What you need
- Your tag number (like TAP0001) and 6-digit activation code — both printed on the card packed with your tag, and included in your activation email.
- A Taproo account. The free plan is enough to activate a tag and edit its page.
Help Centre · Setting up your tag
How to activate your NFC tag
Three minutes, one code, and your tag opens whatever you want — for good. Here is exactly what happens at each step.
Activate a tag nowStep by step
- 1
Open your activation link
Tap the activation link in your order email, or go to taproo.com/activate and type the tag number (for example TAP0001) and the 6-digit activation code printed on the card that came with your tag.
- 2
Check the code
Press 'Check my code'. Taproo confirms the tag exists, is active and has not been activated before. Each tag can be activated once.
- 3
Sign in or create a free account
If you are signed out, create a free Taproo account or sign in. Your tag number and code are carried through sign-in, so you land back on the activation step automatically.
- 4
Choose what the tag opens
Pick one of three destinations: a brand-new Taproo page (choose the page type), one of your existing pages, or any https:// web address you already have.
- 5
Activate and finish your page
Press 'Activate tag'. If you created a new page you go straight to the editor to add your details; the tag already points at it, so anything you save appears immediately.
- 6
Tap the tag to test it
Hold your phone against the tag. It opens your destination. You can change that destination any time from your dashboard — the physical tag never needs re-writing. Switching between your own Taproo pages is unlimited on every plan.
The three destinations you can choose
New page
Pick a page type — digital business card, Emergency ID (ICE), review link, Wi-Fi, menu, luggage tag and more. We create it, link the tag and open the editor for you.
One of my pages
Already built a page? Point the tag at it. Useful when you order several tags for the same destination, or replace a lost tag.
A URL
Send taps to any https:// address — your own site, a booking link, a Google review link. Free includes one tag pointed at an external web address and one change of that address; switching a tag between your own Taproo pages is unlimited on every plan, and Pro and Business remove the external limits.
Signed out, signed in, or brand new?
- Already signed in
- You go straight from the code check to choosing a destination.
- Signed out with an account
- Choose "I already have an account". After signing in you return to the same activation step with your tag and code still filled in.
- Brand-new customer
- Choose "Create a free account". Your workspace is created automatically, then you are returned to activation — no card details, no trial.
- No page yet
- Pick "New page". If you have hit your plan's page limit, activation still works — use an existing page or a URL, or upgrade for more pages.
Live example: your tag's two links
Every Taproo tag involves exactly two links. Type your own tag number below to see them, and what a tap resolves to once it is activated.
Written on the chip (never changes)
https://taproo.com/t/TAP10001One-time activation link (from your card or email)
https://taproo.com/activate?tag=TAP10001&code=470434What a tap does after activation
Phone taps TAP10001https://taproo.com/t/TAP10001https://taproo.com/p/jane-smithChange the destination later and only the last step changes — the chip is never re-written.
How the tag itself is programmed
Tags bought from Taproo arrive pre-encoded — there is nothing to write. If you are programming your own blank chips, or re-writing a tag from elsewhere, write the short link (taproo.com/t/TAG), never the activation link and never your final destination.
1. Read the tag first
Open NFC Tools and use Read. A Taproo tag already shows a taproo.com/t/… record — if it does, you are done, just activate it online.
2. Write a URL record
For blank chips choose Write → Add a record → URL and enter https://taproo.com/t/YOURTAG exactly as shown in your dashboard.
3. Verify, then lock only if sure
Read the tag back and check it opens the right page. Locking is permanent — the destination stays editable in Taproo either way, so most people leave it unlocked.
Full tap-by-tap instructions for iPhone and Android, chip capacities and read-back verification live in the NFC Tools app guide.
Activating several tags at once
Ordered a pack? Activate the first tag, then use Apply to all on the activation screen to point every tag in the same order at that destination in one go. You can still split them later — each tag keeps its own destination and its own tap count.
If something goes wrong
| What you see | Why | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing happens when I tap | Phone NFC antenna is elsewhere, or the tag is on metal. | Move the phone slowly across the back/top of the tag, and lift the tag off metal surfaces. |
| "Tag not found" | Tag number mistyped, or the tag belongs to a different batch. | Copy the number straight from your card or email — letters and digits, no spaces. |
| "Already activated" | The code has been redeemed once already. | Sign in and change the destination from your dashboard, or email hello@taproo.com to release it. |
| Wrong code | Activation codes are 6 digits and tied to one tag. | Check you are pairing the code with the tag number printed alongside it. |
| Opens the old page | Phone or browser cached the redirect. | Pull to refresh, or open the short link directly in a private tab. |
Changing it later
The chip stores a Taproo link, not your destination, so re-pointing a tag is a dashboard edit rather than a re-write. Update the linked page's content, or link the tag to a different page entirely — every tap after that goes to the new destination. If you would rather write your own URL onto the chip instead, follow our NFC Tools programming guide.
Questions
Hit an error we haven't covered? The full activation FAQ covers wrong or expired codes, tags that say they're already claimed or inactive, plan and page limits, and testing after activation.