QR Code Not Scanning? 9 Fixes That Actually Work
When a QR code won’t scan, it’s usually one of a handful of issues. Work down this list.
If you’re scanning someone else’s code
- Improve the lighting. Glare and shadow both defeat scanners. Move to even, indirect light.
- Hold steady and adjust distance. Too close and the camera can’t focus; too far and the code is too small. Aim for the code filling about half the frame.
- Clean the lens. A smudged camera blurs the fine pattern.
- Frame the whole code, including the quiet (blank) margin around it.
- Use the right tool. On iPhone use the Camera app; on Android, Google Lens. If the code is on your screen, see scanning from a screenshot, or upload it to our online scanner.
If you created the code
- Increase the contrast. Dark code on a light background scans best. Avoid light-on-dark (inverted) codes and low-contrast color pairs.
- Print it bigger. A good rule is at least 2 × 2 cm, and bigger for codes seen from a distance. Keep the blank margin.
- Shorten the content. Long URLs and lots of text make a dense code that’s hard to read. Shorten the link, or for branded codes raise the error-correction level.
- Don’t cover too much with a logo. A center logo is fine if you keep error correction high — our QR code generator does this automatically when you add a logo.
Still stuck?
Test the code with a second phone and a different app to rule out a device issue. If only one specific code fails, regenerate it fresh from the generator — it’s free and never expires.