The short answer
In the generator below, Wi-Fi is already selected. Type the Network name exactly as it appears on your phone, type the Password, choose the Security your router uses (WPA/WPA2/WPA3 for almost every home and office network), and tick Hidden network only if your network name is not broadcast. The code updates as you type. Test it with your own phone, then press PNG or SVG to download it.
Guests open the camera, point it at the code and tap the join prompt. Current iPhones and Android phones do this from the built in camera app without any extra app.
Try it here: Wi-Fi QR Code
Open the full tool pageWhat is inside a Wi-Fi QR code
A Wi-Fi QR code is not a link. It holds a short piece of text in a format that phones recognize, for example WIFI:T:WPA;S:CafeGuest;P:coffee2024;; where T is the security type, S the network name and P the password. When the camera reads it, the phone fills in the network settings for you.
Because the content sits inside the code, it is static: it never expires, needs no account and keeps working even if this website disappeared. It also means the code stops working the day you change the password or rename the network, and you need to make and print a new one. Special characters such as semicolons, commas and quotes in the name or password are escaped automatically, so they do not break the code.
Choosing the security type
The security type in the code must match your router, or phones will try the wrong method and fail to connect. You can check it in the router's admin page under the wireless or Wi-Fi security settings, or on a computer that is already connected to the network.
| Router setting | Choose in the generator | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| WPA2 Personal (WPA2-PSK) | WPA/WPA2/WPA3 | The most common setting on home and office routers |
| WPA3 Personal or WPA2/WPA3 mixed | WPA/WPA2/WPA3 | Older phones may not support WPA3 only networks at all |
| WPA Personal (old) | WPA/WPA2/WPA3 | Outdated; consider switching the router to WPA2 or WPA3 |
| WEP | WEP | Insecure and easy to crack; upgrade the router setting if you can |
| Open network | No password | Anyone in range can join; the password field is ignored |
| WPA2 or WPA3 Enterprise | Not supported | Networks with a username and certificate cannot be shared this way |
Hidden networks
If your router does not broadcast its network name, phones cannot see it in the Wi-Fi list, and the code needs to tell them to look for it anyway. Tick Hidden network in that case. The network name must then be typed exactly, including capital letters and spaces, because the phone cannot correct it from a list.
Hiding a network does not make it more secure; the name is still visible to anyone with the right tools. For guests, a visible network with a strong password is easier and just as safe.
Printing it for guests, a shop or an office
Download SVG for print, because a vector file stays sharp at any size. PNG is fine for a screen, a message or a document, and the PNG size option controls its resolution. Keep a dark code on a light background and leave the margin around it.
As a rule of thumb, the code should be at least about one tenth as wide as the distance it will be scanned from. A table card read from arm's length works at 3 to 4 cm; a sign on a wall scanned from 2 meters away needs about 20 cm.
- Home: a small framed card near the router or the front door, with the network name printed under the code for people who prefer to type.
- Cafe, restaurant, shop: table tents, the menu, the counter or the receipt. Add a short line such as Scan to join our Wi-Fi.
- Hotel, rental apartment: a card in each room or in the welcome folder. Print a new set when you change the password.
- Office and events: on the reception desk, on name badges or on the slide shown before a talk.
Security tips and common problems
- Anyone who scans the code, or photographs it, can read the password. For guests and customers, use a separate guest network on your router so visitors cannot reach your own computers, printers or cameras.
- Phone does not offer to join: check that the camera app has QR scanning switched on, or use the QR scanner in the control center or quick settings. Some older Android phones need Google Lens.
- Joins but fails to connect: the password or security type is wrong, or the name has a different capital letter. Generate the code again and test it on your own phone before printing.
- Network name with emoji or unusual characters: some phones handle them poorly. A plain name is the most reliable.
- A logo in the middle is fine: when you add one, error correction is raised to the highest level automatically so the code still scans. Test the printed code anyway.
- Phones can share too: Android can show a QR code for the network you are connected to in the Wi-Fi settings, and recent iPhones can show one from the saved network details. A printed code is handier when you are not there.