Wi-Fi QR Code: How to Make, Share and Scan One (Free, for Shops, Cafés and Clinics)

By Rohit GuptaUpdated 20 Oct 202613 min read

“Bhaiya, Wi-Fi ka password kya hai?” If you run a café, a clinic or a PG, you hear that line all day. Then you spell it out. Twice. Capital C, no space, the “0” is a zero.

A Wi-Fi QR code ends that routine.

Your customer points their phone camera at a small printed square, taps once, and they’re online. No spelling, no typos, no staff time.

It’s free, it never expires, and it takes about two minutes. But first you should know what that little square actually contains.

Open the free Wi-Fi QR code generator

Here’s the thing: a Wi-Fi QR code isn’t magic, and it isn’t encrypted. It’s a short line of text your phone knows how to read. Once you get that, making, printing and securing one gets simple.

In this guide I’ll walk you through:

• What’s inside a Wi-Fi QR code (the exact text format)
• How to make a printable one with our free generator
• How to share Wi-Fi as a QR code from Android and iPhone
• How to scan one on Android, iPhone and a Windows laptop
• Security and printing tips for cafés, clinics, hotels, PGs and coworking spaces

What is a Wi-Fi QR code, and how does it work?

A Wi-Fi QR code is an ordinary QR code holding one line of text that starts with WIFI:. When a phone scans it, the phone reads the network name, password and security type from that text and offers to join the network.

The format is documented on the ZXing “Barcode Contents” wiki (ZXing is an open-source barcode library), which labels it as working on Android and iOS 11+. Its example:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:mynetwork;P:mypass;;

Each piece is a letter, a colon, a value and a semicolon. The whole thing ends with two semicolons.

From the ZXing wiki, checked October 2026. It also lists fields for enterprise (WPA2-EAP) networks, which shops rarely need. The Wi-Fi Alliance’s WPA3 specification defines a “wifi” URI format too, registered with IANA.

Watch out for special characters

What if your password contains a semicolon? The phone would think the password ended there.

So the ZXing wiki says the characters \, ;, ,, " and : must be escaped with a backslash. The password chai;time becomes P:chai\;time;. Miss the backslash and the code still scans, but the phone gets the wrong password.

Notice something else? The password sits right there in plain text. Any basic QR reader app can show it. We’ll come back to that.

How to use our free Wi-Fi QR code generator (step by step)

To make a Wi-Fi QR code with our free tool, pick the Wi-Fi type, enter your network name (SSID) and password, choose the security type, set error correction, and download a PNG or SVG. No sign-up, and it takes about two minutes.

1. Open the tool and choose “Wi-Fi”. Go to our free Wi-Fi QR code generator and tap the “Wi-Fi” type.
2. Fill in “Network name (SSID)”. Copy it exactly as it appears in the Wi-Fi list. “Cafe_Guest” and “cafe_guest” are different networks.
3. Fill in “Password”. Exactly, again. If it has a semicolon, colon, comma, quote mark or backslash, relax: our generator adds the backslash escapes for you.
4. Pick “Security”. “WPA / WPA2 / WPA3” suits almost any modern router (it’s written as T:WPA in the code). “WEP” is only for very old routers. “No password” is for an open network.
5. Tick “Hidden network” only if your network name is hidden. If customers can see it in their Wi-Fi list, leave it unticked.
6. Choose “Code colour”, “Background” and “Error correction”. Keep the code dark and the background light. “Medium (recommended)” is fine for screens; pick “High (for print, logos, damage)” for a card that will get handled and splashed with chai.
7. Download. Set “Download size” (it starts at 1024px). “Download PNG” suits WhatsApp and Word; “Download SVG” stays sharp in print.
8. Test before you print. Scan it with an Android phone and an iPhone, and check each one actually joins the network.

What about the “Bulk (ZIP)” tab? It makes many codes at once from a list of links or text, like table-wise menu links. For Wi-Fi you usually need one code per network, so use the single Wi-Fi tab.

Doing it without our tool

Prefer another QR maker? Type the text yourself, for example WIFI:T:WPA;S:Cafe_Guest;P:yourpassword;;, into its plain “Text” option. Just add the backslash escapes by hand. Or, for a friend standing next to you, show the code straight from your phone, as below.

How do you share a Wi-Fi QR code from an Android phone?

On Android, open Settings, go to Network & internet, then Internet, tap the Wi-Fi network you’re connected to, and tap Share. Your phone shows a QR code that another device can scan to join the same network.

That’s from Google’s Android Help, which notes some Wi-Fi steps work only on Android 12 and up. Menu names vary a little by brand.

On a Samsung Galaxy, Samsung’s support page says: Settings → Connections → Wi-Fi, tap the settings icon next to the connected network, then tap QR code. Samsung also warns that a guest phone on an older Android version may not support joining by QR code.

How do you share a Wi-Fi QR code from an iPhone?

On an iPhone, open the Passwords app, tap Wi-Fi, tap your network, and tap Show Network QR Code. Anyone nearby can scan that code to join. Apple documents this inside the Passwords app, not in Settings.

That’s from Apple’s iPhone User Guide. Apple’s page on finding saved Wi-Fi passwords lists the Passwords app method under iOS 18. On older versions you can still reveal the password in Settings → Wi-Fi → Info button → Password, but Apple doesn’t document a QR code there.

On a Mac, Apple’s Passwords guide for Mac offers the same Show Network QR Code option.

The other iPhone way: Share Password

iPhones can also send the password to a nearby Apple device without any QR code. Per Apple Support, the other person picks your network on their iPhone, iPad or Mac, and you tap Share Password on your unlocked iPhone.

The catch? Both need Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, must be close together, can’t be using Personal Hotspot, and must be in each other’s contacts. Great for family. Useless for a stranger at table 4, or anyone on Android.

That’s why a printed QR code wins in a business: it works for every customer, on any phone, without you.

How do you scan a Wi-Fi QR code?

To scan a Wi-Fi QR code, open your phone’s camera, point it at the code without taking a photo, and tap the prompt that appears to join. On Android you can also use Google Lens; on a Windows 11 laptop, use the Camera app’s barcode mode.

From Pixel Phone Help, Apple Support and Microsoft Support, checked October 2026.

Do you need a separate “Wi-Fi QR code scanner” app? On most modern phones, no. The built-in camera does the job. If the camera ignores the code, try Google Lens before downloading anything.

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

It’s safe for a guest network, not for your main business network. A Wi-Fi QR code holds the password as plain readable text, so anyone who scans or photographs it can read it and pass it on.

Customers will photograph your table card. Some will forward it. That’s fine, as long as the network behind it can’t touch anything important.

Use a separate guest network

New Zealand’s government cyber security site, Own Your Online, says a guest network has its own name and a password you can share with customers, should only give internet access, and shouldn’t reach other devices on your business network.

Most routers have a “Guest network” setting. Turn it on, name it something like YourCafe_Guest, and put only that network in your QR code. Your billing PC, CCTV recorder and patient records should never share a network with customers.

Changing the password means reprinting

Change your Wi-Fi password, and every printed QR code you own stops working.

The password is baked into the code. There’s no link in between to update.

So plan for it. Bitdefender’s guest Wi-Fi guide suggests changing the guest password periodically, especially with lots of visitors. Print on cheap, easy-to-swap cards, not an engraved acrylic stand.

Wi-Fi QR code mistakes to avoid

• Your main office network in the code. Guest network only.
• Still on WEP. Bitdefender calls WPA2 the minimum and suggests WPA3 if your router supports it.
• One wrong capital letter in the network name or password.
• Missing escapes for special characters when you type the code text by hand.
• No test on both Android and iPhone before printing 50 cards.
• Old cards left up after a password change. Customers will blame your Wi-Fi.

How should you print and place a Wi-Fi QR code in your shop?

Print the Wi-Fi QR code dark on a light background, at least about 3 × 3 cm for a table or counter card, with a white border and High error correction. Place it where people sit or wait, and write the network name and password underneath.

• Keep the quiet zone. Keyence’s QR code guide says standard QR codes need a blank margin of 4 modules (the little squares) on each side. Our download includes a white border, so don’t crop it off in Canva.
• Use High error correction. Keyence lists the levels as L (7% of the code can be damaged), M (15%), Q (25%) and H (30%). Table cards get scratched, so pick H.
• Size for distance. About 3 × 3 cm or more for a table card; much bigger for a wall poster.
• SVG for print, PNG for WhatsApp.
• Matte, not glossy. Lamination glare can block a scan, so test first.
• Write the details underneath, like “Wi-Fi: Cafe_Guest · Password: masala2026”, for phones that can’t join from a QR code.

Where to put it, by type of business

• Cafés and restaurants: table tents, the menu card and the billing counter, next to your UPI QR code so customers can pay and connect in one place.
• Clinics and diagnostic centres: the waiting area at eye level, and the reception desk.
• Hotels and homestays: the key card sleeve or bedside table, plus a PNG in your WhatsApp welcome message.
• PGs and hostels: one code per floor or router on the notice board. Change the password when residents leave, then reprint.
• Coworking spaces: the entrance, hot desks and meeting rooms. Windows 11 laptops can scan with the Camera app.

Pair it with a review QR code

Someone who just joined your Wi-Fi is on their phone, relaxed and waiting. Good moment to ask for a review.

Put a “Scan to review us” code beside your Wi-Fi code. Make one with our Google review link generator, and read our Google reviews QR code guide on asking the right way. Never make Wi-Fi conditional on a review: Google’s review policy bans offering free goods or services in exchange for reviews.

Also tell Google you have Wi-Fi. Google Business Profile Help lists Wi-Fi as a yes/no attribute under Edit profile → More. A complete profile is part of good local SEO for shops and clinics.

Wi-Fi QR code: frequently asked questions

The bottom line

A Wi-Fi QR code is one of the cheapest upgrades for a café, clinic, hotel, PG or coworking space. It saves staff time, and nobody has to hear “Capital C, no space” again.

Remember three rules: guest network only, test on Android and iPhone, and reprint whenever you change the password.

Ready? Make your Wi-Fi QR code with our free generator, print it on a matte card, and put it where people sit and wait.

Want those customers to come back, leave reviews and find you on Google Maps? Get a free growth audit and we’ll show you what to fix first.

Rohit Gupta · Founder, 93Digital

Founder of 93Digital. Rohit has worked in SEO and digital marketing since 2007, through every major Google update, and runs paid ads with one rule: a campaign has to pay for itself.

Rohit on LinkedIn