Do QR Codes Expire?
The pattern itself has no expiry date. A QR code printed twenty years ago still decodes to exactly the same data today. What breaks is usually everything around it.
Static codes do not expire
The data lives in the pattern, so no server is involved in decoding it. A static code encoding text or WiFi credentials works forever, offline, with no dependency on any company.
What actually stops working
- The destination page is deleted, moved or the domain lapses
- A dynamic-code subscription ends and the provider's redirect dies
- The printed code is scratched, faded, creased or covered
- Contrast is too low, or the code was printed too small for the scan distance
How to make a code last
Point it at a stable URL on a domain you control, keep a redirect in place if the page ever moves, print with strong contrast on a durable surface, and keep a copy of the source file so you can reprint it.
Ready to make one?
Make a code that never expires