How to create QR codes that work without mobile data

A QR code can be scanned without mobile data, but what happens next depends on what the code contains. A code with Wi-Fi or contact details can provide useful information offline. A code that opens a website still needs a network connection to load that site.

Use the QR Code Generator to make a code for the information you want to share, then test it with your phone disconnected from the internet.

Create a QR code for offline use

1. Open the QR Code Generator and choose a code type that matches what you want someone to receive, such as Wi-Fi or contact details.
2. Enter the information carefully. For Wi-Fi, check the network name, password, and security type. For a contact, check the name and phone number or email address.
3. Choose colors only if they keep the code easy to read. A dark pattern on a light background is a reliable starting point. A logo is optional, but a large logo can make a code harder to scan.
4. Save the generated QR code as an image. Scan it with a different phone, and confirm that the information shown is correct before printing or sharing it.

For a code that must be useful without mobile data, encode the information itself. A Wi-Fi QR code can tell a phone how to join a network, and a contact QR code can let someone save contact details. Neither needs mobile data just to read its contents.

Choose what the code should do

Join a Wi-Fi network

A Wi-Fi QR code contains the network name and connection details. A phone that can read this type of code may offer to join the network after scanning it. Mobile data is not needed for the scan or for joining Wi-Fi. However, if that Wi-Fi network has no internet connection, the phone still will not be able to load websites or use online services.

This is useful for sharing access to a local network, including a home network with internet service temporarily down. Treat the code like a password: anyone who can scan it may be able to join that network.

Share contact details

A contact QR code can carry details such as a name, phone number, and email address. The phone reads the details from the code, so mobile data is not needed to display or save them. Check each field before you share the image, especially if the code will be printed and left somewhere public.

Open a website or online service

A QR code for a website stores a web address. Scanning it can reveal or open that address offline, but loading the page requires an internet connection. The same is true of codes that open an online service, such as a WhatsApp link. If the destination must work without data, use a code that contains the useful information directly instead of pointing to a page that supplies it.

Check that it works without a connection

1. On a second phone, turn off mobile data and disconnect from Wi-Fi. On an iPhone, open Settings › Cellular or Settings › Mobile Service and turn off cellular data, then turn off Wi-Fi. On Android, open Settings › Network & internet and turn off mobile data and Wi-Fi. Menu names can differ by phone.
2. Scan the code using the phone's camera or built-in QR scanner. You may need to open the scanner directly if the camera does not recognize the code.
3. Check the result. For contact details, confirm that the right information appears. For Wi-Fi, follow the prompt to join the network and check that the phone connects.
4. For a website code, expect the address to appear but the page not to load while the phone is offline. Reconnect to the internet to confirm that the destination itself is correct.

Some phones can scan a code from a saved image, while others need the code displayed on another screen or printed. If the first phone cannot scan it, try a second device before changing the code.

If the code does not scan

1. Check the code's contrast. Use a dark pattern on a light background. Avoid colors that look similar, and do not place the code on a busy photo.
2. Make the code larger. Increase its printed size or move the phone closer. A tiny code or one viewed at an angle can be difficult for a camera to read.
3. Remove the logo temporarily. A logo can cover parts of the pattern that the scanner needs. Test the code without it, especially when it contains a lot of information.
4. Check the encoded details. A typo in a Wi-Fi password or network name can make joining fail even when the code scans correctly. Recreate the code with the corrected information.
5. Try another scanner. Phone cameras differ in what they recognize. Test with another phone or its built-in QR scanner to separate a scanning issue from a problem in the code.

For more scanning checks, see QR code not scanning? Fix size, contrast and layout.

Keep private information in mind

A QR code is not a secure way to hide information. Anyone who can see it may be able to scan it, and a Wi-Fi code can expose the network password. Share codes only with people who should have access, and replace the Wi-Fi password if an access code becomes public.