1. A "free trial" ended (the most common reason)
Many QR code websites don't put your link in the code. They put their own link in it, which forwards people to yours. When the free trial ends, or a subscription is canceled or a payment fails, they stop forwarding. Your code then shows an error, an "expired" message, or a page asking you to upgrade.
How to check: scan the code with your phone camera and look at the link it shows before you tap it. If it's the QR company's website instead of yours, the code goes through them, and they can switch it off.
2. The page it points to moved or was deleted
The code may be fine but the link inside is broken: the website changed, a menu PDF was deleted, or a Google Drive or Dropbox file isn't shared with "anyone with the link" anymore. Open the link on your phone to see what loads.
3. It can't be read
Codes printed too small, faded in the sun, scratched, shiny, or with colors too close together can be hard for phones to read. Try scanning from closer, in better light, and with a second phone. Our size guide helps when you reprint.
4. Wi-Fi codes: the password changed
A Wi-Fi QR code holds the password itself. If the Wi-Fi password or network name changed, you need a new code.
Can I get my old code back?
If a QR company switched it off, only that company can switch it back on, usually by paying them. The link lives on their servers, so no one else can redirect it. Otherwise, the fix is a new code and a reprint.
How to make sure it never happens again
- If your link won't change: use a free static code. Your link is inside the code, so nobody can switch it off. Make one here, free, no sign-up.
- If you'll need to change the link later: use an editable code from a service that doesn't switch codes off. ScanSpot's keep working even if you stop paying.