Language: English
Language
- English
- Español
- Português
- Français
- Deutsch
- Italiano
- Nederlands
- Polski
- Türkçe
- Русский
- Українська
- العربية
- فارسی
- עברית
- اردو
- हिन्दी
- বাংলা
- தமிழ்
- తెలుగు
- मराठी
- ગુજરાતી
- ಕನ್ನಡ
- മലയാളം
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Bahasa Melayu
- Tiếng Việt
- ไทย
- Filipino
- 日本語
- 한국어
- 简体中文
- 繁體中文
- Svenska
- Dansk
- Norsk
- Suomi
- Čeština
- Română
- Magyar
- Ελληνικά
- Slovenčina
- Slovenščina
- Hrvatski
- Srpski
- Български
- Lietuvių
- Latviešu
- Eesti
- Kiswahili
Why won't my QR code scan?
A checklist of the reasons a QR code fails to scan, from contrast and quiet zones to expired links and dead redirects, each with the fix.
Tick the things you have already checked.
Read the fix for each remaining cause.
Upload the code to the tester to confirm it scans.
Questions
My QR code scans on screen but not on the print. Why?+
Print is smaller, lower contrast and further from the camera. The usual causes are a size that is too small for the distance, ink spread on textured paper, or a busy background touching the code.
The code scans but the page does not open. Why?+
The link is the problem, not the code. Expired short links, a dead redirect, or a site that blocks in-app browsers. A dynamic code lets you fix the destination without reprinting.
Does a logo in the middle break the code?+
It can, if it covers too much or sits on a finder pattern. Keep any logo under 20% of the area and away from the corners, and raise error correction.
How do I check without printing a hundred copies?+
Use the tester on this site. It puts the image itself through real-world conditions.
More free tools
Learn the terms
- Quiet zoneThe quiet zone is the blank margin around a QR code. The standard asks for four modules of clear space on every side, two for Micro QR, so a scanner can tell where the code begins.
- Finder patternA finder pattern is one of the three large squares in the corners of a QR code. Each is 7 × 7 modules, and together they let a scanner find the code and work out its angle.
- Error correction levelsError correction levels set how much of a QR code can be damaged and still scan. There are four: L recovers about 7% of codewords, M about 15%, Q about 25% and H about 30%.
- Contrast and colorA QR code needs strong contrast between dark and light modules to scan reliably. Color is fine if the dark modules are much darker than the background, and dark-on-light reads more widely than inverted codes.
- Logos in QR codesA logo in a QR code covers some modules and relies on error correction to fill in the missing data. It works when the logo is small, the finder patterns stay clear, and the code is tested before printing.
The next step
Make the code the artwork.
These tools make and check classic codes. AriaQR turns your photo, logo or illustration into the code itself, verified on real decoders before you download, with a link you can edit and track.
