Why QR codes stop working
A QR code is only a pattern of squares. It can’t expire by itself. When one stops working, the cause is one of three things, and the checker tells you which:
- The service behind it switched it off. Many generators make dynamic codes that point at their own short link and forward people to your page. When a free trial or subscription ends, the forwarding stops and scanners see an “inactive” or upgrade page instead.
- The page it opens is gone. The code works, but the website moved or deleted the page, so people land on a “page not found” error.
- Phones can’t read the print. Damage, glare, a tiny print size or poor contrast. If the checker can read your photo but phones struggle, this is the likely cause.
What the checker does
- Reads the code from your photo, in your browser, and shows exactly what it holds.
- Names the service if the code runs through a known QR company’s short link.
- Checks the link when you ask: it follows every redirect and reports whether the page loads, is missing, or says the code was switched off.
- Makes a replacement. If the old code forwarded to a page that still exists, the replacement starts with that address filled in.
Make sure it never happens again
Your replacement can be a free dynamic code: you can change where it goes after printing, see how many people scan it, and it never expires. There’s no trial and no scan limit. Read more about why our codes don’t expire, or about what to do while the old print is still out there.