Make a Wi-Fi QR Code for Your Guests
Turn your network name and password into a code that guests scan to get online, then print it for the hallway, a café table or an Airbnb welcome folder.
How to make a Wi-Fi QR code
- Type the network name exactly as phones list it, with the same capital letters and spaces.
- Choose the security: WPA / WPA2 / WPA3 for almost every home and business router, Open network if there is no password.
- Type the password and tick Hidden network only if the router does not broadcast its name.
- Press Generate QR Code, scan the preview with your own phone, then download the PNG or the SVG for printing.
What I checked in every code
A Wi-Fi code is plain text in a fixed pattern: WIFI:T:WPA;S:network;P:password;H:false;;. T is the security type, S the network name, P the password and H says whether the network is hidden. The phone reads the text and offers to join. It is the same pattern on iPhone and Android, which is why one printed code works for every guest.
The weak spot is the punctuation. A semicolon ends a field, so a network called Cafe;Ana would end after "Cafe" unless the semicolon is marked with a backslash. The same goes for the colon, the comma, the quote mark and the backslash itself. I generated codes on this page for awkward names and passwords and read every one back with a separate QR decoder, one that shares no code with the generator, to see the exact text a phone receives.
Codes I generated and read back
| Network and password | Text in the code | Code size |
|---|---|---|
| Cafe;Ana, password a:b,c\d"e | WIFI:T:WPA;S:Cafe\;Ana;P:a\:b\,c\\d\"e;H:false;; | 33 × 33 modules |
| Apartma Jasna, password Triglav-2864 | WIFI:T:WPA;S:Apartma Jasna;P:Triglav-2864;H:false;; | 33 × 33 modules |
| The same, as a hidden network | WIFI:T:WPA;S:Apartma Jasna;P:Triglav-2864;H:true;; | 33 × 33 modules |
| Kavarna gostje, open network | WIFI:T:nopass;S:Kavarna gostje;P:;H:false;; | 33 × 33 modules |
| Office 5G, 30-character password | WIFI:T:WPA;S:Office 5G;P:k7#Qp!vR2m@Lx9$Tz4&wN8*sB6^hJ3;H:false;; | 37 × 37 modules |
Every code read back exactly as written here, from the PNG and from the SVG. In the first row each awkward character got its backslash, and nothing else changed. Characters such as # $ & and * need no escaping and went in as they are. At the default error correction M, the PNG at 1024 pixels was 20.6 KB and the SVG 7.5 KB for the Cafe;Ana code.
Printing it for guests, a café or an Airbnb
The code has to be large enough for a phone held at arm's length. The Apartma Jasna code has 33 modules across plus the white margin of 4 on each side, 41 in total. Printed 5 cm wide, each module is about 1.2 mm; at 3 cm it drops to 0.7 mm. For a table card, a fridge sign or a page in a welcome folder I would stay at 4 cm or more, and on a wall poster read from a few steps away, much larger. The SVG prints sharp at any size; the PNG at 1024 pixels gives 24 pixels per module, plenty for any home printer.
Print the network name and the password in plain text under the code too. Not every guest's phone scans codes, and a laptop usually cannot. Black on white with the full white margin scans best. Each step up in error correction made the same code larger: 29, 33, 37 and 41 modules for L, M, Q and H. M is enough for paper; Q or H helps only on a card that will get scratched or stained.
When the code stops working
The password is inside the code, not on a server, so a new router password makes every printed code useless. Change the password, generate a new code, print it again. If a fresh code fails, check three things: the network name with its capital letters, the security type (an open network must be set to Open network, not WPA), and the hidden-network box, which should stay clear for a network that phones can see in their list.
Tips for Wi-Fi codes
- Make a separate guest network on the router, so the printed password is not the one for your own devices.
- Scan the code with your own phone before you print a stack of them.
- Keep the white margin around the code; cutting it off is the most common reason a printed code fails.
- Use the SVG for anything printed larger than a postcard.
- Write the date on the back of the print, so you know which password it holds.
Privacy
Your content never leaves your device. The QR code is made entirely in your browser, so nothing is uploaded or stored, and you do not need an account. The code contains no tracking redirect, so it leads exactly where you entered.
Frequently asked questions
How do Wi-Fi QR codes work?
The code holds the network name, the password, the security type and a hidden-network flag as plain text. The phone camera reads that text and offers to join, so the guest never types the password. Nothing goes through the internet.
What is the Wi-Fi QR code format?
WIFI:T:WPA;S:name;P:password;H:false;; with T for security, S for the network name, P for the password and H for hidden. A semicolon, colon, comma, quote mark or backslash inside a value gets a backslash in front of it.
Does a Wi-Fi QR code change when the password is changed?
The printed code does not change, and that is the problem: it still holds the old password and will stop working. Generate a new code with the new password and replace every printed copy.
Why is my Wi-Fi QR code not working?
Most often the network name or password differs by a capital letter, the wrong security type is chosen, or the router password has changed since printing. A code printed too small, or with its white margin cut off, may not scan at all.
Can I make a Wi-Fi QR code without a password?
Yes, for an open network. Choose Open network as the security; the code then holds T:nopass and an empty password. For a network that has a password, the password must be in the code, or the phone cannot join.
Can a laptop scan a Wi-Fi QR code?
It depends on the laptop. Many have no app that joins a network from a code, and the webcam faces you rather than the paper. Print the network name and password in plain text next to the code for laptop users.
Related tools and guides
- QR Code Generator: Create QR codes for links, text, Wi-Fi and more.
- Color Picker & Palette Generator: Pick colors, build palettes and export color values.
- Image Resizer: Resize images by pixels, percentage or longest side.
- I Built the Tools I Kept Looking For as a Photographer: Why the QR code generator makes your code on your own device, with no account.