Why did my QR code stop working?

First, find out which part stopped

Point a phone camera at the code and read the address it shows before you tap it. That one look tells you where the fault is.

• Nothing appears at all: the camera cannot read the pattern. The print is the problem, not the content.
• An address on a domain you do not recognise, usually a short one: the code is dynamic, and the company that owns that domain decides where it goes.
• Your own address, but the page shows an error or "not found": the code is fine and the page it points to has moved or been deleted.
• A page asking you to log in, upgrade, reactivate or pay, or one full of adverts: a dynamic code whose plan or trial has ended.

The most common cause: a dynamic code from a free trial

Many generators that advertise free QR codes make dynamic codes by default. A dynamic code does not hold your link. It holds a short address on the provider's own server, which forwards each scan to your link. That is what lets the destination be edited and scans counted, and it is also why the code depends on the provider for as long as it is printed.

When a trial ends or a subscription lapses, the provider can stop forwarding. Depending on the company, scans then land on a deactivation notice, a sign-up page or a page of adverts. Nothing about the printed code changes, so the first sign is usually a customer saying it does not work. If the provider closes down altogether, every code it ever issued stops at once.

The page it opens was moved or deleted

A code that opens your own address can outlive the page behind it. Common culprits are a website redesign that changed the URLs, a menu or price list uploaded again under a new file name, a closed form, a deleted social media post, and an event page taken down after the event.

This is the easiest case to fix, because the printed code is still correct. Put a page back at the old address, or set up a permanent (301) redirect from the old address to the new one, and every printed copy works again without reprinting anything.

The domain or short link lapsed

If the domain in the code was not renewed, the code now leads to an error, or to whoever registered the domain next. Renew it as soon as you notice, because an expired domain can be bought by anyone, including someone who wants your scans.

Codes made from a free link shortener carry the same risk as dynamic codes: the shortener can remove links it considers inactive, change its terms or shut down. The longer a code needs to last, the less it should depend on a service you do not control.

The print itself is the problem

If the camera shows nothing, look at the code itself. Sunlight fades dark modules until there is too little contrast to read. Glossy lamination throws glare, scratches and folds break the pattern, and a code wrapped round a bottle or a pole bends out of shape. A code that was always borderline, too small for the distance or printed in pale colours, can stop working as the print wears.

In public places, also check that the code is still yours. Stickers carrying a different code are sometimes pasted over genuine ones on parking meters, posters and menus to send people to a lookalike payment page. If the address the camera shows is not the one you printed, remove the sticker and warn your customers.

What you can fix without reprinting

How to make a code that will not stop working

• Use a static code. The content is stored in the pattern itself, so there is no server, no plan and nothing to expire.
• Point it at a domain you own rather than a provider's short link or a free shortener.
• If the content will change, such as a menu or an events list, link to one page on your own site and update that page. You keep the flexibility of a dynamic code without renting it.
• Scan the final artwork with two different phones before printing, and keep the SVG so you can reprint at any size.

Every code made on Any QR is static, with no account and no redirect in between. Make one with the QR code generator, or turn a whole spreadsheet of links into codes at once with the bulk generator.