A printed QR code keeps asking for the exact web address inside it, forever. If you change your website and that address stops answering, every code already printed is dead, and the only fix is reprinting. A dynamic code avoids this because the printed address never changes.
This is the most expensive mistake in the whole business of putting QR codes on things, and it almost never shows up until months later.
Somebody rebuilds the site. The old page URLs change. Nobody connects that to the five thousand flyers in a box, or the labels on stock already in shops.
What actually happens to a printed QR code#
Nothing, which is the problem. The code is a picture of a web address. It cannot learn a new one.
So the behavior depends entirely on what that old address does now:
- The page still exists: the code works.
- The page is gone but the site redirects it: the code works, through the redirect.
- The page is gone and nothing redirects: the code opens a 404.
- The whole domain is gone: the code opens nothing at all.
The last two are the ones that cost money, and the last one cannot be fixed by anybody.
Why does a site redesign break QR codes?#
A redesign rarely keeps URLs. A new platform numbers pages differently, a product page moves under a new category, a campaign page gets tidied away once the campaign ends.
Each of those is reasonable on its own. Together they quietly break every printed thing that pointed at the old address.
The team doing the redesign usually has no idea the codes exist. Nobody writes "we have QR codes in the wild" into a site brief.
What is the difference between a static and a dynamic code?#
A static code has the destination printed inside it, so changing where it goes means reprinting. A dynamic code has an address you control printed inside it, so you can repoint it whenever you like.
| Static code | Dynamic code | |
|---|---|---|
| What is printed | Your destination address | A short address you control |
| Change where it goes | Reprint everything | Edit it, instantly |
| If the destination moves | Breaks | Keeps working |
| Scan counts | None | Every scan |
A static code is the destination. A dynamic code is a signpost pointing at the destination, and you can turn the signpost.
That is the whole difference, and it is worth understanding before a print run rather than after. Our guide to QR codes versus barcodes covers where each one belongs. Static and dynamic codes covers how each one is made.
How do I fix QR codes that already stopped working?#
Work in this order, because the first step buys time.
- Find out what the printed address is. Scan one of the printed items with your phone.
- If you still own the domain, add a redirect from the old address to the new page. This fixes every printed code immediately.
- If the domain lapsed, try to renew it. A recently expired domain can often be recovered.
- If it is gone for good, those codes cannot be saved. Reprint, and use a dynamic code this time.
Step two is the one people miss. A redirect on your own server costs nothing and rescues the entire run.
How do I stop this happening again?#
Print a dynamic code, keep the domain renewing, and tell whoever rebuilds the site that printed codes exist. Those three habits remove the problem entirely.
- Print a dynamic code, so the printed address is one you control rather than one your site controls.
- If you must print a direct link, use an address you will never restructure, not a campaign page.
- Keep the domain on automatic renewal. A lapsed domain is the usual cause of the worst version of this.
- Before any site rebuild, tell whoever is doing it that printed codes exist and which addresses must keep answering.
What about product packaging?#
Packaging makes this sharper, because a product label can stay on shelves for years after it was printed.
That is why codes built to the GS1 standard are usually put on a subdomain like id.yourbrand.com rather than the main website. A subdomain is managed separately, so a site rebuild cannot touch it. Using your own web address explains how that is set up.
Questions people ask#
Can I edit a QR code after printing it?#
You can edit where a dynamic code goes, as often as you like. You cannot edit a static code, because the destination is the printed picture.
Will my QR codes stop working if I switch website platforms?#
Only if the addresses change and nothing redirects the old ones. Moving platforms almost always changes addresses, so plan the redirects first.
Do QR codes expire?#
The square itself does not. What expires is the thing it points at: a page, a domain, or a service that was hosting the link.
How do I check whether a printed code still works?#
Scan it with a phone camera and see where it lands. Do this before a reprint, not after.
Printing something soon? Make a dynamic code so the address on it never has to change.