, which then forwards you: it's dynamic and depends on that company.

If you made the code on a site that asked you to sign up or start a trial, check that site's terms for what happens when it ends.

Make a QR code that lasts

1. Make it static. The generator below makes static codes only. They're drawn in your browser, there's no account, and nothing can be switched off later.
2. Point it at an address you control. Use your own domain or a page you own, not a link that might change. If you want to change what people see later without reprinting, change the page, not the code. A Liite page at liite.co/yourname works this way.
3. Keep the address short. Shorter content means a simpler code that's easier to scan at small sizes.
4. Print it well. High contrast, a clear white border and a size suited to the distance. See minimum QR code size.
5. Test it on paper. Print one copy and scan it with a couple of phones before you order hundreds. How to test a QR code has a checklist.

Can you turn a dynamic code into a static one?

Not the printed copy: its pattern holds the service's address and can't be edited. You can make a new static code for the real destination and replace the old prints. While the old code still forwards, scan it to note where it goes, so you don't lose the address.

Related guides

• How do QR codes work?
• How to scan a QR code
• QR codes in marketing and advertising