Share Your Wi-Fi Password With a QR Code (Cafés, Shops, Home)
If you repeat "what's the Wi-Fi password?" several times a day at a counter, a front door or a meeting room, one printed QR code ends it. Guests point a camera, tap once, and they are online. Building it takes about a minute — and this guide also covers exactly what goes inside the code and how to keep your password from leaking.
Type the network name and password on the WiFi tab and download PNG or SVG. Everything is processed inside your browser.
Let them scan instead of typing
Wi-Fi passwords are long, mix upper and lower case, and hide traps like 0 versus O. Read one out loud and it rarely works on the first try. A QR code removes the whole exchange: the connection details live in the code, so a guest only has to point a camera at it.
In a shop it saves staff time at the counter. At home you stop crawling behind the router whenever someone visits. Stuck on a meeting-room wall, it makes visitors self-sufficient.
Build one in a minute
- 1Open the QR code generator and pick the
WiFitab. - 2Type the network name (SSID) exactly as it appears, including capitals and spaces.
- 3Enter the password and choose the security type — normally
WPA. For an open network, pick thenopassoption. - 4Optionally set colors or drop your logo in the middle.
- 5Download as
PNGorSVG. For anything you will print, SVG stays sharp at any size. - 6Scan your own code with a phone before printing it.
The generator builds the code inside your browser and never uploads what you typed. Your password does not travel anywhere — you can even disconnect from the internet after the page loads.
A logo covers part of the pattern. Raise the error-correction level to H so scanners can still read it, and always test a logo version on more than one phone before printing.
Find your network details first
Network name and security type
- Windows: Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi, then click the connected network to see its name and security type (WPA2, WPA3 and so on).
- iPhone: Settings > Wi-Fi, then tap the ⓘ next to the connected network.
- Android: Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi, then tap the current network.
Whether you run WPA2 or WPA3, the QR format calls both WPA. Only the older WEP is listed separately, and hardly any current router uses it.
When you cannot remember the password
The factory password is usually printed on a label on the back or underside of the router. If it was changed, a Windows PC that is already connected can show the saved one — open Command Prompt and run:
netsh wlan show profile name="YourNetworkName" key=clearThe line labelled Key Content holds the password. On a Mac, search the network name in Keychain Access and tick Show password.
Android 10 and later can already show a QR code for the network you are on: Settings > Network & internet > Wi-Fi, tap the current network, then Share. That is quicker in the moment; use a generator when you want an image file to print and stick on a wall.
What is actually inside the code
A Wi-Fi QR code is nothing exotic. It holds a short string in an agreed format, and the phone's camera recognises that format and offers to join the network.
| Part | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
T: | Security type | WPA (covers WPA2/WPA3) · WEP · nopass |
S: | Network name (SSID) | CafeSunny |
P: | Password | coffee1234 |
H: | Hidden network | false (true if the SSID is hidden) |
If the password or network name contains ; : \ or ", each one has to be escaped with a backslash. Most generators handle it for you, but it is the first thing to suspect when a code refuses to scan.
As the diagram shows, the password is stored in the clear. Anyone who photographs the code can read it. For anywhere public, generate the code from a guest network.
What guests see
| Device | How | What appears |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone (iOS 11+) | Stock Camera app | A 'Join Network' banner at the top — tap it |
| Android (10+) | Stock camera or Google Lens | A 'Connect to network' prompt — tap it |
| Older phones | Needs a QR scanner app | Some apps just display the password |
Joining usually takes two or three seconds. If no banner appears, check these:
- QR scanning may be switched off in the camera app. On Android, enable 'Scan QR codes' in camera settings.
- The network name may be wrong — capitals and spaces have to match exactly.
- The guest's phone may not support 5 GHz while the code points at a 5 GHz-only network.
- If the password changed and the code was not rebuilt, it simply cannot work.
Do it safely: use a guest network
Printing your main Wi-Fi password as a QR code is riskier than it looks. Every device that joins stores the password and can come back later, and it now sits on the same network as your NAS, printer and cameras.
Almost every current router offers a guest network. Open 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 in a browser, or use the manufacturer's app, then give the guest network its own name and password and build the QR code from those.
- Name it so the difference is obvious, for example
CafeSunny-Guest. - Turn on client isolation (often called AP isolation) so guest devices cannot see each other either.
- If there is an option to block the router's admin page from the guest network, enable it.
- Rotate the guest password every few months and reprint the code when you do.
Printing and placing it
- Print it at least 3 cm across. Wi-Fi codes carry a lot of characters, so the pattern is dense and small prints scan poorly.
- Leave white space around the code. Decorative borders touching the pattern hurt recognition.
- Keep the contrast strong: dark code, light background, even when using brand colors.
- Laminate it or slot it into an acrylic stand for counters and tables.
- Add a line like 'Scan with your camera to join our Wi-Fi' so guests know what it is for.
After printing, test it where it will actually live, standing where a guest would stand, with both an iPhone and an Android phone. Glare and awkward heights break codes that scanned perfectly on screen.
FAQ
Q. Does this work on both iPhone and Android?
Yes. iPhones running iOS 11 or later read it with the stock Camera app, and Android 10 or later works with the stock camera or Google Lens. Older devices need a QR scanner app.
Q. Does a printed code expose my password?
Yes, by design. A Wi-Fi QR code stores the password without encryption, so anyone who photographs and decodes it can read it. That is exactly why codes on public display should be built from a guest network rather than your main one.
Q. Do I have to rebuild the code when I change the password?
Yes. The old code still carries the old password, so it will fail. Generate and print a new one whenever the password changes.
Q. My 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks have different names. What now?
Different names need separate codes. If you only want to post one, use the 2.4 GHz network — more devices support it. If your router merges both bands under a single name, one code covers everything.
Q. Can guests join a hidden network this way?
They can, as long as the hidden flag is set (H:true) so the phone knows to look for it. Tick the hidden option in the generator; if it has none, either unhide the network or write the string yourself.
Type the network name and password on the WiFi tab and download PNG or SVG. Everything is processed inside your browser.