QR code for Wi-Fi: share your network with one scan

"What's the Wi-Fi password?" is usually followed by a small ceremony: finding the router sticker, squinting at tiny print, and spelling out something like Kx7-bravo-underscore-9 while your guest types it wrong twice. A Wi-Fi QR code ends all of that. Your guest points their phone camera at the code, taps "Join", and they're online. This guide explains the format phones expect, shows worked examples, and covers the safety points worth knowing.

The Wi-Fi format, piece by piece

Phones recognise a QR code as a Wi-Fi login when the text inside follows one specific pattern:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:YourNetworkName;P:YourPassword;;

• WIFI: — the label that tells the phone "this is a network login".
• T:WPA — the security type. Almost every home network is WPA (this also covers WPA2 and WPA3). Old networks may be WEP; a network with no password uses nopass.
• S:YourNetworkName — the network name (SSID), spelled exactly, including capitals and spaces.
• P:YourPassword — the password, again exactly as the router expects it.
• ;; — the double semicolon at the end simply closes the format. Don't leave it off.

If your network is hidden (it doesn't broadcast its name), add H:true before the closing semicolons: WIFI:T:WPA;S:HomeNet;P:secret123;H:true;;

Making the code in four steps

1. Find your exact network name and password — the router's sticker, your router app, or a device that's already connected can show them.
2. Build your string using the pattern above, then paste it into the QRGen generator.
3. Choose size 512 for a crisp print, keep the classic dark-on-white colors, and download the PNG.
4. Test it with a phone that is not already connected (or "forget" the network on your own phone first). It should offer to join without typing anything.

Worked examples

Typical home network: name MapleStreet, password coffee2026, WPA security →
WIFI:T:WPA;S:MapleStreet;P:coffee2026;;

Open network (café, no password): name CafeGuest →
WIFI:T:nopass;S:CafeGuest;;

Password with a special character: password sun;day — the semicolon must be escaped with a backslash →
WIFI:T:WPA;S:HomeNet;P:sun\;day;;

The escape rule matters more than any other detail in this guide: inside the password (and the network name), put a backslash before any of these characters if they appear: ; , " and \ itself. Everything else can be typed normally.

Where to put the code

Homes: on the fridge, inside a kitchen cupboard door, or in a small frame near the router. Holiday rentals and Airbnbs: in the welcome book or on the back of the front door, where guests look first. Cafés and salons: a table tent or a sign at the counter — and watch how rarely staff get asked for the password afterwards. Offices: the meeting-room table works well for visiting clients. Wherever it goes, keep it somewhere a casual passer-by outside can't scan it through the window.

Is it safe?

A Wi-Fi QR code is your password, in a form any phone can read. That's exactly what makes it convenient — and it means you should place and share it with the same care. For most homes and for any proper guest network, the convenience is well worth it. If the code ends up shared more widely than you'd like, the fix is simple: change the network password, generate a fresh code, and replace the print. Businesses should always point the code at a guest network, never the one used by tills, cameras or staff computers.

Frequently asked questions

Ready? Build your string above, then generate your Wi-Fi QR code →