A Wi-Fi QR code holds your network name, the password and the security type. A guest points the phone camera at it and taps to join. Nobody has to read out or type a long password.
How to make a Wi-Fi QR code
- Find the network name and password. Look at the label on your router, or open the Wi-Fi settings of a device that is already connected. The network name is also called the SSID.
- Choose the security type. Most home and office networks use WPA. The WPA option covers WPA2 and WPA3 too. Choose None only for an open network that has no password.
- Type the name and password exactly. Use the same upper and lower case letters as the router. "HomeNet" and "homenet" are two different names for a phone.
- Tick Hidden network only when you must. Tick it only when the network does not broadcast its name. For a normal network, leave it clear.
- Download the PNG and test it. Select Download PNG. Then scan the code with your own phone before you print it, and check that the phone joins the network.
The generator above updates the code while you type. The Content box shows the exact text in the code, so you can check it before you download. To make a code for a link, a contact card or an SMS, use the free QR code generator.
How guests join with the code
Guests do not need a special app. The camera on most phones reads Wi-Fi codes.
- iPhone: open the Camera app and point it at the code. A "Join network" banner appears. Tap it, and the iPhone connects.
- Android: open the camera or Google Lens and point it at the code. Tap the network prompt to connect. On many Android phones, the Wi-Fi settings screen also has a QR scan button next to the network list.
If the code is in a screenshot or a photo, the guest can read it from the image too. See how to scan a QR code from an image.
Where to put the code
Put the code where guests ask for the password:
- on the reception desk of an office, a shop or a clinic,
- in a guest room or a holiday rental,
- on the menu or the table card in a cafe,
- on the back of the router, for your family.
Print the code at least the size of a business card. A phone then reads it from a short distance. Leave a white border around the code, and do not fold the paper across it.
Security notes
A Wi-Fi code is a printed password. Treat it like one.
- Anyone who can see the code can join the network. Put it only where you want guests to connect.
- Use a guest network for visitors. Most routers can make one, and it keeps guests away from your own computers and printers.
- When you change the password, make and print a new code. The old code stops working.
- WEP is old and weak. If your router still uses it, change the router to WPA2 or WPA3.
- This page makes the code in your browser and sends nothing to a server. Your password stays on your device.
Scan a code from a stranger with care. A code on a poster can open a fake login page. Read how to check an unknown QR code before you open it.
Common mistakes
When a guest cannot join, the cause is usually one of these:
- The wrong security type. A WPA network with the WEP option, or an open network with WPA, does not connect.
- A typo or the wrong case. One wrong letter in the name or the password stops the phone from joining.
- Special characters. The characters
\ ; , : "have a special meaning in a Wi-Fi code. The generator escapes them for you, so type the password as it is. - Low contrast colors. A light gray code on white, or a dark code on a dark background, is hard for a camera to read. Keep a dark code on a light background.
- A code that is too small or shiny. A tiny print or a glossy laminate with glare makes the scan slow or stops it.
Test the printed code with two phones, if you can: one iPhone and one Android phone. If both join, your guests can join too.