Your QR code isn't scanning. Here's why — and what to check first.
Codes fail for a short list of reasons, and they're easy to work through in order. Start by figuring out which kind of problem you actually have, then work through the fixes below.
A QR code that won't scan is almost always one of three different problems, and the fix depends on which one you're dealing with:
Quick answer: if a QR code will not scan, first test it on a second phone. If no phone detects it, check size, contrast, quiet zone, damage and print quality. If it scans but the page doesn't open, check the destination URL instead — the code itself is very likely fine.
Match your symptom to the likely cause and start there.
| Symptom | Likely cause | First thing to try |
|---|---|---|
| Camera doesn't react at all | Poor lighting, dirty lens, or the code is out of focus range | Clean the lens, add light, move slowly until it focuses |
| Scans on screen but not in print | Size, contrast or quiet zone changed at print | Check the printed size against the size guide |
| Scans, but the page doesn't open | The destination link is broken | Read the address in the scan preview before tapping it |
| Only one phone can't scan it | That phone's camera app or settings | Try Google Lens or a dedicated scanner app |
| Code with a logo won't scan | Logo covering too much of the pattern | Shrink the logo and test again before printing |
| Only scans from very close | Code is too small for its intended distance | Size up using the 10:1 planning rule |
Thirty seconds, and it halves the problem.
One of the most common causes. Below about 2 cm, phone cameras can't resolve the individual modules reliably. A useful planning rule is one tenth of the scanning distance; full breakdown in the size guide. Data-heavy codes such as vCards need more room than a short link.
Scanners need a decisive brightness difference between dark and light modules. Brand colours that look distinct on screen often sit at similar brightness on paper. Dark code on a light background is the reliable combination.
Light modules on a dark background. It looks striking and many scanners refuse to read it, because they expect dark-on-light. If your code is white on black, this alone can be the whole problem, and no amount of enlarging fixes it.
The blank margin around the code is what tells a scanner where the pattern begins. Crop it away (or run a border, caption or background image right up to the edge) and many scanners never find the code at all. It needs about a tenth of its width clear on every side — see our QR code margin guide for the full four-module rule.
QR codes can survive some damage through error correction, but there's a ceiling. Large logo overlays can make a QR code harder to scan, especially at smaller print sizes. Reduce logo coverage, use a higher error-correction level, and test the final code before printing rather than assuming it will work. Frame raises the error-correction level automatically when a logo is added and shows a live coverage meter as you resize — but no automatic fitting guarantees a code will scan at any size, so testing the actual printed piece still matters. See the QR code logo size guide for how much a logo can safely cover.
The code scans perfectly and the page doesn't load. The code is fine; the link died. This happens when a page is deleted, a file is renamed, a cloud share is set back to private, or a domain lapses. Scan it and read the address in the preview: that tells you immediately whether you're debugging the code or the destination.
If the QR scans from the digital file but not from the printed copy, the encoded data is probably fine — the issue is almost always physical size, contrast, quiet zone, print resolution, glare, or surface distortion. See the size guide for print-specific sizing and material advice.
This is the likely cause behind searches like "my phone is not scanning QR codes" or "why is my camera not reading QR codes" — and it's usually one of a few simple things:
On iPhone, check Settings → Camera → Scan QR Codes is on. Very old phones may need a dedicated scanner app; see how to scan a QR code for the full walkthrough by device.
Some codes are broken from the start: a WiFi code with a typo in the password, a WhatsApp code with a leading zero left in the number, a vCard with a malformed field. These scan fine and then do nothing useful. If the code reads but the result is wrong, the data inside is wrong and the code needs regenerating.
Check the QR image before reprinting. Frame's QR code checker inspects an existing QR image for quiet zone, contrast and resolution issues, and will usually point straight at the cause before you spend money on a reprint. It won't catch a broken destination link — for that, scan the code yourself and read the address in the preview.
If the artwork checks out on the checker and it still won't scan, the most reliable fix is to regenerate it cleanly from the original data with the free generator and export at 2400×2400 or higher.
Test it on a second phone first. If no phone can detect it, check the physical basics: size, contrast, quiet zone, and print quality. If it scans but the linked page doesn't open, the problem is the destination, not the code itself.
Usually a dirty lens, poor lighting, or the code being too close or too far to focus on. Clean the lens, add light, and move slowly until the camera locks on. If one phone consistently fails while others work, try Google Lens or a dedicated scanner app instead of the default camera.
The encoded data is almost certainly fine — something changed in print. The usual causes are the code being too small, the quiet zone getting cropped, contrast dropping on the printed material, or glare from a glossy finish.
The pattern itself doesn't degrade, but its destination can. A static code has no expiry, but if the linked page is deleted, moved, or a cloud share is set back to private, a perfectly good code will scan and lead nowhere.
The code itself is reading correctly, so the problem is what it points to — a broken link, a typo in the URL, or a page that's been taken down. Scan it and read the address in your phone's preview before tapping through, to confirm exactly where it's pointing.
Large logo overlays can make a QR code harder to scan, especially at smaller print sizes. Reduce logo coverage, use a higher error-correction level, and test the final code before printing rather than assuming it will work.