Wanting to repoint a QR code that has already been printed on a flyer is a common request. The short answer is that a QR code cannot be edited once it is created. Anything that appears editable has a redirect in the middle. This article sets out the difference and how to choose.
The code itself cannot be rewritten
A QR code encodes the string you gave it directly into the pattern. The data lives in the pattern and refers to nothing outside it. As long as the printed pattern is unchanged, the decoded result is unchanged.
That direct form is called a static QR code. Put a URL in and the scanning device opens that URL. Nothing sits in between.
A dynamic code is just a redirect
What is sold as a dynamic QR code holds a URL that is not the final destination. It holds a short redirect URL; the device visits that first and is then forwarded to the real destination.
To change the destination you edit the redirect, not the code. The pattern stays the same, the redirect target changes, and the page that opens changes with it. Scan counts are available for the same reason: every scan passes through the redirect.
In other words, a dynamic code is not a feature of QR codes but a feature of the service behind them. That distinction drives the caveat below.
Choosing between them
Two questions decide it: does the destination genuinely need to change, and how long will the code be in circulation.
- Business cards, product labels, signage that last a long time with a fixed destination - static suits them. With no dependency, they behave the same years later.
- Time-limited campaigns where the destination may be swapped mid-flight - dynamic suits them, provided you accept the dependency.
- Measuring scan counts - either use a dynamic code, or put a URL carrying tracking parameters into a static code. The latter adds no dependency.
The caveat with dynamic codes
The weakness reduces to one point: if the redirect service stops, every code you distributed goes dead.
Printed material cannot be recalled. A service shutting down, a subscription lapsing, or a domain being released all have the same effect at the moment they happen. That is why codes made on a free plan are a poor fit for product packaging.
If you need a dynamic code on long-lived material, the practical safeguard is to own the redirect domain yourself. Serve the short path from your own domain and you can change providers without reprinting.
URL length feeds back into print size
A side effect that is easy to miss: a longer string means more modules. More modules make each module smaller at the same printed size, which makes scanning harder.
Redirect URLs tend to be short, so dynamic codes have an advantage here. Conversely, loading a static code with a long tracking URL produces a fine pattern that cannot be printed small. Using static codes effectively means keeping URLs short.
Check it yourself
See how changing the string changes the module count and the print size you need, measured on a real code.
QR Code Print Size Calculator / QR Code Capacity Calculator / QR Code Generator
Summary
QR codes are not editable. A dynamic code only appears editable because a redirect sits in front, and the price is a dependency on that redirect. The longer the medium lives, the heavier that dependency becomes, so decide first whether the destination really needs to change, and if it does, own the redirect domain. Related reading: print size and why a code will not scan.