A QR image has no built-in expiry date, but the address or service it points to can stop working. A direct website QR depends on that website. A QR containing a managed short URL also depends on the short-link service and its settings. Before printing, check which URL the image contains and who controls it.
This guide covers QR codes containing website URLs. A ticket, payment request or sign-in code can contain a token with its own expiry rules; the absence of a clock in the image does not keep that token valid.
Changing short-link providers requires control of the printed hostname and support for its exact paths. Use the migration and rollback checklist before moving a domain or cancelling an old account.
The image, the URL and the destination are different things
A camera first decodes the printed pattern into data. Your browser then requests the encoded address. If that address is a short link, a service looks up where to send you. Finally, the destination page must load and let you view its content.
Those are separate checks. A perfectly readable code can lead to a missing page. A working website can sit behind a scratched, cropped or badly printed code that a camera cannot read. Buying another subscription cannot repair damaged ink.
For example, a QR containing https://example.com/menu can remain useful while you replace the menu at that same address. It does not need a shortener. A managed short URL is useful when you need to change the destination address while keeping the URL in the printed image unchanged.
What stopped your QR code working?
Start with the URL shown by a trusted scanner, before opening it. Keep a record of that original address and the final address reached. The following checks narrow the problem; a symptom alone does not establish its cause.
| What you observe | First check | Would changing the target help? |
|---|---|---|
| The camera cannot decode the image | Try the original digital file, then check print size, contrast, clear margin, glare and damage. | No. Restore a readable copy of the same code or improve the print. |
| The encoded hostname cannot be reached | Check your connection, domain renewal, DNS and HTTPS certificate for that hostname. | Not while the encoded address is unreachable. A healthy target cannot repair its entrance. |
| The short URL shows an expiry, limit or disabled notice | Check the owning account, expiry date, enabled state, schedule and any owner-set click limit. | Changing the target alone does not clear an expiry, limit or safety restriction. |
| The browser reaches a missing page or asks for access | Open the final destination separately; check deletion, moved files and sharing permissions. | Yes, if you still control the short link and have a working replacement. You can also repair the original page. |
| The old menu appears after you save a new target | Compare the final URL with the saved target. Then check whether the menu page or file itself is cached. | First recheck the saved edit and allow for propagation. Repeated edits make diagnosis harder. |
| The page opens but the report has fewer visits than expected | Check reporting windows, filters and analytics allowance separately from navigation. | Usually no. An incomplete report is not evidence that the QR image expired. |
An HTTP error is evidence about one request, not proof of a billing problem. Likewise, being able to decode a QR image does not prove the page is available to customers. If someone else controls the hostname inside your printed code, changing your own website's DNS cannot repair that hostname.
Does “static” mean permanent and “dynamic” mean paid?
These labels usually describe how the destination is managed. A static website QR commonly contains the destination URL directly. A dynamic QR commonly contains a hosted address whose destination can be edited. The printed pattern remains fixed in both cases.
Neither label is a lifetime guarantee or a pricing rule. A direct code can fail when its domain lapses or a file becomes private. A hosted code can fail when its service or account settings stop forwarding it. Check the provider's terms for the particular link: trial duration, account ownership, deletion, expiry and what happens after a plan change.
A custom domain gives you control over the hostname, provided you retain it. Moving that domain to another service still requires preserving the encoded paths and their mappings. Ownership is useful, but it does not move those mappings automatically.
What this means for a 302.sh QR code
302.sh's anonymous guest links are temporary: their current lifetime is 30 minutes. Do not print a guest link for an ongoing menu, sign or business card. Sign in and create an account-owned link, then confirm it appears in your dashboard before downloading the QR code.
An account-owned link is not subject to the anonymous guest timer. You can set an expiry date yourself; no owner-set expiry is different from a promise that a link will work forever. Deletion, disabling, safety enforcement, owner-set limits, domain availability and the target itself still matter.
When an expired link is requested on 302.sh, visitors are directed to an expiry page. On the link-only domain 3go.to or a custom domain, the expired link returns HTTP 410 Gone. Disabled links return 410. These are current implementation rules, checked against the redirect handler and its automated tests; they are not the result of a new production expiry experiment.
The monthly analytics allowance limits additional tracking, not redirects. That allowance is separate from a click limit an owner deliberately sets on a link. The current Free allowance and retention are listed below, using the same plan definitions as the product. See how to set or remove an expiry date when you need an intentional deadline.
Check before printing—and before the next campaign
- Read the encoded URL. Save the original QR file and the complete address, including its hostname and path.
- Confirm control. Record who owns the account and domain. Avoid temporary guest links and temporary file-sharing URLs for lasting materials.
- Check the settings. Review expiry, enabled state, schedules, passwords and click limits. A public menu should not unexpectedly require a staff login.
- Test the destination as a visitor. Open it signed out on a phone and a different connection. Confirm the intended page, current content and access permissions.
- Test a physical sample. Scan the actual print at the planned size, distance and lighting before ordering the batch. Keep a readable URL beside it as a fallback.
- Assign maintenance. Recheck after a destination edit, domain renewal, account change or file-hosting change, and before reusing stored signs.
If you edit a managed destination, keep the public hostname and slug unchanged. Our same-QR destination-change test retained the original image and changed its target using our Creator account. Software decoding and browser navigation confirmed the new destination; an early request still reached the old page. It was not a physical-print, phone-camera or Free-account test, and it does not establish a universal update time.
For a worked maintenance workflow and a blank ownership record, see how to update a restaurant menu without reprinting the QR code.
If a stable page on a website you control already solves the task, use it directly. If the destination address must change behind a lasting printed entrance, create an account-owned short link, save its ownership details and test it before distribution.
What is included in 302.sh?
Free allows 5 new links per UTC month and up to 50 owned links, with 5 custom slugs per month of at least 6 characters. Deleting a link does not refund its monthly creation allowance.
Free includes 2,000 analytics events per month and 90-day retention. Reaching that analytics allowance stops additional tracking, not redirects. Link deletion, owner-set limits and safety enforcement can still stop redirects. Branded domains require a paid plan and completed domain setup. See current plans and limits.
Try the workflow
Explore the dashboard demo, or create a short link using a destination you own or are authorized to share. Verify the destination before distributing it.