# What is the Matter manual pairing code? 11- vs 21-digit explained

> The Matter manual pairing code is the numeric alternative to the QR. Here's what the 11- and 21-digit versions mean and when you'd use each.

_Updated 2026-07-10 · Source: https://rematter.app/guides/matter-manual-pairing-code/_

When you can't scan a Matter QR code, you fall back to the **manual pairing
code**, the string of digits printed beneath it. It encodes the same
information a commissioner needs to add the device, just in a form you can type.

## 11 digits vs 21 digits

Matter defines two lengths:

- **11-digit code**: the standard, most common form. It carries the passcode
  and a short version of the discriminator (the value that helps apps tell your
  device apart from a neighbor's during setup). Usually shown grouped as
  `XXXX-XXX-XXXX`, e.g. `3497-011-2332`.
- **21-digit code**: a longer form used when the device also needs to encode its
  **Vendor ID and Product ID** (for example, a device using a custom onboarding
  flow). Same idea, more data.

Both are entered the same way in your smart home app; the app figures out which
length you've typed.

## QR code vs manual code: what's the difference?

They add the same device, but they don't carry *identical* data. The
[QR code](/guides/find-matter-pairing-code/) includes the full payload,
including discovery capabilities and the full discriminator. The manual code is
deliberately compact, so it holds a **short** discriminator and no discovery
hints. In practice both commission the device fine; the QR is just richer, which
is why scanning is the preferred path when the sticker is readable.

## The number that never changes

Unlike the temporary codes you get from **multi-admin sharing** (which expire in
minutes), the manual pairing code is your device's **permanent factory code**.
That's the one worth archiving: if you have the 11- or 21-digit code written
down, you can always [re-add the device](/guides/lost-matter-qr-code/), even
without the QR.

## Save the digits you can't afford to lose

[ReMatter](/) lets you type in a manual pairing code by hand and keeps it
alongside your scanned QR codes, searchable, backed up, and ready whenever you
need to re-commission.