How to Create a Wi-Fi QR Code — Free, Step by Step

A Wi-Fi QR code replaces the most awkward small-talk ritual in modern life: reading out a sixteen-character password, twice, with "capital F... no, lowercase". Point a phone at the code, tap once, and the device joins the network.

Both iPhones and Android phones support this natively through the camera — no app to install. Here's how to make one that works.

Step by step

Open the Wi-Fi QR code generator
Enter your network name (SSID) — exactly as it appears in your phone's Wi-Fi list. Capitalization matters.
Enter the password — again, exactly. Passwords are case-sensitive.
Pick the security type — WPA/WPA2/WPA3 for virtually every modern network, WEP only for ancient equipment, or "None" for open networks
Tick "Hidden network" if your router doesn't broadcast its name
Download the QR code as PNG or SVG

The network details are encoded directly into the QR code, on your device — nothing is uploaded, which matters for a code whose entire job is carrying your password.

Finding your exact network details

The surest way to avoid typos: on a phone that's already connected to the network, open the Wi-Fi settings and copy the network name from the list. For the password, if you never changed it, it's printed on a sticker on the router (often labeled WPA key, password, or PIN).

If guests can join but the network name doesn't show for them, you may have a hidden SSID — tick the hidden-network box and regenerate.

Why security type matters

Wi-Fi QR codes encode the security type along with the name and password, because phones need it to attempt the right kind of connection:

WPA / WPA2 / WPA3 — pick this one for almost every network set up in the last fifteen years. Current phones handle all three through this single setting.
WEP — the 1990s standard. Only choose it if your equipment is genuinely that old (and consider upgrading the router instead).
None — open networks with no password. Cafés and shops sometimes use these behind a captive portal (the web page that asks you to accept terms); a QR code can join the network, but you'll still have to accept the portal in the browser.

Special characters are handled for you

Network names and passwords full of symbols — Home;Net"2026 or p@$$w0rd! — are where many Wi-Fi QR generators quietly break, because five specific characters (\ ; , " :) have structural meaning in the Wi-Fi format and must be escaped. The generator here escapes them correctly, so enter your details exactly as they are. If a code from another tool refuses to connect, an escaping bug is the most likely culprit.

Scanning: what your guests see

iPhone: the camera recognizes the code and shows a "Join Wi-Fi Network" notification at the top of the screen. One tap and they're connected.
Android: the camera or QR scanner offers to connect to the network. On some models you confirm with a tap; others join immediately.
Older phones: any free QR scanner app handles it.

No password is shown on the guest's screen — the phone uses it silently to connect.

Sharing Wi-Fi responsibly

A Wi-Fi QR code contains your password. That's the feature — and the caveat:

Anyone who can photograph the printed code can join (and share it further)
Treat a printed Wi-Fi code like a copy of the password itself: fine in your living room or on the café wall, unwise in a public post
For homes with smart devices you care about, a separate guest network (most routers offer one) keeps visitors isolated from your main network — put the guest network's details in the QR code, not the main one

If you ever change the password, the old code stops working — the phone will keep trying the old password and fail. Just generate a fresh code and swap out the print.

Where to put the printed code

Frame it in the hallway for houseguests — a small card with the network name and code does the trick
The fridge or coffee table in rental apartments, with a friendly "scan to join" label (vacation-rental guests will love you)
Table tents or wall decals in cafés — 3 × 3 cm minimum, larger is friendlier; see the QR code size guide
Near the router at home, so future-you doesn't crawl under the desk to read a sticker

Printing tip: keep the code at least 2 cm wide and don't laminate it behind glossy plastic that catches the light at exactly the angle everyone scans from.

Troubleshooting

The code scans but the phone won't connect. In order of likelihood: a typo in the SSID or password, wrong security type, or a very old phone. Double-check the SSID against your phone's Wi-Fi list, character by character.

It works on Android but not iPhone (or vice versa). Check the security type first — "None" with a captive portal behaves differently on the two platforms. Extremely long passwords (63 characters is the WPA maximum) can also trip up some scanners.

Guests see the code but nothing happens when they scan. Old iOS versions (before iOS 11) don't support Wi-Fi codes natively; those users need a scanner app, or your hotspot password written out the old way as backup.

How to Create a Wi-Fi QR Code (Guests Join With One Scan)