Why Won’t My QR Code Scan?

First open the destination URL directly on a phone. If the page is unavailable, requires a staff login, or lands on the wrong resource, repairing the QR image will not solve the failure. Then test the actual QR image on screen and in print. A code that scans from a large monitor but fails on paper has a capture or print problem. A code that scans but opens the wrong page has a destination or redirect problem. Record which stage fails before changing anything.

Use the complete downloaded image, with its quiet zone intact. Look for a cropped edge, stretched modules, fuzzy resampling, low contrast, or a logo covering the pattern. On a printed proof, check that ink has not filled small gaps and that the background is plain enough around the code. Scan the exact proof from the intended viewing distance with more than one phone. If the design is on a package, label, or poster, test after trimming and mounting because those steps can cover the edge.

Try a clean, bright copy without glare, reflections, shadows, or a steep viewing angle. Hold the phone far enough away for the whole code to sit inside the camera frame, then move closer if needed. Clean the camera lens and use the phone's ordinary camera or QR reader. For a window or glossy card, test from the audience side rather than from the table where you designed it. Keep the version that passed the physical test as the print master.

Choose a dynamic code when the printed image scans correctly but its destination may need replacing. Open the replacement URL on a phone first, save it in the dashboard, then scan the original printed code to verify the full path. Keep a note of the old address and the change date so colleagues can trace a later problem. A new destination cannot repair a cropped or unreadable pattern; that requires corrected artwork.