How to Make a QR Code for Wi-Fi
Introduction
Reading a Wi-Fi password aloud letter by letter is slow, error-prone and faintly embarrassing. A Wi-Fi QR code fixes it: guests point their phone camera at the code and join the network, password included, with nothing typed.
You need no account and no paid app. The code is just a short piece of text in a standard format, turned into a QR code with our free generator. Here is the whole process, step by step.
What you need before you start
Three facts about your network: its name (the SSID, exactly as it appears in Wi-Fi lists), its password, and its security type. Most home networks use WPA or WPA2 — if you are unsure, your router's settings page or its printed label will say. Open networks with no password use the type nopass instead.
Step 1: Build the Wi-Fi string
Write the string in this exact format
WIFI:T:WPA;S:YourNetworkName;P:YourPassword;; — replace the network name and password with your own. T is the security type (WPA, WEP or nopass), S is the network name and P is the password. The two semicolons at the end close the string.
Escape special characters if you have them
If your network name or password contains a semicolon, comma, colon, quote or backslash, put a backslash before it (for example My\;Network). Without this, the phone reads the string wrong and the code fails.
The format is not something we invented: it is the Wi-Fi payload convention popularised by the ZXing (Zebra Crossing) barcode library, and every modern phone reads it the same way. Each part of the string has a job:
| Part | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| WIFI: | The marker that tells the phone this code holds Wi-Fi details | WIFI: |
| T | Security type: WPA (covers WPA2 and WPA3 on modern routers), WEP, or nopass for open networks | T:WPA |
| S | The network name (SSID), exactly as broadcast - it is case-sensitive and at most 32 characters | S:HomeWiFi |
| P | The password - at most 63 characters; omit this part entirely for open networks | P:secret123 |
| H | Hidden-network flag: add H:true only if your network does not broadcast its name | H:true |
| ;; | The two closing semicolons that end the string | ;; |
Step 2: Turn the string into a QR code
Paste it into our free QR Code Generator
Open the QR Code Generator on this site, paste the whole Wi-Fi string as the text, and generate the code. It runs entirely in your browser and downloads as a PNG — no sign-up, no watermark, no account.
Test it before you share it
Point a phone camera at the code (or the downloaded image on another screen). The phone should offer to join the network. If it offers to open a web page instead, the string format is wrong — check the semicolons and the T value first.
Step 3: Print or display the code
Put it where guests actually look
Print it for the guest room or the fridge, or show it on a tablet by the door. Keep it at least 2 by 2 centimetres, on a flat surface with good contrast — our guide to printing QR codes covers sizes and paper in detail.
Scanning the code: what each phone does
On an iPhone, the guest just opens the Camera app and points it at the code - a Join banner appears at the top of the screen. Apple Support's own guide walks through the Camera and Code Scanner steps. On Android, the camera app or the Scan Wi-Fi QR Quick Settings tile does the same job; Google's Pixel help pages show the steps and the common fixes when a scan fails. Both systems have read Wi-Fi codes natively for years (iOS since version 11, Android since version 10), so no guest needs a special app.
One limit surprises people: there is no such thing as a dynamic Wi-Fi code. Unlike a web link, the network name and password are baked into the squares themselves, so the day you change your router password, every printed copy of the old code stops working. Print the code somewhere you can swap it easily, and re-make it the same day the password changes.
WPA3, WEP and open networks: picking the T value
The T field must match what your router actually uses, or phones will refuse the connection. WPA covers the modern family: routers set to WPA2, WPA3, or the common WPA2/WPA3 transition mode all work with T:WPA, because phones negotiate the exact version themselves. WEP is the obsolete original standard - it can be cracked in minutes and survives only on very old hardware; if your router still offers WEP, the right move is to switch the router to WPA2 or WPA3 rather than print codes for a network that is not safe. Open networks use T:nopass with no P field at all, which is fine for a cafe guest network and a bad idea for anything private.
Dual-band routers, guest networks and rentals
Most routers broadcast two bands, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, sometimes under one name and sometimes two. Make the code for the network name your guests should join - if the names differ, that usually means the 2.4 GHz one, which reaches further through walls. Cafes, salons and rentals get the most from this guide: put the guest-network code at the till, on the table tents and in the room, and rotate the guest password monthly; each rotation means a fresh code, which takes two minutes with the steps above. A small frame beats a sticker here - when the password changes, you swap the print, not the furniture.
Sources and official guides
- DENSO WAVE - the QR code story — How DENSO WAVE invented the QR code in 1994, and how it became the ISO/IEC 18004 standard
- Apple Support - scan a QR code with iPhone or iPad — Apple's own Camera and Code Scanner steps
- Google Support - scan QR codes with a Pixel phone — Google's scanning steps and troubleshooting
When this does not work
Hidden networks (ones that do not broadcast their name) sometimes fail because the phone cannot confirm the network exists — temporarily unhide it to test, or type the name in by hand once. Office and university networks that ask for a username as well as a password use a different system (enterprise Wi-Fi) and cannot be shared with this simple code. And if a guest's phone is very old, its camera app may not scan QR codes — a free scanner app from its app store fixes that.
Frequently asked questions
Do guests need a special app to scan a Wi-Fi QR code?
No, on modern phones. iPhone and Android camera apps recognise Wi-Fi codes and offer to join the network directly.
Does the code reveal my password?
Yes — anyone who scans it can see the password, and anyone who photographs the printed code keeps it. Share it only with people you trust, or use a guest network.
What if my network name is hidden?
The code still contains the name, but some phones struggle to join hidden networks from a code. Test it with one phone before printing copies.
Can I use it for a guest network?
Yes, and you should. Put the guest network's name and password in the code, and your main network stays private.
Does it work on Android and iPhone?
Yes, both. Modern Android and iOS camera apps both understand the Wi-Fi QR format.
I changed my Wi-Fi password - do I need a new code?
Yes. The password is encoded inside the code itself, so a code made with the old password stops working the moment the router password changes. Rebuild the string with the new password and generate a fresh code - it takes two minutes.
The Bottom Line
A Wi-Fi QR code takes two minutes to make and saves every guest the password dance. Build the string carefully, test it once, and print it for the guest room — or better, put a guest network behind it.
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