How to Make a Wi-Fi QR Code (Free, No App Needed)

A Wi-Fi QR code lets anyone join your network by pointing their phone camera at it — no typing a long password, no spelling out “is it a zero or an O?”. This guide shows you exactly how to make one for free, with no app to download.

What a Wi-Fi QR code actually is

When someone scans a Wi-Fi QR code with their phone, the camera recognizes it as network credentials and pops up a “Join this network?” prompt. One tap and they’re connected — the password is filled in automatically behind the scenes.

The best part: modern phones support this natively. An iPhone running iOS 11 or later and most Android phones running Android 10 or later can read Wi-Fi QR codes straight from the built-in camera app. No special scanner app is required for either you or your guests.

Here is the key idea that makes this easy: a Wi-Fi QR code is just a normal QR code that encodes a specially-formatted line of text. There is nothing magical inside it. So the whole process is two steps — first you write that special text string, then you turn the string into a QR code with any QR generator, like our free QR code generator.

The exact Wi-Fi string format

The text you need to encode looks like this:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:NetworkName;P:Password;;

It is a compact little format with a few labelled fields separated by semicolons. Here is what each part means:

Field	Meaning	Notes
WIFI:	Marks the start of a Wi-Fi config	Always at the beginning
T:	Security type	WPA (covers WPA, WPA2 and WPA3), WEP for old networks, or nopass for open networks
S:	The network name (SSID)	Type it exactly, including capitalization
P:	The password	Leave empty for open networks (P:;)
H:	Hidden network flag (optional)	Add H:true; only if your network is hidden
;;	End of the string	Two semicolons close it off

A few things worth knowing:

• For almost every home or business router today, the security type is WPA. That single value works for WPA, WPA2 and WPA3 networks, so you rarely need anything else.
• Use WEP only for very old equipment that still uses that outdated standard.
• For an open network with no password at all, set T:nopass and leave the password blank, like WIFI:T:nopass;S:CoffeeShopGuest;P:;;.
• The order of the fields can vary, but the format above is the standard one and is the most widely supported.

Escaping special characters

If your network name or password contains any of these characters:

\   ;   ,   :   "

then each one must be preceded by a backslash (\) so the phone doesn’t mistake it for part of the format. This is called escaping.

For example, if your password is pa;ss"word, you would write it as:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:HomeNet;P:pa\;ss\"word;;

Notice the \; and \". Most ordinary passwords (letters, numbers, and symbols like !, @, #, $, %, &, *) need no escaping at all — only those five specific characters do.

Step-by-step: make your Wi-Fi QR code

1. Write your Wi-Fi string. Start from the template WIFI:T:WPA;S:NetworkName;P:Password;; and replace NetworkName and Password with your real values. Remember to escape any of the special characters above.
2. Paste it into the generator. Open our free QR code generator and paste your full WIFI:...;; string into the text field. The tool encodes any text or URL into a QR code, so this special string becomes a scannable Wi-Fi code.
3. Generate and download. Create the code, then save it. Choose PNG if it will be viewed on screens, or SVG if you plan to print it large — SVG stays razor-sharp at any size.
4. Test it. Before you rely on it, open your phone’s camera, point it at the code on your screen, and confirm the “Join network” prompt appears and connects. Test on both an iPhone and an Android phone if you can.
5. Print or display it. Put it on a table tent, a wall card, a fridge magnet, or a welcome note for your guests.

A worked example

Say your home network is named Casa-Bella and the password is Sunshine2026. Your string is simply:

WIFI:T:WPA;S:Casa-Bella;P:Sunshine2026;;

Paste that into the generator, download the image, and you have a Wi-Fi QR code ready to frame on the kitchen counter.

A quick word on security

Anyone who can see and scan the code can join your Wi-Fi — the QR code is effectively the password in visual form. Treat the printed code the same way you’d treat the written password.

This makes Wi-Fi QR codes perfect for guest networks, cafe and restaurant Wi-Fi, and Airbnb welcome cards, where you actually want visitors to connect easily. Just be thoughtful about where you display it: a code taped to a shop window faces the public street, so consider whether you want passersby joining too. For sensitive home or office networks, share the code only with people you trust.

Troubleshooting

The prompt never appears when scanning. Make sure your security type is correct — WPA for virtually all modern routers. Also double-check there are no typos in the SSID or password; the values must match exactly, including capital letters.

It connects to the wrong network or fails to authenticate. This is almost always a typo or an un-escaped special character. Recheck your string and add backslashes before any \ ; , : " in the name or password.

Your network is hidden. Phones can’t auto-detect hidden networks from a normal code, so add H:true; to the string, like WIFI:T:WPA;S:NetworkName;P:Password;H:true;;.

An older phone won’t scan it. Phones older than iOS 11 or Android 10 may not support native Wi-Fi QR codes. On those devices, a free QR scanner app from the app store will read the code and offer to connect.

That’s it. Once you’ve built the string and run it through our free QR code generator, sharing your Wi-Fi is as simple as “just scan this.”