Do QR codes expire? A free code that never does
Some QR codes never expire. Fixed and editable codes behave differently after printing.
Already printed one that stopped? Fix a QR code that stopped working.
Trial ending somewhere else? What to check first
The short answer
A fixed QR code never expires. It holds your link, Wi-Fi details or contact card in the pattern and works as long as the print lasts. The page it opens can still disappear.
An editable code can stop working, because it needs a service to send people on. Whether it stops depends on that service's rules.
Why a fixed code can't expire
A fixed code's content is read directly from the print: no account, server or company in the middle. The code still works if the site that made it disappears.
Our free QR code maker needs no sign-up or email. We don't save what you type, so there's nothing to switch off later. It makes fixed codes for a website link, Wi-Fi, contact card and more.
Colors and a logo are free too.
When an editable code can stop
An editable code holds a short link, so it only works while the service behind it keeps that link switched on. Some QR services stop a code when:
- a free trial ends, often after a week or two;
- a scan limit is reached;
- you stop paying.
That's no reason to avoid editable codes. They let you change the page after printing, which can save a reprint. It's a reason to read the rules before you print.
How to tell what a "free" generator gave you
Scan the code and look at the link your phone shows before you open it.
- It shows your own page, like yourcafe.com/menu: it's a fixed code, and it won't expire.
- It shows a short link on the generator's own domain: it's editable. Check that service's rules for trials, scan limits and canceling.
- You signed up for a trial to make it: assume it's editable until you've checked.
A fixed Wi-Fi code shows the network name, and a fixed contact card shows the contact. Neither one has a link in the middle.
Make a code that never expires
- Open our free QR code maker. There's no account to create.
- Pick what it opens and fill in the form.
- Use the checker beside the preview to set the print size.
- Download the PNG, SVG, PDF or EPS.
That code is yours. It works with or without ovbq.
Free editable codes, with no end date
If you might need to change the link later, a free ovbq account gives you 2 editable codes. Free is not a trial, and it has no end date. Your editable codes have no trial end date. Saved pauses and access restrictions still apply, as do the exceptions in Terms section 13.
The Free plan counts the first 1,000 scans each month. At the limit, counting stops until next month; your code is not switched off. Saved pauses and access restrictions still apply.
If your paid plan ends, 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.
Questions
Can a fixed code ever stop working?
Only if the page it opens goes away, or the print gets damaged. A Wi-Fi code also stops working if you change the network name or password. More on Wi-Fi codes.
Can I turn a fixed code into an editable one?
No, because the content is printed into the pattern. Make an editable code and print it in its place. Static and editable codes, compared.
What if my old code already stopped working?
Here's how to find out why, and fix it.
Make one that lasts
The free maker needs no account and no email, and its fixed codes work with or without us.