How to change a QR code link after printing
10 min read
Yes, you can change a QR code link after printing if the code is dynamic: you paste the new address into your generator account, and the printed code opens the new page right away. If the code is static, the address is baked into the pattern, so your options are a redirect on your own server or a new code on a sticker.
In short
- First, scan the code and read the address: a generator's short link means the code is dynamic.
- In linqr, open My codes, choose Change link on the code and paste the new address. It works right away, with no reprint.
- Link changes are unlimited on every plan, including Free, and Use again brings back a previous address.
- A static code on your own domain can be saved with a server redirect. A static code pointing to someone else's site needs a new code.
Contents
- 1.Check which code you printed
- 2.Change the link in linqr
- 3.Link history and the “Use again” button
- 4.Pause instead of delete
- 5.A dynamic code from another provider
- 6.A static code on your own domain: redirect it on your server
- 7.A static code with someone else's URL: new code and a sticker
- 8.Examples
- 9.Questions
Check which code you printed
Scan the code and read the address before you open it. Apple's help says the iPhone camera shows a link you tap, and Google's help says Google Lens in Chrome on Android shows a link to tap. The address tells you what you can do:
| Address after scanning | Type of code | What to do |
|---|---|---|
onsonara.com/q/… | Dynamic, made in linqr | Change the link in your account |
| Another generator's short address | Dynamic, other provider | Change it with that provider |
Your own site, such as yourbakery.com/menu | Static, your domain | Set up a redirect on your server |
| Someone else's site, such as a cloud file | Static, not your domain | Make a new code for a sticker |
For how the two types differ beyond editing, see the difference between static and dynamic QR codes.
Change the link in linqr
Sign in and open My codes
The list shows your codes with their names and the domain each one points to. You can search by name, part of the link or domain.
Click Change link on the code
It's in the three-dot menu next to the code in the list, and in the header once you open the code.
Paste the address into New destination link
Below the field you see the current address (Now) and the new one (After the change), so typos are easy to catch. No
https://at the start? We add it for you.Confirm with Change link
You'll see “Link changed”. From then on, every scan opens the new address.
Scan the printed code
Check on your phone that the right page opens. There's no need to download the file again, because every file uses the same short link.
The change is instant, unlimited and available on every plan, including Free. The code looks exactly the same, because nothing in the code changes: only the address our server redirects to.
The link must be a web page (http or https) of up to 2048 characters, and it can't point to another linqr short link. A code marked Read-only code is over the Free plan limit: it still works, but changing its link needs Pro.
Link history and the “Use again” button
Every change is saved. Open a code and the History tab lists every address it has pointed to, with dates. The printed code stayed the same the whole time.
Going back is quick. In the Change link window, under Previous links, your recent addresses appear with a Use again button that fills in the field. Confirm, and you're done. That's handy for offers that return every year: a garden center's code can open the spring plant sale in April, the pumpkin patch page in October and the regular site in between.
Pause instead of delete
Sometimes a code shouldn't lead anywhere for a while: a seasonal shop is closed, or one promotion ended and the next isn't ready. Choose Pause in the code's menu, or turn off the Code active switch inside the code. Anyone who scans it sees a page saying “This code is temporarily disabled”. One click on Resume brings it back.
Delete only codes you're sure you won't need. Deleting is permanent: the code stops working, scanners see “This code is no longer active”, and the short link is never given to anyone else.
A dynamic code from another provider
If the code runs through another generator's short address, you can change the link only in the account where the code was made. You can't move it to linqr or anywhere else, because the short link belongs to that provider. If it stopped working after a free trial, only that provider can bring it back; otherwise, replace it with a new code.
A static code on your own domain: redirect it on your server
If the code contains an address on your domain, like yourbakery.com/menu, you can't change the code, but you can change what happens at that address. Set up a redirect from the old address to the new one in your hosting control panel, your website platform's settings or your server configuration. On an Apache server, one line in .htaccess does it: Redirect 302 /menu https://yourbakery.com/fall-menu.
Use a temporary (302) redirect, not a permanent (301) one. Browsers may cache a permanent redirect, so after your next change some people would still land on the old destination. That's the same reason linqr always redirects with a 302.
A static code with someone else's URL: new code and a sticker
If the code points to an address you don't control (a cloud file, a social profile, a former web designer's site), there's no way to change it. You need a new code. To avoid reprinting everything:
- make the new code dynamic, so the next change is just a new link,
- print it on a sticker slightly larger than the old code and cover the old one completely, because the camera must not see both,
- swap the code on flyers and business cards at the next print run,
- scan a few stickered pieces from every batch.
If the old address still works and you control it (an old profile or file, for example), add a clear link there to the new place. People with the old print will still find their way.
Examples
- A new version of a PDF. The manual linked from a product box lives in a cloud folder. The updated file has a new address, so you change the link, and every box in the warehouse opens the current manual. How to set up the file itself: QR code for a PDF.
- A seasonal offer. A florist's window code opens Valentine's Day preorders in February, Mother's Day bouquets in May and wedding packages in summer. One print, three campaigns.
- A site move. A business moves its online store to a new domain. The codes on packaging, invoices and the delivery van get the new link without any reprint.
Keep the destination honest: people who scan a code on a menu expect a menu. Swapping the destination to mislead people breaks our terms and can get the code blocked.
To start with a code you can edit later, use the free dynamic QR code generator on our home page. The Free plan includes 3 active codes and unlimited link changes.
Make a code you can change later
Paste an address, style the code and download it. You can change where it points in My codes, with no reprint.
Create your QR codeQuestions
Can I change a static QR code?
Not the code itself: a static code stores the address in its pattern, so what's printed is final. If that address is on your own domain, set up a redirect on your server to the new page, and the printed code keeps working. Otherwise, make a new dynamic code and put it on a sticker over the old one.
Can I change the link of a QR code made in Canva?
Only if it's one of Canva's dynamic QR codes. Canva's help center says its static QR codes can't be edited after creation and can't be converted to dynamic ones. For a dynamic one, you select the code, choose Edit, update the URL and save, with no reprint. More in our guide to an editable QR code in Canva.
Will the old link still work?
The QR code keeps working; only its destination changes. The old page itself stays online as long as whoever hosts it keeps it up, so people with a bookmark can still open it. The code simply stops sending scanners there. If you need that old address again, Use again in the Change link window brings it back.
Does changing the link reset my scans?
No. Stats belong to the code, not to the destination, so scans from before and after the change stay in the same totals and chart. The stats don't split scans by destination, though. If you want to compare periods, note the date of the change; the History tab shows it for every link the code has used.
How many times can I change it?
As many times as you like, on every plan, including Free. There's no cap on link changes and no fee for them. Each change is saved in the History tab, and the number of changes has no effect on how the code looks or scans.
How long does it take for a new QR code link to start working?
It works on the very next scan. linqr updates the redirect as soon as you confirm Change link and sends it with a no-cache instruction, so phones don't hold on to the old address. There's nothing to publish, sync or download. Scan the printed code once after saving to see the new page open.
Can I change a QR code's link from my phone?
Yes. Sign in to linqr in your phone's browser, open My codes, choose Change link on the code and paste the new address. It's the same window as on a computer, with Now and After the change shown before you confirm. Nothing needs to be installed, and the change reaches every printed copy right away.
Does changing the link change how the QR code looks?
No. The pattern stays identical, because the code holds the same short link before and after the change; only the address our server redirects to is different. That's why you don't need to download the file again or send a new one to the printer. The design only changes if you edit it yourself in the Design tab.
Can I undo a QR code link change?
Yes. Open Change link again, and under Previous links your recent addresses have a Use again button that fills in the field. Confirm, and the old destination is back. The History tab on the code lists every address it has ever pointed to, with dates, so you can also copy an older one from there.
Can I schedule a QR code link change for a specific date?
Not in linqr: there's no scheduler, so you change the link yourself when the time comes. It takes a few seconds in My codes, from a phone or a computer. For offers that come back every year, Previous links and Use again make the switch quicker. Set a calendar reminder for the day the change should go live.
Can I change the link of a QR code someone else made for me?
Only through the account where the code was made. If a designer, agency or former employee created it in their own account, ask them to change the link for you or give you access. linqr can't move a short link between generators or accounts. If that's not possible, make a new code in your own account and use it from the next print run.