Do QR Codes Expire?

A static QR code does not expire. It's a fixed pattern encoding whatever text or link you gave it, with no timer, subscription, or server involved, so there's nothing that can time out. A dynamic QR code can stop working, though, if the service managing it shuts down, your subscription lapses, or someone deactivates it.

Static vs. dynamic, in practice

A static code stores the actual content, a URL, text, WiFi credentials, contact details, directly in the QR pattern itself. Scanning it reads that content straight off the code. There's no third party involved after the code is made, so nothing can revoke or expire it. Every code made on this site is static for this reason.

A dynamic code instead points to a short redirect link controlled by a QR-code service. Scanning it sends the scanner to that service, which then forwards them to your real destination. This is useful if you want to change where the code leads after printing it, but it means the code depends on that service staying online and your account staying active. Cancel the subscription, and the redirect can go dead, even though the printed code looks identical.

How to tell which kind you have

You usually can't tell from the black-and-white pattern alone. The best signal is what it points to: scan it (or check the source if you still have it) and look at the link. If it goes straight to the site you expect, it's almost certainly static. If it redirects through a separate domain you don't recognize, especially one associated with a QR-code platform, it's likely dynamic. See our static vs. dynamic QR codes guide for a fuller comparison.

Making one that lasts

For a code you're printing once and want to keep working indefinitely, static is the safer choice, provided the destination itself stays stable. A few practical tips:

• Point it at a URL you control and don't expect to remove, a website, a Google Doc set to "anyone with the link," or similar.
• Avoid linking to a page likely to be reorganized or deleted later. If you need to change the destination after printing, that's what a dynamic service is for, at the cost of depending on that service staying up.
• Print it at a large enough size and high enough contrast that physical wear doesn't degrade it, see QR code minimum size.

Every tool on the QR code generator hub makes static codes with no account, no subscription, and no expiration built in. The code will keep working for as long as whatever it points to does.