One scan, and they’re on the Wi-Fi

A Wi-Fi QR code stores your network’s name, security type and password in a string format every modern phone understands. Guests point their camera at the printed code, tap once, and join — no spelling out “capital N, lowercase o, the year” across the room. Because the credentials are embedded in the pattern itself, the code works forever and needs no app, account or internet connection.

Getting the details right

The SSID is case-sensitive — GuestWifi and guestwifi are different networks. Copy it from the router label or your own device’s network list rather than memory. Passwords are escaped automatically: if yours contains a semicolon, comma, colon, quote or backslash, the generator adds the backslashes the format requires so the phone still reads it verbatim.

For WPA/WPA2/WPA3 networks choose WPA — scanners interpret it as the WPA family as a whole. WEP exists for legacy gear only (it is insecure; upgrade if you can), and Open is for cafés and venues that run a password-free network. Tick Hidden network if your router doesn’t broadcast its SSID — the flag tells phones to look for a network that isn’t announced.

Where people print these

Rental listings and Airbnbs (the single most-requested house instruction), cafés and bars, office guest networks, waiting rooms, wedding venues. Print it at business-card size or bigger — the print-size guide has the minimums. A Wi-Fi code’s payload is short, so it compresses to a low version that scans from a metre away on almost any phone.

Privacy note

Your credentials never leave this page. The string is assembled and encoded by JavaScript in this tab — you can disconnect from the internet and still generate the code. The only thing that ever shares your Wi-Fi password is the printed square itself.

Frequently asked questions

How does a Wi-Fi QR code actually work?

The pattern encodes a text string like WIFI:T:WPA;S:GuestWifi;P:correct-horse;;. The camera app on iOS and Android recognises that format and offers to join the network directly — no typing. The format is a convention popularised by the ZXing barcode project, not part of the ISO standard itself.

My SSID or password has a semicolon or space — will it break?

Not here. The Wi-Fi format reserves the backslash, semicolon, comma, colon and double-quote, so this tool escapes them automatically (my;net becomes S:my\;net;). What you type is what the phone joins.

WPA, WPA2, WPA3 — which do I choose?

Choose WPA. Phones treat T:WPA as 'any WPA-family security', and it covers WPA2 and WPA3 networks in practice. Pick WEP only for genuinely old routers, and Open for networks with no password at all.

Is it safe to print my Wi-Fi password in a QR code?

The password is readable by anyone who can see the printed code — that is the point. Put it where you would tell a guest the password anyway: the kitchen wall, the front desk, the Airbnb welcome card. Never post a photo of it publicly, and prefer a guest network so the code never exposes your main one.

Why is my code not joining the network?

Three usual suspects: the SSID is case-sensitive and must match the router exactly; an 'open' network must not carry a password; and hidden networks need the hidden network box ticked so the phone knows to probe for it. Use the built-in test scan to inspect the exact string encoded.