How to Make a Wi-Fi QR Code (Free, Works on iPhone and Android)

A Wi-Fi QR code holds your network name, password, and security type. When a guest points their phone camera at it, the phone offers to join the network, with no typing. To make one, open the free Pretty QR editor, choose WiFi, type the network name (SSID) exactly, type the password, choose WPA/WPA2 for almost any modern router, and download the code. Scan it with your own phone before you print it.

The code has no link to a server, so it does not expire. It works until you change the password.

How do I make a Wi-Fi QR code step by step?

1. Open the editor at pretty-qr.com/design. No account needed.
2. Choose WiFi as the content type ("Join a network").
3. Network name (SSID): type it exactly as your phone shows it in the Wi-Fi list. Capital letters, spaces, and dashes count. CafeLuna-Guest and cafeluna-guest are different networks.
4. Password: type the Wi-Fi password, not the router's admin password. Leave it empty only for an open network.
5. Security: choose one of three:
   • WPA/WPA2: almost every home and business router from the last 15 years, including routers in WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode.
   • None (open): a network with no password.
   • WEP: only for very old equipment.
6. Hidden network: tick it only if your router does not broadcast the network name.
7. Style it if you like: colors, rounded dots, a frame with a label such as "Scan for Wi-Fi". Keep dark modules on a light background.
8. Download PNG for a screen or SVG for print.

Special characters in the name or password (;, :, ,, \) are fine. Pretty QR escapes them in the code for you, as the Wi-Fi QR format requires.

How do I test a Wi-Fi QR code before I print it?

Test with a phone that is not already on the network, or the phone just stays connected and the test proves nothing.

1. On the test phone, open Wi-Fi settings and forget the network.
2. Open the camera and point it at the code on your screen.
3. Tap the Join prompt. The phone should connect in a few seconds.
4. Repeat with a second phone, ideally one iPhone and one Android phone.

If the phone says it cannot join, the cause is almost always one of these:

• Name typo: the SSID differs by a capital letter or a space.
• Wrong password: often the router admin password instead of the Wi-Fi one.
• Wrong security type: for example WEP selected for a WPA2 network.
• WPA3-only router: some phones do not join a WPA3-only network from a WPA/WPA2 code. Switch the guest network to WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode, or test your guests' typical phones.

Is it safe to share Wi-Fi with a QR code?

The password is in the code as plain text. Any QR reader app shows it. So a Wi-Fi QR code is exactly as secret as writing the password on a card. Plan for that:

• Use a guest network. Most routers can make a second network for guests that cannot see your computers, printers, cameras, or till.
• Put the code where guests are, not in a window that faces the street.
• Change the guest password from time to time and print a new code, for example every few months.
• Do not use it for the main office network. That one belongs to devices, not visitors.

Where should I put a Wi-Fi QR code?

The QR code size guide explains these sizes. A Wi-Fi code with a 14-character name and a 13-character password has 33 × 33 modules, so it prints well at 3 cm.

Print the network name and password as text next to the code too. Laptops and some older phones cannot scan, and guests who cannot scan should not have to ask.

What makes a Wi-Fi QR code look good and still scan?

• A label: "Scan to join Wi-Fi" in a frame tells people what the code does before they scan. A bare code could be anything.
• Brand colors, dark on light: a deep brand color on a pale background passes 4.5:1 contrast. Our color guide has fifteen tested palettes.
• A small Wi-Fi icon or logo in the center is fine. Keep it under about 25% of the code.
• No glossy laminate directly over the code, or test it under the real lights first.

Guest network, exact network name, WPA/WPA2, and a test on a phone that is not already connected. Make your Wi-Fi QR code, free and with no account.

Questions? [email protected]