A QR code opens the wrong page
A QR code contains one thing: a web address. It cannot go stale on its own, and it cannot be corrected after printing. Every symptom in this article is really a question about which address was encoded, and whether that address still exists.
Identify what actually opened
Scan the code and read the address bar before anything else. Compare it with the address you intended.
| What opened | Cause |
|---|---|
| The right page in the wrong language | A code from the wrong language group was downloaded |
| A different menu than expected | A different destination was ticked when generating |
| The home page instead of a menu | Home Page is ticked by default in the generator and was left ticked |
| A "not found" page | The destination no longer exists at that address |
| A login screen | The destination is not public |
| Nothing loads at all | Network or print quality, not content |
The address changed after printing
This is the only genuinely expensive failure, and it has a small number of causes:
- a category was renamed or deleted, changing its archive address;
- a menu type was disabled;
- the site moved to another domain;
- the front page was restructured.
Printed codes cannot be updated. Either restore the destination at its old address, or reprint. This is why table codes should point at stable destinations — the home page or a menu archive — rather than at a seasonal category. See Print and test a QR code.
The wrong language
On a multilingual site the generator produces one code per language and labels each group with the language it belongs to. A mix-up here is easy: the codes look identical.
- Regenerate the codes.
- Download from the correctly labelled group.
- Name the downloaded file with its language before sending it to print.
The code was never right
If a freshly generated code opens the wrong page, the destination was wrong at generation time:
- Custom URL entries are used exactly as typed. A missing
https://or a typo produces a code that scans perfectly and goes nowhere useful. - A menu type that does not publish an archive does not appear in the generator's list at all; if you expected it there and it is missing, the archive is the thing to fix, not the code.
Always open the destination in a private window and copy the address from the browser before generating. See Create a QR code for a menu type.
It scans on screen but not on paper
The content is fine; the print is not.
- Use the SVG download for anything printed. A PNG enlarged for a poster degrades.
- Keep clear space around the code. Artwork pressed against its edges breaks the scan.
- Keep strong contrast between the code and its background.
- Do not stretch the code out of square.
- Test a laminated or glossy proof under the room's real lighting; reflections defeat some cameras.
It works for you but not for guests
- Your phone may be on a different network. Test on mobile data, not only on the restaurant's Wi‑Fi.
- You may be signed in. A guest is not; test in a private window.
- Table lighting and distance matter. Scan the printed proof from a seated position, not from 20 cm away at a desk.
Prevent the next one
- Verify the destination before generating, not after printing.
- Download SVG for print, PNG for screens.
- Keep the generated files with the date and destination in the file name.
- Print one proof at final size and scan it before ordering the run.