WiFi QR code: how to create one and let guests join without typing the password

To create a WiFi QR code you need three things: the network name, the password and the security type. You type them into a generator, get an image, and your guest points a phone camera at it and joins the network without anyone spelling the password out loud. Below, step by step: how to make the code, how to connect with it on iPhone and Android, why it sometimes fails and how to print it.

What you need to know about your network

The network name (also called the SSID) is the name you see in the Wi-Fi list on your phone. It has to be entered exactly: the same capital and small letters, spaces and digits. To a phone, "Home_5G" and "home_5g" are two different networks.

The password is entered character for character as well. Most often it is printed on the router label or saved in the router settings. If you have changed the password, use the current one, not the factory one from the label.

The security type is shown in the router settings, in the wireless section. Most home routers use WPA2, so if you are not sure what to pick, start with the WPA/WPA2 option.

Where to find the network name and password

The easiest way is a phone or computer that is already connected to the network. The Wi-Fi settings show the exact network name, and the connection details usually let you reveal the saved password after you confirm your identity.

The second way is the router itself. The factory label on the bottom or the back lists the default network name and password. They are valid only if nobody has changed them since the router was installed.

The third way is the router admin panel. The wireless section shows the name, the password and the security type. It also shows whether the router broadcasts one network or two with different names for the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.

How to make a WiFi QR code in a minute

Open the QR code generator and switch to the Wi-Fi tab. Then follow four steps.

1. Type the network name into the "Network name (SSID)" field.
2. Type the password and choose the encryption: WPA/WPA2, WEP or "No password".
3. If the network is hidden, tick "Hidden network".
4. Download the code as a PNG at the size you need or as an SVG for print.

The code is built at once and updates while you type, there is no separate "create" button. You can test it right away: point your phone camera at the screen.

You can make the code on a phone too: the tool opens in a mobile browser and works the same way as on a computer. The finished file lands in your downloads, and from there you can send it to a messenger or to a printer.

Which security type to choose: WPA, WEP or no password

WPA/WPA2 suits almost every home and office network with a regular password. It is the default value, and you should change it only when you know for sure that the network is set up differently.

WEP is an old protection method found on very old routers. If your router settings say WEP, choose WEP in the generator as well, otherwise the phone will not connect.

"No password" is for open networks. The password field is not used in that case: only the network name goes into the code.

The tool has no separate WPA3 option. If the router runs in mixed WPA2/WPA3 mode, choose WPA/WPA2. Networks that ask for a username and a password (corporate ones, WPA2-Enterprise) are not supported by the tool.

WiFi QR code for a hidden network

A hidden network does not show its name in the general list, and a phone will not find it on its own. Tick "Hidden network": the code will carry a flag telling the phone to look for the network by name. Without that flag the phone may answer that the network was not found even though the name and password are correct.

What is stored inside a WiFi QR code

A WiFi QR code holds no link and does not contact any website. Inside is a plain text string that looks like WIFI:T:WPA;S:name;P:password;; The phone recognizes it by the WIFI: prefix and offers to connect. T stands for the security type, S for the network name, P for the password, H for the hidden network flag.

If the name or the password contains a semicolon, a comma, a colon, a quotation mark or a backslash, each of them has to be preceded by a backslash. The tool does this for you, there is nothing to escape by hand.

One important thing follows from this: the password sits in the code as plain text. Anyone who scans the code can not only connect but also read the password.

Main network or guest network: which one to use

If your router can create a guest network, make the code for that one. A guest network gives internet access but usually keeps visitors away from your computers, printers and network drives. You can change its password every week if you like without reconfiguring your own devices.

A code for the main network makes sense at home, when the visitors are people you trust. In a cafe, a salon, an office or a rental apartment it is better not to hand out the main password at all.

If the router shows two networks with different names for the two bands, pick one and make the code for it. You can make two codes as well, but then label them so guests do not have to guess which one to scan.

A WiFi QR code is free and never expires

The code is created right in your browser, free of charge and without signing up. The network name and the password are not sent to the server: for the Wi-Fi tab no copy of the code goes to the studio.

The code has no expiry date. It is not tied to the website and will keep working until you change the network name or the password on the router.

Connecting takes a few seconds: the camera reads the code, the phone shows the network name and offers to join. A separate app is usually not needed.

How to scan a WiFi QR code on iPhone

Open the built-in Camera app and point it at the code so that the whole code is in the frame. A notification offering to join the network appears on the screen. Tap it and confirm the connection.

iPhone understands WiFi codes starting with iOS 11. If no notification shows up, check in the camera settings that QR code scanning is turned on.

Hold the phone at a distance where the code fills about a third of the frame. Too close and the camera cannot focus, too far and the squares blur together. If the code is on the screen of another device, turn up the brightness on that device.

How to scan a WiFi QR code on Android

On most modern Android phones the regular camera reads the code: point it at the code and tap the hint with the network name. On some models the scanner lives in the Wi-Fi settings, next to the button for adding a network.

Menu names differ between manufacturers, so if the camera does not react, look for a QR icon in the network settings or use the scanner in Google Lens.

What the guest sees on the screen

After the scan the phone shows the network name and a button to connect. The password is not displayed, and there is nothing to type. If the name on the screen is not the one you expected, the wrong code was scanned.

The phone remembers the network just as it does after a normal connection. Next time it joins by itself, and the code does not have to be scanned again.

Can you connect from a photo or a screenshot of the code

Yes, if the code was sent to you as a picture in a messenger. Open the image in an app that can recognize codes in pictures, such as Google Lens, and tap the offer to connect. If the phone only shows text, you can copy the password from the part after the letter P.

If the built-in camera does not recognize the code, it does not mean the phone cannot connect by code. Quite often the feature is simply switched off in the camera settings or moved to a separate scanner in the quick settings panel.

How many people can connect with one code

As many as you like. The code counts nothing and does not know how many times it has been scanned: it is just a record of the network name and password. A limit can exist only on the router side, if a maximum number of devices is set there.

For the same reason you cannot see who scanned the code and when, and you cannot cut off a single person. To close access for everyone who still has the old code, change the network password.

How to connect a laptop or a desktop computer

For a laptop it is easier to give the password the usual way. A laptop camera can rarely read WiFi codes, and computers have no dependable built-in way to join a network by QR. If you need the password as text, open the code with a scanner on a phone: it will show the network name and the password, which you can then type in by hand.

How to show a QR code for your network straight from your phone

If you need to share the network with a guest once, you can show a code from your phone. On Android open Settings, go to "Network & internet", then "Internet", choose your network and tap "Share": a QR code appears on the screen. On an iPhone with iOS 18 the Passwords app shows the network code in its Wi-Fi section.

This works well for a one-off task, but it has limits. The code is shown on the phone screen, it is awkward to print, you cannot change the color or add a logo, and the phone has to be connected to that network already.

How to connect a TV, a printer and smart devices

TVs, printers, consoles and most smart devices do not scan WiFi codes: they have no camera or no such feature. For them the password is entered with a remote or through the manufacturer's app. The code helps indirectly here: scan it with a phone, look at the password and type it in by hand.

When you need a generator rather than a phone

A generator is handier when the code has to stay in place: on a cafe counter, in the hallway of an apartment, in a meeting room. You get a file that you can place in a layout, print large and style to match your brand.

• PNG up to 4096 pixels per side and vector SVG for a print shop.
• Your own code and background colors, a transparent background.
• A logo in the center (in the PNG).
• You can describe a network in advance, even if you are not connected to it right now.

There is a third case as well: the network is not set up yet. You know what the name and the password will be and want to prepare a sign in advance, before the venue opens or the guests arrive. A phone cannot show such a code, while a generator only needs the data you type in.

Do you need internet access to connect with the code

No internet is needed for the connection itself. The phone takes the network name and password from the picture and does not contact any website. So the code works even when the guest has no mobile data, for example while roaming.

If the phone read the code but did not connect, the cause is almost always in the data: the network name, the password or the security type. If the phone does not see the code at all, the problem is the picture: its size, contrast or margin. Let us go through both cases.

The phone says it could not connect

Check the password first. One extra letter, a trailing space or a capital instead of a small letter, and the network refuses. Paste the password into the generator again and compare it with the one in the router settings.

Then check the network name. It has to match the name in the Wi-Fi list completely, including letter case and spaces. If the router has two networks with different names for different bands, the code connects only to the one whose name you entered.

A separate trap is look-alike characters. A capital O and a zero, a small l and the digit one look almost the same on a router label. If the password was typed from the label, check exactly those.

You changed the password or the network name

A WiFi code is static: it holds the data that was valid at the moment it was created. After the password or the network name changes, the old code stops working and cannot be fixed. Make a new code and replace the printout.

The wrong security type was chosen

If the router uses WPA2 and the code says WEP or "No password", the phone will not connect even when the password is right. Look up the security type in the router settings and choose the matching option in the generator.

If the router is set to WPA3 only and a guest's phone does not connect by code, turn on mixed WPA2/WPA3 mode on the router or give the password by hand.

It is easy to tell that security is the cause: the phone sees the network and shows its name, but reports an error after the tap, while connecting by hand with the same password works.

The network is hidden but the flag is missing

A network that does not show its name needs the "Hidden network" box ticked. Without it some phones look for the network only among the visible ones and report that it is unavailable.

Another common cause: the network exists, but the phone is out of its range. The code gives the phone the name and the password, yet it cannot join a network whose signal does not reach it. Check that the Wi-Fi is visible at the spot where the sign hangs.

The camera does not see the code

Most often the code is simply too small or shot at a sharp angle. Step closer, get rid of glare from glass or laminated paper, and hold the phone straight in front of the code.

The second cause is color. Cameras read a dark code on a light background best. A light code on a dark background, pale colors and weak contrast are recognized worse. If you changed the colors, go back to a dark code on white and test again.

The third cause is the margin. An empty area must remain around the code: the QR standard calls for a margin four modules wide on every side. In the tool the default margin is four modules, so do not reduce it without need and do not crop the code tight in a layout.

The code turned out too dense

The more data and the higher the error correction level, the more squares the code has and the smaller they get at the same picture size. A long network name, a long password and level H together give a noticeably denser pattern.

If there is no logo, keep level M: it is enough for a clean printout. Levels Q and H are for codes that may get dirty, worn or partly covered by a logo. A dense code simply needs to be printed larger.

The code scans but nothing happens on the phone

Some third-party scanners show the contents of the code as text and do not offer to connect. Try the phone's built-in camera. On old phones that do not understand WiFi codes, the only option is to type the password by hand: the scanner shows it after the letter P.

The phone connected but there is no internet

This is no longer about the code. If the network appeared in the list of connected ones, the code has done its job. The cause is now the router or the provider: restart the router, check whether the internet works on other devices, and see whether the guest network has a time limit or a device limit.

Unusual characters in the name or password

A semicolon, a colon, a comma, quotation marks and a backslash are service characters in a WiFi code. The tool escapes them automatically, so a network with such a password should connect. If the code was made in another service and fails with exactly this kind of password, make it again. One more thing: the network name and password can be in any language, since non-Latin letters and other characters are stored in the code as they are.

How to test the code before printing

The test takes a minute and saves you a reprint. Do it in this order.

1. Scan the code from the screen with your own phone and make sure the network connects.
2. Ask someone with a phone on the other system to check it: if you have an iPhone, find an Android, and the other way round.
3. Print a trial copy at the real size and scan it from the spot where a guest will stand.
4. Test the code in the light the room will have in the evening.

A code for guests is best printed and placed where people see it without asking. For it to scan the first time, the size, the file format and the spot all matter.

Which format and size to choose for printing

For print, take the SVG or a PNG at 2048-4096 pixels. SVG is a vector format, so it can be stretched to any size without losing sharpness. For a screen, a website or a messenger a PNG at 512-1024 pixels is enough.

A QR code has no single minimum size: it all depends on how much data it holds and from what distance it is scanned. A WiFi code holds little data, so its squares come out large and are easy to read. In practice, for a sign on a table or a counter make the code larger than seems necessary, and always test the printout with two different phones from the distance your guests will scan from.

A simple rule for distance: the farther away a person stands, the larger the code has to be. A sheet on a table is scanned at arm's length, a poster on a wall from several steps away, and the code size has to grow with that distance. This is a practical guideline, not a requirement of the standard, which is why a trial print is a must.

How to put together a printable sheet with the code

The simplest way is to paste the PNG into any editor, add the caption "Wi-Fi for guests" on top and print it. If you need a file for a print shop, the picture with the code can be turned into a PDF in the page size you need with the Photos to PDF tool.

It helps to write the network name next to the code. The guest then sees what they are connecting to, and a person with an old phone can find the network in the list on their own.

In a hotel or a hostel the code is often left in the room together with a welcome note. In a beauty salon or a clinic it stands in the waiting area. At an event it is printed on badges or shown on a slide before the start: a code reads well from a projector screen if it is large and has good contrast.

What to print on: paper, sticker, sign

Matte paper or matte film reads best. Gloss and lamination catch glare from lamps, and the camera sees a bright spot instead of the code. If the sign does need protection from water, place it so that light does not fall on it directly.

Do not put the code on a curved surface such as a bottle or a column: a distorted pattern reads worse. Do not print it over a photo or a pattern either, the code needs a plain light background underneath.

Where to place the code in a cafe, an office and an apartment

In a cafe the code goes on the table, on the counter or into the menu. In an office it hangs in the meeting room and at the entrance for visitors. In a short-term rental the sheet is left in plain sight in the hallway or added to the guest guide.

A WiFi code can also go on a business card or a venue card. A layout with a logo and contacts is easy to build in the business card maker, with the code added on the back. If the same sheet needs a code with a link to a website or a menu, make that one separately: there is a detailed article on how to make a QR code for a link.

If there are several codes on one sheet, move them well apart and label each one. A camera that sees two codes at once may pick the wrong one, and the guest lands on a website instead of joining the network.

Can you add a logo and your own colors

Yes. The code and background colors can be changed, the background can be made transparent, and a logo goes in the center. With a logo the error correction level is raised to H automatically so the code still reads although some squares are covered. The logo appears only in the PNG, the SVG does not include it. How to choose colors and a logo size so the code keeps scanning is covered in the article on a QR code with a logo.

Is it safe to display a QR code with your WiFi password

A code with the password equals the password itself written on paper. Anyone who takes a photo of it can connect later and pass the code on to others. At home this is usually not a problem, for a cafe or an office it is worth thinking ahead.

• Turn on a guest network on the router and make the code for it, not for the main network.
• Do not place the code where it can be seen from the street.
• Change the guest network password from time to time and issue a new code.
• Do not post photos with the code on social media.

What to write next to the code

A short caption removes half of the questions. Three lines are enough: that this is Wi-Fi for guests, what the network is called and what to do, which is to point a phone camera at the code. If the network is a guest one with restrictions, for example internet only with no access to the printer, say so in one sentence.

The password is written as text next to the code when some guests come with old phones or laptops. If you do not want the password to spread, leave it out: but keep in mind that it can be read from the code anyway.

How to replace the code after a password change

Open the generator, enter the new details and download a new file. Old printouts have to go: they will lead guests to a connection error. To avoid reprinting the whole layout, leave a slot of a standard size for the code and replace only the insert.

How do I create a WiFi QR code for free? Open the QR code generator, choose the Wi-Fi tab, enter the network name, the password and the security type, then download the code as PNG or SVG. The code is created in your browser, free of charge and without signing up.

How do I connect to WiFi with a QR code? Point your phone camera at the code and tap the notification with the network name. iPhone understands these codes from iOS 11, on Android they are read by the camera or by the scanner in the Wi-Fi settings.

Why is my WiFi QR code not working? The usual causes are an inexact password or network name, the wrong security type, or a password changed after the code was made. If the camera does not see the code, make it larger and go back to a dark color on a light background.

How long does a WiFi QR code last? It has no expiry date. The code works as long as the network name and password on the router match the ones stored in it. After a password change you need a new code.

Can someone read my WiFi password from the QR code? Yes. The password is stored in the code as plain text, and a scanner that shows the contents will display it after the letter P. So show the code only to people you are willing to give the password to.

Is my WiFi password sent to a server? No. The code is computed in your browser, and for the Wi-Fi tab no copy of the code is sent to the studio, including when you download it.

How do I make a QR code for a hidden network? Enter the network name and the password and tick "Hidden network". The code gets a flag that makes the phone look for the network by name rather than in the list of visible ones.

Which format should I download a WiFi QR code in for printing? SVG or a PNG at 2048-4096 pixels works for print. If you need a logo in the center, take the PNG: the SVG does not include the logo.