How to make a QR code
A QR code from some free generators stops working the moment their account expires, because it points at a short link, not your content. Here is how to make one that never does.
Static vs dynamic QR codes
A static QR code encodes your actual content, a URL, Wi-Fi details or a contact card, directly in its pattern; it works forever because there is no server involved in reading it. A dynamic QR code instead encodes a short link the generator controls, which redirects to your real content; that lets the company track scans and let you change the destination later, but the code stops working the moment their service goes down or your free plan expires.
Free QR generators that expire
Many popular QR code sites default to a dynamic code without saying so clearly, and print a warning only after your free trial ends: the printed poster or menu with that code now leads nowhere, because the underlying redirect was switched off. For anything printed and left up for months or years, like a menu, a plaque or packaging, that is a real risk.
In design software
Canva and similar design tools can generate a QR code inside a design, which is convenient when the code is already part of a flyer, but most route through the same kind of short-link service under the hood, with the same expiry risk if you later cancel a plan tied to it.
Making a code that never expires
Stayput's QR code generator builds a static code directly in the browser: for a link, Wi-Fi network, contact card, email or phone number. Your content is not uploaded to generate it, so there is no account to lapse and no redirect to go dark; the code is only as permanent as the content stays valid, such as a Wi-Fi password that later changes.
Questions
Why did my QR code stop working after a year?
It was likely a dynamic code pointing at a short link controlled by the generator's service; once that service stopped redirecting, whether from an expired plan or the company shutting down, the code led nowhere.
How can I tell if a QR code generator makes a static or dynamic code?
Scan the result before printing anything: if the URL shown is the generator's own short domain rather than your actual link, it is dynamic. A tool that builds the code entirely in your browser, with no account, is generating a static one.
Can I make a Wi-Fi QR code without typing my password into a website?
Yes, with a browser-based generator like Stayput's Wi-Fi QR code page, which builds the code on your device and never sends the password anywhere.
Does a static QR code cost anything or need an account?
No. Since nothing is generated or stored on a server, there is no plan to pay for and no account needed to keep it working.