Do QR Codes Expire?

A static QR code has its destination baked directly into the visual pattern. There's no server, no subscription, no infrastructure sitting between the scan and the data. As long as: • The image is readable (not torn, badly faded, or covered) • The encoded content is still meaningful (the URL still works, the WiFi password is still valid, etc.) …the QR will scan and decode correctly. Forever. A static QR printed in 2024 will scan the same way in 2034. The QR format hasn't changed since 1994, and the scanner libraries built into iPhones and Androids keep supporting it. There's no end-of-life for the QR format itself. Where static QRs can effectively "die": • The URL they point to goes offline (a 404) • The WiFi password changes (the code still scans, but the join attempt fails) • The vCard's phone number becomes invalid (still scans, contact saves fine, but calling that number fails) These aren't expirations of the QR — they're changes to the underlying data. The QR is still doing its job; it's just pointing at something that no longer works.

A dynamic QR code points to a short redirect URL — typically something like build-qr.com/qr/7kMnQ9px. The actual destination lives in our database, behind that short URL. The QR scans correctly as long as: • Our redirect service is online • Your account is active and the QR code's status is ACTIVE • You haven't explicitly disabled or paused the redirect Build QR runs the redirect on infrastructure built for long-lived QR codes. Some printed QRs have to keep working for the lifetime of the asset they live on — packaging that ships for years, business cards that circulate for decades — so the redirect layer is engineered to be highly available.

Your codes keep redirecting based on whatever status they were last set to in the dashboard — they continue serving whatever you configured. To keep editing destinations and viewing analytics, you'll need an active subscription. For printed assets with long lifespans (packaging, signage), this matters: staying subscribed keeps your codes editable and your analytics flowing. We recommend picking a tier that fits your usage and treating it as part of the asset's lifecycle cost — the same way you'd budget for hosting on any other piece of marketing infrastructure. Re-subscribe anytime to regain edit access and the analytics history within your tier's retention window.

If long-term durability is what's worrying you, here's the picture: Static QR for permanent data: as durable as the printed material itself. Will scan in 20 years if the print survives. Dynamic QR with an active subscription: works indefinitely, with full edit + analytics access. Dynamic QR with a lapsed subscription: still redirects to the last-set destination, but you lose edits and analytics. Functionally equivalent to a static QR pointing to whatever URL was last configured. Dynamic QR with the redirect explicitly disabled: scans fine (the QR format is intact), but the redirect serves a "this QR is no longer active" page instead of the original destination. For most use cases, dynamic on an active subscription gives you the best of both worlds — durability *and* updatability. For codes that genuinely never need to update (museum exhibits, equipment serial numbers), static is fine and free.