Do QR codes expire? Static codes don't. Dynamic ones can stop working
A static QR code never expires. The address it opens is printed in the pattern itself, so as long as the code can be scanned, it opens the same address. A dynamic QR code is different: it points at the generator's own short link, and it works only while that service keeps forwarding scans. Some popular generators stop forwarding when a free trial ends, and from then on the printed code opens their service page instead of yours.
Static codes: nothing to expire
The QR code was invented in 1994 by Denso Wave, which chose not to exercise its patent, and it became the international standard ISO/IEC 18004 in 2000. A code stores its data in the black and white modules, with error correction that recovers the data even when part of the code is dirty or damaged. There is no date in it and no server behind it. A phone reads the address straight from the pattern.
That has two consequences. A static code can't be switched off by anyone, including whoever made it. And it can't be changed: if the page it opens moves or is taken down, the code opens a dead page, and every printed copy has to be replaced.
Dynamic codes: they work while the redirect does
A dynamic code encodes a short link that belongs to the generator. Each scan goes to the generator's server, which sends the visitor on to your page. That is what lets you change the destination after printing and count the scans. It also means the code depends on that server: if the service stops forwarding, the code stops working, even though the print is perfect.
When a dynamic code "expires", nothing happened to the code. The account behind it lost the right to have its links forwarded.
What some generators say happens
From each company's own pricing, help or blog pages, checked on 11 September 2026. Plans change, so read the current page before you rely on one.
| Generator | What they say |
|---|---|
| QR Code Generator (owned by Bitly) | Starts with a 14-day free trial. Its own blog, about dynamic codes: "If you stop paying, the links pause." |
| QR.io | Dynamic codes "will be paused" when the free trial ends. Static codes "do not expire". |
| QRFY | A 7-day trial. At the end, dynamic codes "will be deactivated and linked to a service page". |
| Uniqode | Dynamic codes "only expire if your Uniqode account is canceled", after which scans reach an error page. |
| Flowcode | Codes "will continue to scan" after a downgrade, or when a contract isn't renewed. |
| Bitly | The free plan makes 2 QR codes a month with unlimited scans, and codes "stay active as long as your account is". |
| QR Code Monkey, Adobe Express | Both make static codes, and both say the codes never expire. |
So a free trial of a dynamic generator can mean codes that stop when the trial does, while a free static generator means codes that never stop but can't be edited or counted. Which one you get depends on the company, and it is written down on their site.
How to tell which kind you have
Scan the code with your phone's camera and look at the address it shows before you open it. If it is your own page, the code is static and will keep working as long as that page exists. If it is a short address on the generator's domain, the code is dynamic, and it depends on that account.
Before you print
- Scan a test print and check which address it shows, as above.
- Read the generator's page on what happens when a trial ends or a plan is cancelled. Most have one. If you can't find it, assume the codes stop.
- If you want to edit it later without paying anyone, make a static code that points at a page on your own site, like
yoursite.com/menu. Change the page whenever you like; the code never has to change. - If you want scan counts, you need a dynamic code, so pick a service whose free plan keeps codes working without a time limit, and keep the account.
More on printing codes that scan well: how to make a QR code for a poster, flyer or product label.
How Urlicer handles it
The free QR code generator makes static codes. It needs no account, and the codes encode your address directly, so they never expire.
In a free account, every short link gets a QR code that points at the short link, so you can change the destination and see scans. There is no trial: links in a workspace don't expire unless you set a date, on the free plan too. If a workspace goes past its plan's monthly tracked clicks, its codes keep scanning; only the counting stops for the rest of the month.
Where our codes do stop: a link made on the home page without an account expires after 30 days, and its QR code stops with it, so don't print one of those. Deleting a link, or the account it belongs to, also stops its code.
Printing something that has to keep working? Make the code in a free account, or use the static generator if you'll never need to change it.