WiFi QR Code

Generator / Format

Wi-Fi QR code format

Every Wi-Fi QR code holds one short line of text. Get one character wrong and phones scan the code happily, then fail to join.

WIFI:T:WPA;S:Harbour Café;P:sea-glass-47;H:true;;

The fields

FieldMeaningValues
T:Security typeWPA, SAE, WEP, nopass
S:Network name (SSID)Up to 32 bytes, escaped. Required.
P:PasswordEscaped. Omit for open networks.
H:Hidden networktrue, or leave it out

The string starts with WIFI:, each field ends with ;, and the whole thing ends with an extra ;. Field order doesn't matter to iPhone or Android. The format began in the open-source ZXing barcode library around 2010 and is now also written into the Wi-Fi Alliance's WPA3 specification, which added the SAE type plus optional fields like R: (transition disable) and I: (identity) that most people never need.

Security types in practice

Router settingUse T:
WPA2-Personal (AES)WPA
WPA2/WPA3 mixed or "transition"WPA
WPA3-Personal onlySAE (older phones may also accept WPA)
WPA (TKIP), very oldWPA
WEPWEP (insecure; upgrade if you can)
Open / nonenopass

WPA2-Enterprise (username + password, 802.1X) is not supported by camera apps' Wi-Fi codes on most phones, so this site doesn't generate it.

Escaping: the bug behind "Unable to join"

Because ; ends a field and : separates a field's name from its value, a password like pa:ss;word would break the string. The fix is to put a backslash before five characters whenever they appear in the name or password:

CharacterWrite it as
\ backslash\\
; semicolon\;
, comma\,
: colon\:
" double quote\"

Backslashes are escaped first so an existing one isn't doubled twice. Our generator does this automatically, and a test suite round-trips every awkward combination through a real QR decoder before each release.

Try it: escaping lab

Type a network name and a made-up password with awkward characters. Untick escaping and watch the phone's reading fall apart.

Try:

String inside the QR code 4 escaped

WIFI:T:WPA;S:Bar\;Grill;P:pa\:ss\,word\"1;;

What a phone reads

NameBar;Grill
Passwordpa:ss,word"1

✓ Matches what you typed. Guests will connect.

A parser that ignores backslashes would read the name as Bar\.

Questions

What is the Wi-Fi QR code format?

A plain-text string: WIFI:T:<type>;S:<network name>;P:<password>;H:<true if hidden>;; The fields can appear in any order and the string ends with two semicolons. It comes from the ZXing barcode project and was later adopted in the Wi-Fi Alliance’s WPA3 specification.

Which characters need escaping?

Backslash, semicolon, comma, colon and double quote. Put a backslash in front of each one inside the network name or password: a;b becomes a\;b and a\b becomes a\\b.

What goes in the T field?

WPA for WPA, WPA2 and mixed WPA2/WPA3 networks; SAE for WPA3-only networks; WEP for WEP; nopass (or leave it empty) for open networks.

Should I put quotes around the network name?

No. Old ZXing notes mention quoting names that look like hex numbers, but modern iPhone and Android scanners take the value literally, so quotes would become part of the name. This generator never adds them.

Ask the Wi-Fi QR troubleshooter

Describe what happens when you scan. Only your question goes to the AI model (via Vercel AI Gateway); your network name and password are never sent. Do not type your password here.

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