How to change a QR code's link after printing

You've printed the menus, and the link on the QR code is wrong, or the page has moved. Whether you can fix it without reprinting depends on what kind of code it is. Here's how to tell, and what to do in each case.

First, find out what kind of code you have

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

• If it shows a short link from the service that made it, such as ovbq.com/BCD234, it's probably an editable code. The code holds the short link, and the service sends people on to your page. You can change that page.
• If it shows your page's own address, such as yoursite.com/menu, it's a fixed code. The link is written into the pattern itself, and nobody can change it.

You can only change an editable code on the service that made it, and only from the account that owns it.

Editable code on ovbq: change the link, keep the print

1. Sign in and open the code from your dashboard.
2. Under Where it goes, paste the link to the new page into Destination link.
3. Choose Save new link.

Saving a new destination updates the link behind every printed copy. Saved pauses and access restrictions still apply. The short link inside the code doesn't change, so the files you downloaded and the copies you printed stay good. The code keeps its scan history.

If the code is paused because your plan ended, you can't change its link until your plan has room for it again. People who scan it see a notice; any continue action follows the code's access restrictions. Exceptions are listed in Terms section 13.

Fixed code, but it opens your own website: forward the page

If the code opens a page on your own website, you can't change the code, but you can change what that address does. Ask whoever runs your site to set up a redirect from the old address to the new page. The printed code then lands on the new page. Keep the old address working for as long as the prints are out there.

Fixed code, and it's not your site: cover it or reprint

If the code points to a page you don't control, the code can't be fixed. You have two choices:

• Cover it. Print a sticker with a new code and put it over the old one. Cover the old code completely, border included, so phones don't read the old one through or around it.
• Reprint. If you reprint, use an editable code this time.

Next time, print an editable code

An editable code is the one to use on anything that's printed and stays up: menus, signs, flyers, packaging. With a free account, you get 2 editable codes. Pro gives you 50 and Business 500. To change the number behind a WhatsApp code, point an editable code at your WhatsApp link.

If you stop paying, after the 30-day grace period, your 2 oldest website-link codes stay on Free, live or paused as you left them. Other codes show a notice; any continue action follows the code's access restrictions. Exceptions are listed in Terms section 13. See what happens if you stop paying.

Related: Static or editable QR code? · Why a QR code stops working

More guides

Set a shared password to ask before protected content opens through the code.

Use rules for different links to choose a destination for a Website link code on Business.