Basics
Do QR codes expire? What really makes a code stop working
A QR code has no built-in expiry date. When a code stops working, the cause is almost always the service behind it, not the code itself.
Updated · 5 min read
No, a QR code itself never expires. A static QR code stores your link or text directly in the pattern, so it scans for as long as the print survives. A dynamic QR code is different: it points to a short link run by a service, and it stops working if that service switches the link off. When people say a QR code has expired, it is almost always a dynamic code whose trial, subscription or account has ended.
How does a QR code store information?
A QR code stores its data inside the pattern itself, as a grid of dark and light squares called modules. The pattern follows an international standard, ISO/IEC 18004, and any phone camera can decode it without an internet connection. Nothing in the standard includes an expiry date, a licence check or a way to switch a code off.
What the code contains decides whether it can break. There are two kinds.
- Static codes hold the final content: a full web address, a WiFi password, a phone number or plain text, each written in a common content format that phones recognise. Scan one and the phone acts on that content directly.
- Dynamic codes hold a short redirect link owned by a QR service. Scan one and the phone visits the service first, which then forwards it to the real destination.
A static code has no middleman, so there is nothing to switch off. A dynamic code depends on the service staying online and choosing to keep forwarding your scans.
Why do dynamic QR codes stop working?
Dynamic QR codes stop working when the service behind their redirect stops forwarding scans. They are useful, because you can change where they point after printing and see how often they are scanned. But the redirect lives on someone else's server, and that creates several ways for a printed code to go dead.
- The subscription ends. Some services deactivate codes when a trial or subscription ends. The printed code still scans, but it lands on an error page, a sales page or an upgrade prompt.
- A free trial runs out. Some generators look free, but the codes they make are dynamic and only work during a trial period. Many people find this out weeks later, after the print run.
- The account is closed. If you or a former colleague deletes the account, the short links usually go with it.
- The service shuts down. If the company behind the short domain stops operating, every code using that domain stops forwarding.
- A custom domain lapses. If your dynamic codes use your own short domain and the registration is not renewed, scans stop resolving.
- The destination breaks. Even a static code fails in practice if it points to a web page that has been moved or deleted. The code works. The page does not.
In each case the ink on the poster is fine. The problem is the link behind it.
How can you tell if a QR code will stop working?
Check whether the code is static or dynamic, then check the plan behind it. You can usually tell what kind of code you have in under a minute.
- Scan the code with your phone camera and read the preview before you tap. If it shows your own website address, the code is probably static.
- If the preview shows a short link on a domain you do not recognise, the code is dynamic and depends on that service.
- Log in to the service that made it and check your plan. Look for words like trial, renewal date or code limit.
- Read the provider's terms for what happens to codes when you cancel or stop paying. If the terms do not say, ask before you print in volume.
- Scan a sample of your printed codes every few months, especially ones on long-lived materials like signs, packaging and menus.
How to avoid QR codes that stop working
Match the type of code to how long the print needs to last and whether the destination will change.
- Use a static code when the content will not change. A home WiFi network, a contact card or the address of your main website are good candidates. Our free QR code generator makes static codes with no sign-up and no watermark, and they never expire.
- Use a dynamic code when the destination will change. Menus, event pages and property listings change often. A dynamic code lets you update the link without reprinting.
- Check the cancellation policy before you print. This matters more than the monthly price. A cheap plan that switches off your codes when you cancel can cost you a full reprint.
- Point static codes at pages you control. Link to a stable page on your own domain, and set up a redirect yourself if the content moves.
- Keep a record of every code you print. Note where it is, what it points to and which account owns it, so a staff change does not leave it stranded.
What happens to EndureQR codes if you cancel
EndureQR was built around this problem. Free codes from the generator are static and never expire. Paid dynamic codes add the things people choose dynamic codes for: editing the destination after printing, scan analytics by city, device and time of day, smart redirects for iPhone and Android, and the option to pause a code with a friendly page.
If you cancel a paid plan, your dynamic codes keep working. Scans continue to reach the last destination you set. Editing and new analytics pause until you resume a plan, but nobody holding your menu or flyer hits a dead end. Pro costs $29 a year or $3.99 a month, and Lifetime is $79 once. See pricing for the details.