# My QR code does not scan

> Go back towards the defaults one setting at a time: logo, error correction, colors, quiet zone and background.

## Goal

Find the style setting that stops a phone from reading your QR code, and fix it.

## Before you start

- A QR code styled in QRLY.
- A phone camera or QR scanner app to test with.

## Steps

1. **Raise error correction with a logo** A logo covers modules in the middle of the code. In the Style tab, set Error Correction to High (30%); QRLY does not raise it for you when you add a logo.
2. **Make the logo smaller** Move the Logo Size slider down from 7×7 to 5×5 or 3×3 modules, or remove the logo with × to see whether it is the cause.
3. **Check the contrast** Most scanners expect a dark code on a light background. Make the Foreground clearly darker than the Background; QRLY uses whatever colors you set and does not check their contrast.
4. **Bring back the quiet zone** Turn off No quiet zone (margin) so the code keeps its empty border of two modules. Without it, a scanner can struggle to find the code's edges.
5. **Look at the background** With Transparent background on, the code shows whatever is behind it. On a dark or busy surface, turn it off or place the code on a plain light shape.
6. **Test the shape last** If it still does not scan, switch Module Shape to Square, or lower Dot Spacing for Dots, then test again.

## Tips

- Change one setting at a time and scan after each change, so you know which one made the difference.
- Scan the placed code at the size it will really be used, not only at full zoom in Figma.

## Result

A QR code a phone reads, with as much of your styling as it allows.

## If something goes wrong

- **The code got denser after I added text.** -> A QR code grows with its content and its error correction level. Shorten the content, for example a shorter URL, to get bigger modules at the same size.
- **A WiFi code scans but the phone does not join.** -> Check that Network Name (SSID), Password and Security match the network exactly, and turn on Hidden only for a network that does not broadcast its name.

## Common questions

### Will a styled QR code always scan?

Not always. Logos, low contrast, missing margins and very wide dot spacing all make a code harder to read, so test every styled code with a phone before you publish it.

### Which settings are the safest?

QRLY's defaults with Square modules: a black code on white, Medium error correction, the quiet zone on and no logo. With a logo, use High error correction.

## Related guides

- [Style a QR code and add a center logo](https://raiken.io/kb/qrly/qrly-style-and-logo): Choose square, rounded or dot modules, set your colors and error correction, and put your logo in the middle.
- [Place a QR code on the canvas or export SVG and PNG](https://raiken.io/kb/qrly/qrly-place-and-export): Add the code to your design as editable vectors, or download and copy it as SVG or PNG at the size you need.

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Source: https://raiken.io/kb/qrly/qrly-qr-code-not-scanning (QRLY help centre). Reviewed: 2026-10-30.