Do QR codes expire? The honest answer

Short answer: a QR code itself cannot expire. It is a printed pattern, and a pattern has no clock in it. But plenty of QR codes do stop working, and if you have ever scanned a code on a menu and landed on a page asking the owner to "upgrade to reactivate", you have seen it happen.

The difference comes down to two kinds of QR code, and who sits between the printed code and the page it opens.

Static QR codes never expire

A static QR code stores its content directly in the pattern. If the code holds a link like https://yourcafe.com/menu, that exact text is encoded in the black and white squares. Any camera that reads it gets the link straight away, without asking anyone's server for permission.

That means a static code works for as long as two things are true:

• The printed code is readable, so not faded, torn or covered.
• The thing it points to still exists. If the code holds a web link and the web page is deleted, the code still scans perfectly, it just leads to an error page.

No company can switch off a static code. Our free generator makes static codes, and so do most others. If you made a Wi-Fi code or a contact card code, those are static too.

Dynamic QR codes can expire

A dynamic QR code stores a short link that belongs to the QR provider, something like provider.com/abc123. When someone scans it, their phone visits the provider first, and the provider forwards them to wherever you told it to.

This middle step is useful. It is how you can count scans and change the destination after printing. But it also means the provider decides whether your code keeps working. If they stop forwarding, the printed code now leads to their page instead of yours.

The most common ways dynamic codes stop working:

1. The free trial ends. Many popular generators let you create "free" dynamic codes during a trial of a week or two. When the trial ends without payment, the codes are deactivated. Most people only discover this after the codes are printed.
2. The subscription lapses. A card expires, a renewal fails, or someone on the team cancels a tool they did not know was in use. The codes go dark with it.
3. A scan cap is hit. Some free plans allow a fixed number of scans per code. A busy restaurant can blow through a few hundred scans in a week.
4. The provider shuts down or changes terms. Less common, but it happens, and every code that depended on them goes with it.

How to tell what kind of code you have

Scan the code and look at the link your phone shows before opening it.

• If it shows your own website address, it is almost certainly a static code pointing directly at your site.
• If it shows a short link on a QR company's domain, it is dynamic, and that company is in the middle.

You can also check the original account where the code was created. If you never had an account, it is static. If there is a dashboard with scan counts, it is dynamic.

What to do if your code already stopped working

If the code is dynamic and the provider has deactivated it, you have two options. Reactivate the plan, usually the fastest fix if a lot of material is printed. Or replace the printed codes with new ones, ideally after picking a provider whose terms you have actually read. We wrote a full checklist in why your QR code stopped working.

How to avoid it next time

Use a static code when you will never need to change the link. Wi-Fi details, a vCard, a link to your home page that will not move. Static codes are free everywhere and nobody can turn them off.

Use a dynamic code when the link may change or you want scan counts. Menus, packaging, signs, flyers, anything printed in volume. Then check three things before you print:

• What happens to the code when you stop paying? Look for this in the provider's terms, not the marketing page.
• Is there a scan cap on the plan you are using?
• Is the price you see billed monthly, or is it a monthly figure for a yearly charge?

How ScanStill handles this

We built ScanStill because the answer to "do QR codes expire" should not depend on reading the fine print. Here is ours, plainly:

• Static codes on our site are free, unlimited, and need no account.
• A free account gets 1 dynamic code that never expires, with unlimited scans.
• Paid codes keep redirecting for 30 days after you cancel, so you have time to export your list and plan.
• If ScanStill ever shuts down, we commit to 12 months notice, a full export, and an option to hand your redirects to another host.

You can see the full details on the pricing page, or read the difference between the two code types in dynamic vs static QR codes.