About wi-fi QR codes
A Wi-Fi QR code stores your network name, security type, and password in a format phones recognise. Point a camera at it and the phone offers to join the network — no typing, no spelling out "capital B, lowercase eight, hyphen".
This is the single most useful QR code for cafés, guest rooms, offices, and holiday lets. It is also the one most often made wrong: the format has characters that must be escaped, and a password containing a semicolon or a colon will silently produce a code that fails. The generator below handles that for you.
How to make one
- Type your network name exactly as it appears when you connect — it is case sensitive.
- Enter the password and pick the security type. Almost every modern router is WPA; choose "Open" only if the network genuinely has no password.
- Scan the preview with your own phone to confirm it offers to join the right network.
- Download the PNG and print it. A small card by the door or on the table works well.
What gets encoded
The code holds plain text in a format phones recognise. For this type it looks like this:
WIFI:T:WPA;S:MyHomeNetwork;P:your-wifi-password;;
T is the security type, S the network name, P the password. The double semicolon at the end is required. Any of \ ; , : " inside your name or password gets a backslash in front of it automatically.
Tips
- If your router has separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz network names, make a code for whichever one guests should use — usually 2.4 GHz for better range.
- Many routers support a separate guest network. A QR code for that keeps visitors off the network your printer and NAS live on.
- Print it dark-on-light at around 3 cm across for a table card. Laminate it if it will be handled.
- Anyone who photographs the code has your password forever. Treat it like a written-down password, and use a guest network if that matters.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Wi-Fi QR code work on iPhone and Android?
Yes. iOS 11 and later reads them from the built-in Camera app, and Android 10 and later does the same. Older Android phones may need a QR reader app, but the format itself is the same everywhere.
Can I change the password later without reprinting?
No. The password is encoded in the pattern, so changing it means generating and printing a new code. That is the trade-off for a code that works offline and never expires.
Do you see what I type here?
No. The code is generated entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter on this page is sent to our servers or stored anywhere.
Does this QR code expire?
No. The details are encoded directly into the pattern itself, so the code does not depend on this site or any account. It keeps working even if this site disappears, with no scan limit and no watermark.
Other QR code types
New to this? The QR code guide covers error correction, sizing for print, and the four reasons codes fail to scan.