Do QR codes expire? The question usually comes up after a printed sign suddenly stops working, and the honest answer is: it depends on the kind of code you made.
Plain (static) QR codes carry their own data
A static QR code holds the information itself: your web address, the Wi-Fi name and password, a PromptPay number or a contact card. A phone camera reads it straight from the pattern, with no server in between.
So a static code has no expiry date. It does not start or stop, and it does not care whether the website that made it is still around. The one catch is that you cannot change it after printing. New link or new password means a new code.
Dynamic QR codes depend on a service
A dynamic QR code holds a short link that belongs to the service you made it with. When someone scans it, the phone opens that short link and the service forwards them to the destination you chose. That is what lets you change the destination later and count scans.
It also means the printed code works only for as long as the service keeps forwarding that link. The full mechanism is in What is a dynamic QR code?
| Static | Dynamic | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the data lives | In the code | With the provider |
| Expiry | None | Set by the provider's terms |
| Edit after printing | No | Yes |
| Scan statistics | No | Yes |
Why a code can "expire" weeks after printing
The usual story: someone makes a code on a service with a free trial without noticing it is dynamic. When the trial or the plan ends, some services stop forwarding the link or show a page saying the code is no longer active. Some free plans show an ad or an in-between page before the destination. That is a business decision of the service, not a limit of QR codes (more in Why a QR scan shows ads).
A code can also seem to die when nothing is wrong with the code itself:
- The destination changed. The website closed or moved, the LINE account was removed, or the Wi-Fi password was changed.
- The print wore out. Faded, stained or torn beyond what a camera can read.
- It is too small or too pale for the distance people scan from. See QR print size and scan tests.
Choosing a code that will not lapse
If the information rarely changes (your PromptPay number, the shop Wi-Fi, your main website), a plain QR code is the right choice. On QRnaka, plain QR codes of every kind are free, with no sign-up and no ads, and the code you download holds your data directly, not a link of ours.
If you need to change the destination after printing, or want to know how many people scan, you need a tracked QR code, which is part of membership.
QRnaka tracked codes when membership ends
Tracked QR codes and photo QR codes are for members. Membership starts with a 30-day free trial from sign-up, no card needed, then costs 49 baht a month or 365 baht a year. Details are on the membership page.
That page is clear about what happens at the end: every QR code you made keeps working for the people who scan it. You get 7 days of grace with everything working; after that the account opens only the renewal page, and statistics and destination changes wait until you renew. Nothing is deleted.
In short, your printed signs keep sending people where they should go. What pauses is your management tools.
How to tell which kind you have
- Open the QR reader and scan the code, or choose a picture of it.
- Look at the "Website" line in the result.
- If it shows the site you meant to send people to, the code is static and points there directly.
- If it shows a QR service or a link shortener, the code is dynamic. Check that service's terms for what happens after the trial or when you stop paying.
The reader works on your device and does not upload the picture.
FAQ
Do the free QR codes from QRnaka expire?
Plain QR codes have no expiry date because the data is inside the code. They work for as long as whatever they point to still works.
If my membership ends, will my printed tracked codes still scan?
Yes. As the membership page says, codes you made keep scanning. Statistics and destination changes are locked until you renew.
A code from another service stopped working. Can I fix it?
If it is dynamic, the short link belongs to that service, so you cannot point it somewhere else yourself. Contact the service, or make a new code and replace the print.
Can I change a plain QR code after printing?
No, you make a new one. If the destination will change often, such as a monthly promotion page, a tracked code saves reprinting.
Ready? Make a plain code on the QR generator, or see the trial and prices for tracked codes on the membership page.
