QR code not working: find the cause and fix it
· 8 min read
The posters are up, the table cards are out. Then a customer tells you: "Your QR code doesn't work." Do you have to reprint everything? Not necessarily.
This guide helps you find the cause in a few minutes, then choose the right fix. It assumes your code is already printed; for the checks to make before printing, see the mistakes to avoid before printing a QR code. The advice applies whichever tool you use.
Two different faults: reading or destination
"It doesn't work" covers two situations.
- Reading problem: the phone does not recognise the code. The camera just shows the image and nothing pops up.
- Destination problem: the phone reads the code and offers a link, but the page does not open, shows an error or displays out-of-date content.
In the first case, the cause is on the printed item: printing, position, lighting. In the second, the printed item is fine and the cause is online. Knowing which case you are in saves you from reprinting for nothing.
The two-minute test
Go to where the item is actually displayed, with two phones: ideally an iPhone and an Android phone, one of them not brand new.
- Scan with the camera, without any special app, from where the person scanning would stand.
- Note what happens: nothing at all, a link offered, an error page, a page that does not match.
- If a link appears, open it on mobile data with Wi-Fi off, like a passer-by who is not connected to your Wi-Fi.
- If nothing appears, move closer, then change the angle. A code that reads up close but not from a distance, or at an angle but not head-on, already gives you a clue.
If only one phone fails, look at the phone first: on some older models, the camera does not read QR codes and a reader app is needed. If both fail in the same way, the code or its destination is the cause.
The phone doesn't respond: scanning causes
Reflections and lighting
Glossy lamination, a window or a spotlight right above can reflect light and hide part of the code. Typical sign: the code reads when you change the angle. Without reprinting, try moving the item, tilting it or changing the lighting. In a shop window, also test late in the day.
Distance
A code that reads at arm's length can become unreadable from the pavement or the back of the room. Moving the item closer is sometimes enough; otherwise, you will need to reprint it larger. There is no size that works everywhere: test at the real distance.
Damaged or covered item
A torn corner, a stain, colours faded by the sun, a poster that has buckled or is half covered by another one: a small damaged area can be enough. Clean, uncover or replace the affected copies, not necessarily the whole batch.
Contrast, white margin, logo
If the code cannot be read anywhere, even up close and in good light, the cause is often in the design: colours too pale, a light code on a dark background, a white margin trimmed off, a logo too large in the middle. This cannot be fixed on the spot: you have to reprint. The guide to printing mistakes mentioned above covers each point for your next batch.
The code reads, but the page does not open: destination causes
The page has been deleted or moved
This can happen after a website redesign or a change of hosting provider. The code contains a precise address; if it no longer exists, the visitor lands on an error. The same goes for a renamed file: "programme-2025.pdf" replaced by "programme-2026.pdf", and the printed code still leads to the old name.
Fix: put a page or file back at the exact address in the code, or ask whoever manages your website to redirect the old address to the new one.
A shared link that has expired
Photo album, form, online document: many sharing links can expire or become private. Open the link on a phone that is not signed in to your account: that is what your visitors see.
A typo in the address
One letter too many, an address copied only in part: the code works, but leads nowhere. Compare the address shown when scanning with the one you intended.
A dynamic code that is paused or switched off
A dynamic QR code goes through an online service that redirects to your destination. If that service stops redirecting, the printed code no longer leads to your page. Depending on the tool, this can happen at the end of a free trial, when a subscription stops, beyond a number of scans, on a set end date, or because someone has paused the code. Log in to your account and check the code's status.
Reprint or simply edit?
Once you have found the cause, the decision is simple.
- Position or lighting: move or turn the item before thinking about reprinting.
- A few damaged copies: replace only those.
- Design (contrast, margin, logo, size): reprint, after testing a proof.
- Destination, static code: put a page back at the encoded address. If that is impossible, you have to reprint, because the address is written into the code itself.
- Destination, dynamic code: change the destination in your tool, or reactivate the code. The printed item stays the same: that is the whole point of a QR code you can edit after printing.
Avoiding the next fault
- Scan your own codes from time to time, especially after changing your website.
- Keep addresses stable: a "/programme" page whose content you change, rather than a new address for every edition.
- Check how many times your codes are scanned, if your tool shows it. A code that is counting scans but that people say "doesn't work" more likely has a destination problem. A clearly visible code that counts hardly any scans more likely has a reading or position problem.
Avoiding reprints with Scanoa
Scanoa creates dynamic QR codes: the printed code stays the same, and you change its destination, or even its type of content, at any time. For your next printed items: a deleted page or a replaced file can then be fixed without reprinting.
Knowing how many times your code is scanned helps you tell a reading problem from a destination problem. Statistics without tracking: the IP address is never stored and no cookie is set when scanning.
If a Scanoa code shows an information page instead of your destination, its text tells you the cause:
- "This QR code is paused": it has been paused from the account. Reactivate it.
- An end date that has passed: the page says its owner set an end date that has passed. Change or remove that date. If the start date has not been reached yet, the page says the code is scheduled for later.
- "Temporarily unavailable": on the Free plan, beyond 1,000 scans in a month, your dynamic QR codes are paused until the 1st of the next month. During the pause, people who scan them see a page saying they are temporarily unavailable. A paid plan reactivates them right away, with unlimited scans (see the pricing). Static QR codes are not affected.
Stop paying and nothing is deleted. If you cancel, your workspace goes back to the Free plan: your oldest dynamic QR codes stay active up to its limit, the others are paused until you subscribe again. Static codes always keep working.
Frequently asked questions
Why won't my QR code scan?
Common causes are a reflection, too great a distance, a damaged item or too little contrast. Test on site with two phones, changing the distance and angle.
My QR code opens an error page: what should I do?
The code is being read correctly: the problem is the destination. Check that the page or file still exists at the same address, that the sharing link has not expired and, for a dynamic code, that it is not paused.
Can a QR code expire?
A static code contains the address directly: it works as long as that address exists. A dynamic code depends on the service that manages it: check what happens to your codes at the end of a trial or if you stop paying. With Scanoa, the Free plan has no time limit: no trial period that switches off your QR codes. Static codes never expire, even without a subscription.
Do I need to reprint a QR code that has stopped working?
Only if the cause is in the printing (contrast, margin, size) or if a static code leads to an address you cannot restore. For a dynamic code, change the destination.
A QR code that does not work can often be fixed without reprinting, as long as you first work out whether the problem lies in reading the code or in its destination.
Create a QR code whose destination you can change after printing. Free plan with 3 dynamic QR codes. No card needed.