Link-in-Bio QR Codes: Print Once, Switch Tools Later

A link-in-bio QR code is just a web address printed as a pattern. It keeps working only as long as that address does. If the code holds a tool's own domain, like linktr.ee/yourname, manylinks.io/yourname or tap.bio/@yourname, every flyer and business card you print depends on that tool staying open and on you staying with it. If the code holds a domain you own, like links.yourname.com, you can change tools later and keep the same printed code.

This guide explains why, what dynamic QR codes do, and how to set up and print a code that outlasts your current tool.

What's inside a link-in-bio QR code

A QR code doesn't contain your page. It contains text, which for a link-in-bio is a URL. When someone scans it, their phone reads the URL and opens it. Whatever that URL shows on the day of the scan is what they get.

Link-in-bio tools pitch their QR codes as editable after printing. Linktree's September 9, 2026 guide puts it this way: "A Linktree QR code is dynamic: the content and links on your Linktree change, but the single URL you use for the QR code remains the same." In practice, you can swap the links on your page without reprinting.

What it leaves out is the URL itself. The code points at the tool's domain. You can change everything on the page except who runs the address.

Tap Bio shows the risk

Tap Bio announced that it was winding down, with service continuing until October 31, 2026. On October 19, 2026, the announcement card on Tap Bio's own page read: "We're winding down Tap Bio. Your service continues until Oct 31, 2026. No action needed now." The same card offered 50% off Link in Profile, with discount codes.

Anyone who printed a tap.bio code on business cards, packaging or a shop window chose a tool that worked at the time. Those printed codes depend on what Tap Bio does with its domain once the service ends. As of October 19, 2026, Tap Bio had not said whether tap.bio links would redirect. Check what your own tap.bio address shows before you assume anything.

If you're affected, start with our guides on what Tap Bio's shutdown means, saving your Tap Bio page and updating every place your old link lives, including print.

Closures aren't the only risk. If you want to switch for price or features, every code holding the old tool's domain gives you a reason to stay.

Static vs dynamic QR codes

QR generators offer two kinds of codes, which Linktree's guide calls static ("a fixed destination") and dynamic (a destination "you can edit after the code is printed"). The difference is where the redirect lives.

	Static QR code	Dynamic QR code
What the code holds	Your URL, directly	A short link on the QR vendor's domain
Can you change the destination later?	Only by changing what lives at that URL	Yes, in the vendor's dashboard
Depends on	Whoever controls the URL in the code	The QR vendor, plus whoever controls the destination

A dynamic code solves the "I need to change the destination" problem by adding a middleman. Those redirects are tied to your account with the vendor, and policies differ:

• Unitag says that if you cancel, "your dynamic QR Codes will be archived - interrupting their redirection," while static codes are kept even on a free plan (Unitag documentation).
• Hovercode says cancelling moves you to its free plan, where your first 3 dynamic QR codes stay active and extra ones become inactive, and "any QR codes, short links, or pages using your custom domain will stop working" (Hovercode help, updated October 22, 2025).
• QR Planet says that, on request, codes on paid plans are kept after a subscription ends if all invoices are paid and you've been a customer for at least a year (QR Planet help).

A code pointing at your link-in-bio page works the same way: the link-in-bio tool is the middleman. This works if you accept it, but causes problems if you assume the code is yours.

The durable fix: a domain you own

Put the URL in the code on a domain you control:

1. Own a domain. It can be your main site's domain or a new one you register just for this.
2. Use a subdomain for your link page, such as links.yourname.com. That keeps your main website free for something else later.
3. Point the subdomain at your current link-in-bio tool, if the tool supports custom domains.
4. Put that address in the QR code and print it under the code too.

When you switch tools, change the DNS records for links.yourname.com to point at the new tool. The printed code doesn't change.

If your next tool doesn't support custom domains, you can still keep the code alive with a redirect from your domain. Some registrars and DNS providers offer this. Namecheap, for example, documents URL redirects, "also known as URL forwarding." Check that the redirect works over HTTPS on your domain, because most QR codes start with https://. Namecheap's own page notes that HTTPS redirects need SSL certificates in place.

Not every tool supports custom domains. As of October 19, 2026, Linktree's help center says plainly: "Linktree doesn't support custom domains" (Linktree help, updated October 12, 2026). You can still send links.yourname.com to your Linktree with a redirect at your registrar, which gives you the same exit later.

What Linktree's QR code offers

If you plan to stay on Linktree, its QR feature includes:

• You download it as PNG or SVG, and SVG scales cleanly for posters (Linktree help).
• You can change the code's color, hide the Linktree logo or add your own. Linktree's guide says color and logo options need a Pro or Premium plan (Linktree, Sep 9).
• Linktree says its QR code "links to a unique URL, not your username," so codes keep working if you change your username (Linktree help).

That last point protects you from a rename. It doesn't protect you from leaving, because the code still sends people through Linktree.

How this works on ManyLinks

As of October 19, 2026, ManyLinks offers the following, with some limits.

On the free plan:

• A QR code for your page. The Share dialog shows a QR code of your page address, manylinks.io/yourname. It has no download button and no color or logo options. For print, you can make a code from that URL in any generator.
• A QR code for each link. Every link block has a Short link, such as manylinks.io/go/abc1234, with a QR code and a Download PNG button. The PNG is plain black on white with no blank border, so leave the margin in your layout.
• One custom URL, such as manylinks.io/yourname/menu.

All of these use the manylinks.io domain. On Free, a ManyLinks code depends on ManyLinks just like a Linktree code depends on Linktree.

On Pro:

• Custom domain. Connect a subdomain like links.yourname.com or a bare domain like yourname.com. ManyLinks shows the DNS records to add at your registrar and sets up SSL automatically.
• Branded short links. With a verified domain, each link can have its own custom URL on your domain, such as links.yourname.com/menu. That's useful for printing a code for one specific campaign rather than your whole page.

The per-link QR code in the editor encodes the manylinks.io/go/ short link, not your custom URL. For a code on your own domain, generate it from the custom URL in any QR tool. A static code is fine here, since you control the domain.

Short links send visitors straight to the destination without loading your page, so those scans won't appear as page views or clicks in your ManyLinks analytics. Tag the destination URL itself (see below) and read the results where it lands.

Track print scans with UTM tags

A scan from paper usually has no referrer, so analytics tools can't tell it apart from someone typing your address. Add UTM parameters to the URL in the code:

https://links.yourname.com/?utm_source=flyer&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=nov-market

Google's UTM documentation defines utm_source as the referrer (it even uses "billboard" as an example), utm_medium as the marketing medium and utm_campaign as the product, slogan or promo code. It also notes values are case sensitive, so pick a naming scheme and stick to it.

On ManyLinks, visits to your page with no referrer appear as Direct in your traffic sources on every plan. The Campaign Performance report, which shows views, clicks and click-through rate per UTM campaign, is a Pro feature. Our UTM guide covers naming.

Two trade-offs:

• Longer URLs make denser codes. QR Planet says a URL of up to 17 characters gives a 21 x 21 grid, while one of up to 72 characters gives 35 x 35 (QR Planet). Keep tag values short.
• Print a clean address under the code, like links.yourname.com, for people who type it. Those visits will show as Direct, which is fine.

Print checklist

These come from the company that developed the QR code where possible, and from QR vendors where noted:

• Leave a quiet zone. Denso Wave, which developed the QR code, says the code "requires a four-module wide margin at all sides" (Denso Wave). A module is one square of the pattern. Keep text and artwork clear of the code.
• Size it for the distance. QR Planet (a vendor) recommends at least 2 x 2 cm for a typical URL scanned from about 20 cm, and a rule of thumb of 10:1 between scan distance and code size. A code read from 1 meter should be about 10 cm wide (QR Planet).
• Keep contrast high. Linktree's help says to make the code darker than its background (Linktree help). Dark on light is the safe choice.
• Use vector files for large prints. Linktree recommends PNG for fixed-size prints and SVG for posters and signage (Linktree, Sep 9).
• Be careful with logos. QR codes include error correction, and Denso Wave says Level M (15%) is the most common choice (Denso Wave). A logo covers part of the pattern, so test harder.
• Test the printed proof. Scan it with several phones, in normal light, from the real distance, before the full print run.
• Check where it lands. Open the scanned page on a phone. If it's your link page, make sure the first links on screen are the ones the flyer promises.

A setup that survives a switch

For anything you'll hand out for months, put links.yourname.com on the code, point it at your current page (or redirect it there), add short UTM tags, and print with a quiet zone and the plain address underneath. Note where the domain's DNS is managed. When you switch tools, change only that DNS setting.

ManyLinks includes a page QR code on the free plan, and custom domains and branded short links on Pro. You can compare plans or read our custom domain guide. Whatever tool you use, own the address before you print it.