QR code stopped working? Here is why

A printed QR code stops working for one of three reasons: the page it opens has gone, the service behind it switched it off, or the print itself cannot be read. Which one it is decides the fix.

Printing it?

That code can never be changed

The link is baked into the pattern. If the page moves or the offer behind it ends, every poster you printed points at a dead URL and the only fix is reprinting them.

A dynamic code points at us instead, so you can change where it goes whenever you like — and see how many people scanned it.

$5.90/month

or $49 a year — save 30%. 7-day free trial, no payment details needed.

Start the free trial

Find out which kind of code you have

Scan it and read the link your phone shows before you tap it. That link tells you most of what you need.

The link is your own website. The code is static: the address is printed into the pattern itself, and no service sits in between. The code is fine. The page is not. Maybe the site was rebuilt, or a file was renamed. You can usually fix this without reprinting: put the page back at that address, or ask whoever runs your site to redirect the old address to the new one.

The link is on a QR code company's domain. The code is dynamic. Every scan goes through that company first, and it has stopped sending people on. Often this is a free trial that ended, on a code that was never described as a trial code. Only that company can turn it back on, usually by taking payment. If you would rather not pay them, the code has to be reprinted.

The phone shows no link at all. Then the print is the problem: too small, cropped at the edge, light on dark, or on a glossy surface that catches the light. Try another phone first.

How to make sure the next one keeps working

If the link will stay put, print a static code. The generator at the top of this page makes one without an account. Scans never touch us, so we cannot switch it off, and nobody else can either. It works for as long as the page it opens is there.

If the link might move, print a dynamic code, so the next move is a change in your account instead of a reprint. Know what you are signing up for, though, because a dynamic code from us depends on us too. If you stop paying, it stops resolving 7 days after your paid period ends, the same way the code you are holding did. The difference is that we tell you now, before you print.

Static QR code Dynamic QR code
Change the link after printing No. The link is part of the pattern. Yes, as often as you like.
Scan tracking None. Scans never reach us. Count, country, device and browser.
Cost Free, for good. $49 a year or $5.90 a month, after a 7-day free trial.
Needs an account No. Yes. The trial needs no card.

How it works

  1. Create. Make a dynamic code and point it at the page that works today.
  2. Print. Download the SVG and print it at a size that scans from where people will stand.
  3. Update anytime. Next time the page moves, change the link in your account. The code you printed carries on.

What it costs

Static codes are free, with no account. Dynamic codes cost $49 a year, which saves 30% against paying monthly, or $5.90 a month. We recommend yearly. Tax is included. Every account starts with a 7-day free trial that needs no payment details, and a subscription covers 5 dynamic codes. Cancel anytime and keep access to the end of the period you paid for.

If you stop paying, your dynamic codes stop resolving once the paid period and a further 7 days of grace have passed. Nothing is deleted: the codes, their links and their scan history stay in your account, and every code starts working the moment you subscribe again. Static codes never depend on us. They keep working as long as the page they point to does. We never switch one off, but we cannot bring back a page that has gone.

See the full pricing

Questions

Can a QR code stop working on its own?

No. The pattern is just a link drawn in squares, and it does not wear out or run down. When a code that used to work stops, something behind it changed: the page it opens was moved or taken down, or the service it runs through stopped sending scans on. The other cause is physical, such as a faded, scratched or badly reprinted code.

Why does my QR code open a page asking me to upgrade?

Because it is a dynamic code and nobody is paying for the account it belongs to any more, most often after a free trial ran out. The person scanning cannot fix that. Whoever made the code can, by paying that service or by printing a new code. Our own inactive codes show a plain notice instead, and never ask a stranger to pay.

Do static QR codes expire?

Never. A static code keeps working with or without an account, whether or not you ever subscribe, and whether or not we are still here. Scanning one does not contact us, so there is nothing for us to switch off.

What happens to my codes if I stop paying?

Your static codes are untouched. They never depended on us, and they keep working as long as the page they point to is there.

Your dynamic codes stop redirecting. Anyone who scans one sees a plain notice that the code is not active — they are not shown a bill or asked to pay anything, because they are a stranger who scanned a poster. Your codes, their destinations and all of your past analytics are kept, and every code starts resolving again the moment you subscribe.

A failed renewal is not instant either. We add 7 days on the end of a paid period, so a card that needs replacing does not darken everything you have already printed while your bank retries it.

Need to change the link later?

7 days free, no card needed. Make a dynamic code and edit it whenever you like.

Start the free trial

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