QR Code for Wi-Fi Password: Free Generator

Every guest asks the same thing: "What is the Wi-Fi password?" And then comes the spelling: capital S, a zero and not the letter O, a dash, an underscore. A QR code ends all that. It is a small square picture that holds the network name and the password together, so a phone can read both in one go and join by itself. The free GetPlugzz QR Code Generator makes one in your browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.

How to make a Wi-Fi QR code in four steps

1. Open the generator and pick WiFi. It sits in the row of types next to Link / Text, Email, Phone, SMS and Contact.
2. Type the network name. Your router calls it the SSID, and it is simply the name you see in the Wi-Fi list on your phone. Copy it exactly, capital letters and spaces included.
3. Type the password and check the security. The password box shows dots, and a Show button lets you check what you typed. Security is already set to WPA/WPA2, which fits nearly every modern router. Pick WEP only for a very old one, and None (open) for a network without a password.
4. Download it. PNG is fine for screens and small prints. SVG stays sharp at any size, so choose it for a big poster. You can also wrap the code in a "Scan me" card.

The code appears while you type, so you can watch it change. Before printing anything, scan it with your own phone once, to be sure it connects.

What happens when a guest scans it

Most phones made in the last few years, iPhone and Android alike, can read a QR code with the normal camera app, no extra app needed. The phone recognises that this code is a Wi-Fi network and asks whether to join it. One tap, and the guest is online, without ever typing the password.

Think of a hotel key card. Instead of reading the room number and the door code aloud and hoping you remember them, the desk hands you a card, and the door simply opens. A Wi-Fi QR code is that card for your network.

Hidden networks and tricky passwords

If your network is hidden, meaning its name does not appear in the list and people have to type it in, tick This network is hidden. Without that tick, the phone looks for a visible network and may not find yours.

Passwords with symbols, such as a semicolon, a comma, a colon, a backslash or a quotation mark, work as well. The tool adds the protective marks that the format needs, so you can type the password exactly as it is. Just double-check upper and lower case, and the difference between zero and the letter O.

Is it safe to put the Wi-Fi password in a QR code?

The password is not hidden inside the code. It is simply written there, in a format that phones understand. Anyone who has the picture, or a photo of it, can read the password with a scanner app and join your network. So treat the code like the password itself: print it where only people you would give the password to can see it.

• Use a guest network if your router offers one. Put that one in the code, and your main network, with your own devices, stays private.
• Put it indoors. A sign on a window that faces the street shares the password with every passer-by who stops to scan.
• Changed the password? Make a new code. The old picture still holds the old password, so replace every print.
• Nothing is uploaded. The code is drawn in your browser, so your password never reaches us.

This is a paid link. If you buy through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure →

Where a Wi-Fi QR code comes in handy

• At home: on the fridge or in the guest room, so friends stop asking.
• In a rented flat or holiday home: in the welcome folder, so guests connect the moment they arrive.
• In a café, shop or waiting room: on the counter or the table.
• At the office: in the meeting room, for visitors.

New to QR codes in general? Colours, a logo in the middle and PNG versus SVG are explained in How to Make a Free QR Code That Never Expires. Want the same trick for a business card? See how to make a contact QR code.

Good to know before you start

FAQ