MicroURLCan you change where a printed QR code goes?
Sometimes. It depends on the link inside the code. If the code opens a short link from a QR service, you can change it in that account and keep every printed copy. If it opens your own website, you can forward that page. If it opens a page you don’t control, you can’t.
How to tell, and what to do
Scan the code and look at the link
Open your phone camera, point it at the code, and look at the address it shows before you tap. Or paste that address into our QR code checker, which follows it and tells you what it goes through.
If it shows a short link from a QR service
Something like qrco.de/abc, bit.ly/abc or a page on the QR company’s site means the code is dynamic. Sign in to the account that made it and edit where the code points. The printed code stays the same and every copy opens the new page.
If it shows your own website address
The code is static: the address is part of the pattern and can’t be changed. But the page belongs to you, so you can make that page forward to the new one. Most website builders call this a redirect (Squarespace: URL Mappings; Wix: URL Redirect Manager; WordPress: a redirect plugin). Keep the old address forwarding for as long as the codes are out there.
If it shows someone else’s page you can’t edit
A code that opens a page on another company’s site, like a delivery app menu or a listing, can only be changed by whoever runs that page. Ask them to update it, and plan to replace the code on your next print run.
Before your next print run
Print a code you’ll be able to change. That means a dynamic code, so the destination isn’t baked in, from a service that won’t switch it off when a trial or plan ends. A short link on your own domain is better still, because the printed codes then belong to you rather than to the QR company. The difference between the two kinds is in static vs dynamic QR codes, and what goes wrong with dynamic ones is in why QR codes stop working.
Common questions
Can I change a QR code without reprinting it?
Yes, if the code is dynamic (it opens a short link) and you can still sign in to the account that made it. Change the destination there and every printed copy opens the new page. A static code can’t be changed, but if it opens a page on your own website you can forward that page to the new one.
Does changing where a QR code goes change how it looks?
No. With a dynamic code you change where the short link sends people, not the code itself, so the printed pattern stays exactly the same.
I made my QR code on a free generator. Can I edit it?
Usually not. Most free generators make static codes with the address built in. If the address is on your own website you can forward that page; otherwise you need a new code. Some free dynamic codes are only free for a trial, after which they stop working and can’t be edited.
My QR code company’s trial ended. Can I still change my code?
Only by paying that company or restarting the account, because the short link in the code belongs to them. If they have switched it off, the printed code can’t be pointed anywhere else. For the next print run, use a code on a short link you control.
How do I make a QR code I can always change?
Use a dynamic code from a service that doesn’t switch codes off when a plan ends, and if you can, put it on a domain you own, like links.yourbusiness.com. Then you can change it any time, and you can move to another service later without reprinting.
QR codes you can always change
Every MicroURL QR code is dynamic, on your own domain if you add one, even on the free plan. Change where it goes any time from your phone or computer. We never switch a code off because an account went over a plan limit, and you can export your links and point your domain elsewhere whenever you like. The full pledge is on our trust page.