Do QR Codes Expire? What Can Stop a Code Working

A QR code is a pattern of squares that holds some information. The pattern itself doesn’t have a timer or an expiry date. Whether a code keeps working depends on what’s inside it and what that content points to.

Static QR codes don’t expire

A static QR code stores your content directly. A code for a web page holds the full web address. A WiFi code holds the network name and password. A contact card code holds the name, phone number and email.

Nothing sits between the code and the phone that scans it, so there’s nothing that can switch off. A static code printed today will still scan in ten years, as long as the print is clean and undamaged.

Every code you make on KeptLink is static. The content is inside the code and doesn’t pass through KeptLink, so it keeps working even if KeptLink disappeared.

What can break a static code

The code keeps scanning, but the content inside it can go out of date. These are the usual causes:

• The web page moves or disappears. If you redesign your site and the old address shows an error, the code leads nowhere useful.
• You change your WiFi password. A WiFi code holds the old password, so phones will fail to join.
• Your phone number or email changes. A phone, SMS, email or contact card code keeps offering the old details.
• The domain lapses. If you let your website’s domain expire, every code pointing to it stops working.
• The print gets damaged. Fading, scratches, dirt or a sticker over part of the code can make it hard to scan. Our guide on codes that won’t scan covers the fixes.

Dynamic codes depend on the service

A dynamic QR code doesn’t hold your destination. It holds a short link owned by the service that made it, and that service redirects people to your page.

This lets you change the destination later, but it also means the code only works while the service keeps that link running. With some services, dynamic codes stop working, or show a different page, when a free trial ends, a subscription lapses or an account is closed. If the service itself shuts down, the codes can stop too.

That doesn’t make dynamic codes a bad choice. It means you should know the rules before you print. Look for what happens to your codes if you stop paying, and whether you can move them elsewhere. Our guide to static vs dynamic QR codes explains when each type makes sense.

How to check a code before you print

A few minutes of checking can save a reprint:

1. Scan it with your phone camera and read the preview before tapping. Make sure it’s the address or details you expect.
2. Look at the domain. Your own website address means the code points straight there. A short link on a domain you don’t recognize means it depends on a redirect service.
3. Open it and check the page loads, on both WiFi and mobile data.
4. For WiFi codes, join the network with a phone that hasn’t connected before.
5. For contact cards, save the contact and check every field came through.

Make codes that last

A little planning keeps codes useful for years:

• Point web codes at an address you’ll keep, like yourshop.com/menu, and update that page instead of creating new ones.
• If a page has to move, set up a redirect on your website from the old address.
• Use a guest WiFi network with a password you don’t plan to change, and see our WiFi QR code guide for setup tips.
• Print with SVG or PDF files so the edges stay sharp, and place codes where they won’t get scuffed or faded.