How to Make a Wi-Fi QR Code So Guests Can Join in One Scan

To make a Wi-Fi QR code, open a QR generator, choose the Wi-Fi type, enter your network name (SSID) exactly as it appears, your password, and the security type (WPA/WPA2/WPA3 for almost all modern routers), then download and print the code. Guests point their phone camera at it and tap the prompt to join. No typing, no spelling out passwords. ToolMany's QR Code Generator builds the code in your browser, so your password is not sent anywhere.

What a Wi-Fi QR code actually contains

A Wi-Fi QR code holds a short line of text in a standard format that phones recognise, for example:

WIFI:S:Cafe Guest;T:WPA;P:coffee-and-cake-24;;

• S: is the network name;
• T: is the security type (WPA, WEP or nopass);
• P: is the password.

Special characters such as ;, ,, :, \ and " in the name or password have to be escaped with a backslash, or phones misread the code. ToolMany does this for you. (We found and fixed a bug here in October 2026: earlier versions did not escape these characters.)

Because the password is stored as plain text inside the code, anyone who scans it, or photographs it, can read the password. That is the whole point, but it shapes where you put it.

Step by step

1. Find your exact network name. Check it on a connected phone's Wi-Fi settings, or on the router label. It is case-sensitive: HomeNet and homenet are different networks.
2. Find the password. Usually on the router label if you have never changed it, or in your router's admin page.
3. Open the QR Code Generator and choose WiFi Network.
4. Enter the network name and password.
5. Choose the security type:
   • WPA / WPA2 / WPA3: the right choice for almost every router made in the last 15 years;
   • WEP: only for very old equipment (and a sign the router should be replaced);
   • Open / no password: for networks with no password, such as some public hotspots.
6. Test it with your phone camera before printing: it should offer to join the network. Test with an iPhone and an Android phone if you can; both have supported Wi-Fi QR codes in their camera apps for several years.
7. Download as PNG for quick printing, or SVG for sharp results at any size.

Use a guest network if your router has one

Most modern routers can broadcast a separate guest network. It gives visitors internet access while keeping them away from your own devices: shared drives, printers, smart cameras. For a Wi-Fi QR code that you leave on display, a guest network is the better choice:

• you can change its password without disrupting your own devices;
• if the code is photographed and shared, only guest access is exposed;
• some routers let you limit guest speed or set a schedule.

Look for "Guest network" in your router's settings or app.

Designing the printed card

A plain code works, but a little context helps people trust and use it:

• A heading: "Free Wi-Fi: scan to connect".
• The network name and password in text below the code, for laptops and older phones that cannot scan.
• Size: at least 3–4 cm across for a table card; bigger for a wall sign read from a distance. Our QR code print size guide has a simple rule.
• Contrast: dark code on a light background. Avoid light-on-dark and busy backgrounds.
• Quiet zone: leave a clear margin around the code; do not crop it tight.

The generator's colour and logo options are fine for Wi-Fi codes too. If you add a logo, keep the error-correction level at Quartile or High so the code still scans with part of it covered, and test again.

Where to place it

• Homes: inside a kitchen cupboard door or on the fridge, not in a window facing the street.
• Holiday rentals: in the welcome folder or on the inside of the front door.
• Cafés, salons, waiting rooms: on table cards or at the counter, for a guest network.
• Offices: in meeting rooms, for the visitor network only.

Avoid places visible from outside, where a passer-by could photograph it.

When you change the password

A Wi-Fi QR code contains the password at the time you made it. If you change the password, every printed code stops working. Create a new code, test it, and replace the old printouts. Changing the guest password every few months, and after a busy season in a rental, is a reasonable habit.

Troubleshooting

• Phone says it cannot join: check the name and password for typos and capitalisation, and that the security type matches. Then test again.
• Network not found: some routers hide their network name. Hidden networks may need to be joined manually.
• 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz networks with different names: make a code for the one most devices can reach, often the 2.4 GHz or the combined network.
• Code will not scan: improve lighting, print it bigger, increase contrast, or remove the logo.
• Laptop cannot scan: laptops generally have no QR scanner for Wi-Fi, which is why the printed name and password below the code matter.

For other uses of static codes (links, contact cards, menus), see static QR codes that never expire.