Generator · Wi-Fi QR code

Wi-Fi QR code generator

Print one small square and guests stop asking for the password. The code carries the network name, the password and the security type; the phone reads it and joins by itself.

Free
No sign-up
No expiry
Commercial use

Short answer

A Wi-Fi QR code encodes your network name, password and security type in a standard format that phones understand natively. Scanning it with the camera prompts a one-tap join, with no typing. It works on iOS 11 and later and Android 10 and later, no app required.

What this actually exposes

Be clear-eyed about this: the password is stored in plain text inside the pattern. Anyone who photographs your printed code can decode it with a free tool and read the password in seconds. The code is a convenience, not a lock.

That is fine for a guest network and wrong for your main one. The setup that works:

Put the code on a separate guest SSID, isolated from the network your card reader, till system and office machines sit on.
Turn on client isolation (sometimes called AP isolation or guest mode) in the router so guests cannot see each other's devices.
Rotate the guest password on a schedule you can live with — quarterly is realistic for a café, monthly for a co-working space. Reprint the card when you do.
Never encode the password to the network that runs your point-of-sale.

Which phones join automatically

Device	Behaviour	Notes
iPhone, iOS 11+	Camera shows a Join Network banner	Works from the stock camera, no app
Android 10+	Camera or Google Lens offers to connect	Some skins need the Lens button
Android 7–9	Usually needs a QR scanner app	Manufacturer-dependent
Windows 11 laptop	No native support	Print the password as text too
macOS	No native camera scan	Share from a nearby iPhone instead

Always print the network name and password as readable text beneath the code. It costs you two lines and saves the one guest in ten whose phone will not cooperate.

Characters that break Wi-Fi codes

The Wi-Fi payload uses semicolons and colons as separators, so a password containing those characters has to be escaped. The generator handles it, but if you are building the string by hand the format is:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:Cafe Guest;P:flatwhite2026;;

Escape \, ;, ,, : and " inside the SSID and password with a backslash. Two other traps:

SSID case matters. Cafe Guest and cafe guest are different networks.
Hidden networks need the flag. If the router does not broadcast its name, tick the hidden option or phones will search for a network they cannot see.
WPA3-only networks are read as WPA by most phones and connect fine; leave the security set to WPA.

Frequently asked

Can someone steal my Wi-Fi password from the QR code?

Yes — anyone who can photograph the code can decode the password from it. Use this on a guest network only, and keep your main network on a password that is never printed.

Does it work on iPhone without an app?

Yes. On iOS 11 and later, pointing the stock camera at the code shows a Join Network banner. Android 10 and later behaves the same way through the camera or Google Lens.

Why does my code say the password is wrong?

Almost always a character escaping issue or a case mismatch in the network name. Copy the SSID exactly as the router broadcasts it, and check for a trailing space when you paste.

Does the code still work after I change the password?

No. The password is inside the pattern, so changing it means generating and reprinting a new code. This is worth planning for before you order 500 laminated table cards.

Keep going

Last reviewed 24 August 2026 · Checked by the QR Code Builder team