How to make a Wi-Fi QR code

What is a Wi-Fi QR code?

A Wi-Fi QR code is a standard QR code that stores your network name (SSID), password and security type as a short piece of text. When a phone scans it, the camera offers a one-tap “Join network” prompt — the phone fills in the password for you. It works on iPhone (iOS 11+) and Android (10+) straight from the camera, with no special app. Because the credentials are baked into the pattern itself, the code works offline and forever; nothing is fetched from the internet to read it.

Under the hood it encodes a short string in the WIFI: format that phones recognise. The QR standard, ISO/IEC 18004, defines how that string becomes the pattern of squares; the WIFI: grammar itself is a de-facto convention from the scanner libraries, not part of the standard. You don’t need either to use the tool above, but the format is below, because escaping it correctly is what makes a code actually scan.

How to create a Wi-Fi QR code

Which security type: WPA, WEP or none?

Choose WPA for almost every network: the phone reads that one token as WPA, WPA2 or WPA3 with a password. It must match how your router is configured, or the phone joins with the wrong settings and fails.

Passwords with special characters

Characters like ; : , \ and " have special meaning inside the Wi-Fi QR format and must be escaped, or the code encodes a truncated or wrong password. This is where most “free” generators quietly break. OpenQR escapes them for you automatically, so a password like Café;2024\Guest still works; you don’t need to do anything except type the real password.

Can I make a Wi-Fi QR code for a hidden network?

Yes. If your router doesn’t broadcast its SSID, switch on Hidden network in the generator. The toggle adds H:true to the string, which tells the phone to actively look for the network by name rather than wait to spot it in a scan. If your network is visible (the normal case), leave it off.

How to join a Wi-Fi network by scanning the QR code

iPhone: open the Camera app, point it at the code, and tap the “Join Wi-Fi Network” banner that appears. Android: open the Camera (or Google Lens), point it at the code, and tap the network prompt. On both, no app or internet is needed to read the code. iPhone and Android codes are cross-compatible — a code you make works on either.

Do I need to reprint if my Wi-Fi password changes?

Yes. A Wi-Fi QR code stores the password in the pattern itself, so a new password means a new code and a reprint. This is the one payload that cannot go dynamic: no URL can join a Wi-Fi network, so there is nothing for a redirect to repoint. That directness is also the privacy upside: the code is just your credentials, with no redirect and nothing that can expire or be switched off by a third party. Reprinting takes seconds here, and it’s free.

Where Wi-Fi QR codes are useful

• Cafes and restaurants — a table-tent code instead of writing the password on a board.
• Airbnbs and holiday lets — guests connect the moment they arrive.
• Offices and clinics — a guest network sign in reception.
• Home — stick one inside a cupboard so visitors (and you) never hunt for the password again.

Is sharing Wi-Fi by QR code safe?

It’s as safe as the password itself: the code contains the same credentials you’d read aloud, in a form that’s harder to mistype. It does not store browsing data or track anyone. The limit to state plainly is that a printed Wi-Fi code is a password on a whiteboard, so anyone who can photograph it can join. For public spaces, use a separate guest network so visitors never touch your main devices, and place the printed code somewhere only your intended guests can see it. Because OpenQR generates everything in your browser, your password is never uploaded to us.

Troubleshooting: Wi-Fi QR code not working

• It scans but won’t connect: the security type or password is wrong. Double-check WPA vs WEP and re-type the password exactly (watch for capitals).
• Nothing happens when scanning: some older phones need Google Lens or a QR app rather than the bare camera. Update the OS if you can.
• Code looks blurry or won’t scan from print: export an SVG or a high-resolution PNG and keep a clear white margin (quiet zone) around it.
• Hidden network won’t join: make sure you enabled the Hidden toggle when generating.
• Smart-home gadget can’t scan: many IoT devices can’t read Wi-Fi QR codes at all — enter the password manually on those.

The Wi-Fi QR code format (for the curious)

A Wi-Fi QR code encodes a string like this:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:MyNetwork;P:MyPassw0rd;H:false;;

• T — security type: WPA, WEP or nopass.
• S — the SSID (network name).
• P — the password (omitted for open networks).
• H — true only for hidden networks.
• Special characters in S and P are backslash-escaped; the whole string ends with ;;.

Frequently asked questions