# WiFi QR code not connecting

> The usual causes, in order: an unescaped special character in the password or SSID, a hidden network without the hidden flag, choosing WEP or nopass when the network is WPA, or an enterprise network — which cannot be encoded in a QR code at all.

Source: https://useqr.app/docs/troubleshooting/wifi-qr-code-not-connecting · Last reviewed 2026-08-21 · UseQR is free forever, MIT licensed, no signup.

---

## 1. Unescaped special characters

Four characters are structural in the `WIFI:` format and must be backslash-escaped inside
the SSID and password:

```
\   ;   ,   :   "
```

A password of `p@ss;word` written literally terminates the field early, and the phone tries
to join with `p@ss`. A network named `Bob's Café; Guest` is worse. This is by far the most
common cause.

UseQR escapes these automatically. Hand-built codes and naive templates do not.

## 2. Hidden network without the flag

If the network does not broadcast its SSID, the payload needs `H:true`. Without it the phone
searches for a visible network of that name, fails, and reports it cannot connect — even
though every other field is correct.

## 3. Wrong security type

The format has three values: `WPA`, `WEP`, `nopass`. There is **no WPA3 value** — WPA3
networks use `T:WPA` and the phone negotiates the actual protocol. Choosing `nopass` for a
secured network, or `WEP` for a WPA network, produces a silent failure.

## 4. It is an enterprise network

WPA2/WPA3-Enterprise (802.1X) cannot be encoded. The `WIFI:` format has no fields for
identity, EAP method or certificates. No generator can do this; anything claiming to is
producing a code that will not work. Use a device-management provisioning profile instead.

## 5. A password that looks like a hex key

A 64-character all-hexadecimal password is interpreted as a raw PSK rather than a
passphrase. If it is genuinely a passphrase, wrap it in double quotes.

## 6. Desktop and old devices

Windows, macOS and Linux have no native handler for `WIFI:` codes — a desktop user sees the
raw string. iOS 11 and later and effectively all current Android versions work from the
camera app.

## 7. It connects, but nothing loads

That is a captive portal, not a QR problem. The code joined the radio network; the user still
has to accept terms in a browser. Say so on the card.

## The diagnostic

Decode your own code with our [scanner](/scan) and read the string. If the password is
truncated at a punctuation mark, you have found an escaping problem. If `H:` is missing on a
hidden network, you have found that. This takes ten seconds and settles it.

## FAQ

### Why does my WiFi QR code say the password is wrong?
Almost always an unescaped semicolon, colon, comma, backslash or quote in the password, which terminates the field early. Decode the code and read the string to confirm.

### Which security type should I pick for WPA3?
WPA. The format has no WPA3 value; devices negotiate WPA3 automatically when both ends support it.

### Can I make a QR code for a corporate WiFi network?
No. The WIFI: format has no fields for 802.1X identity, EAP methods or certificates. Use your device-management provisioning profile.

### Why does my hidden network's QR code fail?
The hidden flag is missing. Hidden networks require H:true, or the phone searches for a broadcast SSID that does not exist.

## Try it

- https://useqr.app/wifi
- https://useqr.app/wifi-card
- https://useqr.app/validate