qrco.de Links: What’s behind them and how you redirect them to Same-QR

Where qrco.de in your QR Code comes from

qrco.de is the short link domain of QR Code Generator PRO, the service behind qr-code-generator.com and qrcode-generator.de, which belongs to Bitly. According to the provider's help centre (as of October 2026), dynamic codes run via short links from this domain, sometimes also via l.ead.me. If qrco.de/… appears in the preview on your mobile phone when scanning, the code likely comes from there.

The short link is what makes the code dynamic: It remains the same in print, while the server behind it can change the destination.

Why the short link stays with the provider

The domain qrco.de belongs to the provider. Therefore, no other service can take over or respond to a qrco.de link, not even Same-QR. And it depends on the provider whether the link redirects: According to the help centre, dynamic codes are deactivated after the end of the free trial period; a scan then lands on a service page. It is fair that the data remains and can be reactivated via an upgrade. What happens after the end of a paid subscription is not described in the help centre.

According to the help centre, QR Code Generator PRO offers a custom domain starting from the Professional plan. If you use it, you have your own address in the code instead of qrco.de and are more independent when switching.

Change destination: the path to the bridge

What you can change is the destination behind the qrco.de link, as long as your plan is active. According to the help centre, you enter a new address under “Destination” and save it. If you enter the link of a new Same-QR code there, the printed code redirects via Same-QR. This is the bridge method.

• Create a new code at Same-QR, with your actual website as the destination.
• Test the new code.
• At QR Code Generator PRO, enter the Same-QR link under “Destination” and save.
• Scan the printed qrco.de code: Does it land in the right place?

The easiest way is the migration assistant under Dashboard → “QR codes” → “Move from another provider”: it reads your list as a CSV or Excel file, lets you assign the columns name, destination URL, old short link and labels, and creates the codes, as many as your plan allows. Afterwards you download a list “old short link → new Same-QR link”, which is exactly what you need for the bridge. An overview of switching is at sameqr.com/wechseln/en.

Find printed qrco.de codes

If you no longer know which printed code belongs to which entry: take a photo of the code and upload it in Same-QR under “Read a QR image”. Same-QR reads what is in the code, i.e. the old short link. Where that short link redirects to, you can see in your old provider’s account.

• Take photos of all printed materials: tables, windows, menus, packaging.
• Read the photos into Same-QR and note the qrco.de link.
• Search for the link in the old account and read the destination.
• Put everything into a table: location, qrco.de link, destination, new Same-QR link.

Become independent in the long term

The bridge is safe as long as the old subscription is active; what happens afterwards is not described in the help centre. Therefore, gradually replace the printed materials with Same-QR codes and only cancel once the most important items have been swapped. According to the pricing page, subscriptions for QR Code Generator PRO renew automatically; cancellation must be made up to 30 days before the end of the billing period, an informal email is sufficient.

Same-QR does not offer its own short link domain; the new codes run via sameqr.com/r/…. However, the rules after the subscription are fixed, and with “Export all” you can take your list with you as CSV at any time.

At Same-QR, the end of a subscription is handled as follows: Codes within the quota of your new plan continue to run unchanged – in the free plan, the two oldest. Codes beyond that are deactivated by us only after a 14-day grace period, and you will receive three emails beforehand (7, 3, and 1 day before). Deactivated does not mean deleted: The code shows a notice instead of the destination when scanned and works again as soon as your plan covers it.

Frequently asked questions