Password Protected QR Code: How It Works and How to Make One

A password-protected QR code asks for a password before it sends people to the page. It has to be a dynamic QR code: the code holds a short link, and when someone scans it, the service behind that link shows a password page and only lets the right password through. A static code can't do this, because its content is printed in the code itself and nothing sits in between to ask for anything.

How a password-protected QR code works

1. You create a dynamic QR code that points to your page, and you set a password on it.
2. Someone scans the code. Instead of the page, they see a screen asking for the password.
3. With the right password, they continue to the page. With a wrong one, they stay on the password screen.

The printed code looks like any other QR code. The protection lives on the server, which is also why you can change the password later without reprinting.

Why a static QR code can't have a password

A static code encodes the destination directly, such as a URL or a block of text. A phone reads it and opens it, with no server involved, so there is no place to check a password. Our guide to static vs dynamic QR codes explains the difference in more detail.

What a password protects, and what it doesn't

The password protects the QR code and its short link: people who scan the code can't reach the page without it.

It doesn't protect the destination page itself. If the page is public and someone has its direct address, they can open it without the code. For content that must stay private, such as internal documents or customer files, protect the destination too, for example with a login or a private sharing link from the tool that hosts it.

Treat the password like any other shared password. Send it separately from the code, for example in an email or a message to the people who should have it, and change it when the group changes.

When to use a password-protected QR code

• Staff-only pages, such as a shift schedule or a procedures manual, on a code in the back office.
• Event information for registered guests only, printed on a badge or a ticket.
• Early access to a product page or a launch, shared with a list of customers.
• Course or workshop materials, printed in a handout and opened only by participants.
• Documents for a client project, on a code inside a printed proposal.

How to make a password-protected QR code in CodeQR

1. Create a dynamic QR code and enter the address of the page you want to protect.
2. Open the password section in the QR code editor and type a password.
3. Save, download the code and scan it with a phone to check that the password screen appears.
4. Share the password with the people who should have it.

Password protection is available on the Starter plan and above; plans are on the pricing page. The same option exists for short links, as our help article on password-protected links shows.

You can combine it with an expiration date, so the code stops opening the page after a deadline. See how to set an expiration date.

Password-protected QR codes vs Wi-Fi QR codes

Searches for "password QR code" can also mean something else: a Wi-Fi QR code. That code holds the network name and the Wi-Fi password, so a phone can join the network without typing. It is a static code, and anyone who scans it, or reads it with a QR code reader, can see the password inside. That's fine for a guest network, which is what it is for. Our help article on Wi-Fi QR codes for guests shows how to make one.

A password-protected QR code keeps the password out of the code: anyone can scan it, and only people you gave the password to get through.

Tips

• Pick a password that is easy to type on a phone, since people enter it after scanning.
• Put a short line next to the code, such as "Password required. Ask at the front desk."
• Test the code with the password on an iPhone and an Android phone before you print.
• Change the password when the group of people who should have it changes.