Printed a QR code that suddenly leads nowhere? The image itself never expires, so when a code stops working the cause is almost always somewhere else. Here is what usually goes wrong, and what to check before you print your next batch.
The image never expires
A QR code is a pattern of squares that stores a piece of text, usually a web address. Nothing in the pattern counts down or runs out. If a phone can read it, the phone gets the same text today as it will in ten years.
So a broken QR code is rarely a broken image. Something changed between the code and the page it points to.
Static codes break when the page moves
A static QR code stores the destination itself, for example https://example.com/menu. Scanning it opens that address directly, with no service in between.
That makes static codes very durable, with one catch: if the page is renamed, moved or taken down, every printed copy points at a page that no longer exists. The only fix is to print a new code.
Dynamic codes break when the redirect is switched off
A dynamic (or trackable) QR code stores a short address run by a QR or link provider. When someone scans it, the provider redirects them to the destination you chose. That is what lets you change the destination after printing and count scans.
The trade-off is that the code only works while the provider keeps that redirect running. Some providers deactivate dynamic codes when a trial ends, a subscription is cancelled or a payment fails. The printed code still scans, but the address behind it no longer goes anywhere.
Other common causes
- The destination is down. The website is offline, or the page was deleted.
- The domain expired. If the domain in the address lapses, nothing on it loads, whether the code is static or dynamic.
- The code can’t be read. It was printed too small, with too little contrast, on a reflective surface, or with a logo covering too much of the pattern.
- The link was ended on purpose. Someone deleted it or set an expiration date.
Questions to ask before you print
- What happens to my dynamic codes if I cancel, downgrade or a payment fails?
- Can I change the destination after the code is printed?
- Can I export my links and codes if I move to another service?
- If I delete a code, could its address ever be given to someone else?
If a provider can’t answer the first question clearly, assume your printed codes depend on staying subscribed.
How Bikto handles it
Bikto keeps existing trackable QR codes and short links redirecting after you cancel, including after your paid period ends. Short codes are never released, so a printed code can’t start pointing at someone else’s page. You can change the destination at any time, and a code stops working only when you delete it, set an expiration date, or it is blocked for safety. The details are in our Terms of Service.
If you don’t need editing or scan counts, a static code is the simplest option: it depends on nothing but the page it opens. You can make one for free, without an account, with the QR code generator.