HandyQRCode

QR code generator that doesn’t expire

Every code made here is static: your link or text is stored in the code itself, so it keeps working for as long as that link or text does. No account, no subscription, no trial that runs out.

Options

Description

Download

Logo in the middle

QR codes only. Your logo stays on your device.

Error correction switches to High so the code still scans. Test-scan one code before printing many.

Link tracking (UTM)
Printing

In the print dialog choose 100% / “Actual size” and turn off headers and footers. Print a test page on plain paper and hold it against a label sheet first.

Your code

What “never expires” means here

A QR code is a pattern that encodes data. A phone camera reads that data and acts on it: opens a link, joins a Wi-Fi network or saves a contact. The codes made on this page are static: the text you type is stored directly in the pattern, with no stop or redirect on our server in between. Nothing is activated by our service when you make the code, so there is nothing for us to switch off later.

  • No account and no sign-up. Type, download, done.
  • No subscription or trial. There is no plan to renew and no “free for 14 days”.
  • No scan limit imposed by this service. The code itself does not stop working after a certain number of scans. The destination may still have its own access limits or become unavailable.
  • No watermark and no forced logo. PNG and SVG downloads, ready to print.

Why some “free” QR codes stop working

Some QR code services offer dynamic codes. A dynamic code doesn’t contain your destination link directly. It contains a short link to the provider’s server, which forwards each scan to your page. That forwarding is useful: you can change the destination after printing and the provider can count scans. But it only works while the provider keeps forwarding. If a trial ends, a plan is cancelled or the company closes, the short link may start showing a payment page, an ad or an error, and every printed menu, flyer and sign that uses it can stop working at once.

That condition may be mentioned only in the small print, which is why people search for “QR code stopped working” months after printing. Read the full comparison in static vs dynamic QR codes.

What can still break a static code

A static code does not expire, but the thing it points to can change. Before printing in quantity, consider these possibilities:

  • The web page moves or is deleted. The code still opens the old address and gets a “page not found”. Keep the address alive or redirect it.
  • The domain expires. If you stop renewing your domain, links on it stop working, including the ones in your codes.
  • A shared file loses its sharing. Links to a cloud document stop working if the file is deleted, moved to another account or set to private.
  • Wi-Fi details change. A Wi-Fi QR code contains the network name and password, so a new password needs a new code.
  • Contact details change. A contact card holds your number and email as they were when you made it.
  • Damage and print quality. A scratched, faded or too-small code is hard to read. See the QR code size guide.

Get the flexibility without a subscription

The main reason to pay for dynamic codes is being able to change the destination later. You can do that yourself:

  1. Use an address you own. Make the code point to something like yourshop.com/menu, not to a long link to a PDF or a document in someone else’s cloud.
  2. Change what is behind it. Update that page, or set up a redirect from it to wherever the content lives now. Most website builders and domain hosts let you add a redirect in a few clicks.
  3. Measure visits in your own analytics. Turn on “Link tracking (UTM)” in the options. Each code gets its own tags, so visits to your website from each QR code can appear in your analytics without a third-party redirect service.

A short address on your own domain also makes a smaller, less dense code that is usually easier to scan.

How to check whether a QR code is static

  • Scan it and read the address your phone shows before opening it. If it is your own website, or exactly the text you entered, the code is static. If it is a short link on a QR company’s domain, it is dynamic and depends on that company’s redirect service.
  • Try it on your computer with the QR code reader: upload a screenshot or image and see the content in plain text.
  • Look for an account requirement. If a service says you must log in or keep a plan active to keep codes working, those codes depend on its service and are likely dynamic.

How to make your code

  1. Paste your link or text into the box above. For Wi-Fi, contact cards, email, SMS and more, pick the matching page in the menu.
  2. Add a description if you want a line of text under the code.
  3. Download PNG (4× for print) or SVG, and test-scan one printed copy before printing many.

Need hundreds at once? Use the bulk QR code generator: the same static codes, made from a CSV file. Want to see what each type looks like first? Browse the QR code examples.

Frequently asked questions

Do QR codes expire?

A QR code itself does not expire: it is a pattern that stores data. What can expire is a forwarding service. Some generators put their own short link in the code, and when the subscription or trial ends, that link stops forwarding. Codes made here contain your content directly, so there is no forwarding service from us that can expire.

Is this QR code generator really free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, no subscription, no limit imposed by us on how many codes you make or how often they are scanned, and no watermark. You don’t pay for the codes, and they aren’t used to sell you a plan.

Why did my old QR code stop working?

Most likely it was a dynamic code from a service whose plan or trial ended, so its short link now shows a payment or error page. It could also be that the page the code points to was moved or deleted, or the domain expired. Scan it and look at the address to find out which.

Can I change where the code points later?

Not the code itself, because the content is part of the printed pattern. Point it to an address on your own website instead, such as yoursite.com/menu, and change or redirect that page whenever you need to.

Can I see how many people scanned it?

Not through us, because scans don’t pass through our server. Add UTM tags under “Link tracking” in the options and visits to your website from that QR code can show up in your own analytics, such as Google Analytics. Analytics may not record every scan.

How long will a static QR code work?

As long as its content remains valid: a link works while the page exists, a Wi-Fi code until you change the network name or password, and a contact card until your number or email changes. Phones will keep reading the code itself as long as QR code scanning remains supported.

Do I need to keep this website for my codes to work?

No. Once you have downloaded the PNG or SVG, the code works without HandyQRCode. Even if this site disappeared, the code itself would still contain the same data; links or other content inside it would still need to remain valid.

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