Why did my QR code stop working?

Check what your code points to

Scan the code with your phone camera and look at the address it shows before you open it.

• It shows your own website (for example yourcafe.com/menu). This is a static code. It cannot expire. If it fails, the problem is the page it points to, the print quality or the colors.
• It shows the QR company's address (a short link on the generator's domain). This is a dynamic code. Every scan passes through that company's server, and the company can switch it off.

Why dynamic codes get switched off

Many QR sites that advertise as free create dynamic codes by default. The code works during a trial, often 7 or 14 days. When the trial ends, the company stops redirecting scans, or sends them to a page asking you to subscribe. Plans commonly cost around $10 to $15 a month, usually billed yearly.

Because the pattern contains the company's address and not yours, you cannot move the code to another provider. Only that company can make the printed code work again.

Your options

1. Pay the company, at least for now. If thousands of items are already in circulation, this may be the cheapest short-term fix. While subscribed, change the destination to a page on your own website. Then, when you replace the printed codes, you will not have to change anything else.
2. Cover the old code. Print a new code on stickers and place them over the dead one. See how to replace a printed QR code.
3. Reprint with a code that cannot expire. Use a free static code if the destination will not change, or an editable code paid once ($19) if it might.

Other reasons a code fails to scan

• Too little contrast, or light code on a dark background. Dark on light works best.
• Printed too small. Aim for at least 2 cm (about 0.8 in) across, and larger for signs read from a distance.
• No white border. Codes need a clear margin around them.
• The destination page was moved or deleted.