A static QR code does not expire. The link is stored in the pattern of squares itself, so there is no clock inside it, and it keeps working as long as the page it points to stays online. What can stop working is everything around the code: that web page, a paid service behind a dynamic code, or a printed copy that gets scratched or faded. Each cause has a simple check, and doing them before printing saves a trip back to replace a sign.
Make my QR code ↑A QR code is a picture that stores information as a pattern of squares. In a static code, that information is the link itself. When someone scans it, the phone reads the pattern and opens the link. No server is asked for permission, no account is checked, and no clock is running.
That is how the codes from this tool work. They are made in your browser with the link baked into the image, so there is nothing to renew and nothing that can be switched off. Think of a web address printed on a sign: the ink does not expire, though the website it names might.
When people say a QR code expired, one of these is usually the real cause.
Start with the link. Pick an address you control and expect to keep, such as a page on your own website, rather than a temporary or per-event link. If the content may change someday, point the code at a stable page and update what that page shows, so the code itself never has to change.
Then test and back up. Scan the downloaded image before it goes to print, keep the original PNG in at least two places, and write down which link each printed code uses. A year from now you will know exactly what to check if someone reports a problem.
A static QR code does not. The link is stored in the picture, so there is no built-in expiry date. Codes that stop working are usually dynamic codes tied to an ended plan, or static codes pointing to a page that is no longer online.
Open the link in a browser and see whether the page still loads. If it does, look at the printed code for scratches or fading and try scanning in better light. If the code came from a service with a plan, check whether that plan is still active.
It depends on the type. A free dynamic code may stop if the service ends the trial or removes its free codes. A static code, like the ones made by this tool, has the link inside the image and cannot be switched off by anyone.
Paper and ink do. Sun fades black ink, scratches break up the pattern, and water can smear it. Error correction helps with minor damage, but it has limits. Keep your PNG so you can print a fresh copy whenever you need one.
As long as the link inside it works and the printed copy stays readable. There is nothing to renew, because the codes are static. If the destination page ever moves, make a new code and replace the old one.
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