Free barcode scanner Scan a barcode free, right in your browser.
This free barcode scanner reads UPC, EAN, Code 128, Code 39, ITF, QR and Data Matrix codes with your camera or from an image, right in your browser, with no signup. Copy what it reads, or download the list.
Free · No signup · Read on your device
Point your camera at a barcode, or drop or paste an image here.
Read on this device. Images and video are never uploaded.
Scanned (0)
Codes you scan show up here, newest first.
Free online barcode reader: what it reads
The codes on almost everything you buy, ship or label yourself. If several are in one picture, it reads them all.
Barcodes (1D)
- EAN-13
- The 13-digit number on products sold around the world.
- UPC-A
- The 12-digit version used in the US and Canada.
- EAN-8 and UPC-E
- Short versions for small packs, like gum or lipstick.
- Code 128
- Letters and numbers on shipping labels, SKUs and serial numbers.
- Code 39
- An older code for letters and numbers, still on parts, badges and asset tags.
- ITF
- The thick bars printed on cardboard cases (ITF-14).
2D codes
- QR code
- Web addresses, Wi-Fi details, tickets, and box labels like Hoardo's.
- Micro QR
- A smaller QR code for tiny parts and labels.
- Data Matrix
- The small square on medicine packs, electronics and parts.
It doesn't read PDF417 (on ID cards and some boarding passes), Aztec (many train and plane tickets), Codabar or GS1 DataBar.
Using barcodes to keep track of your own things? Here's how a barcode inventory system works at home.
How to use this free barcode scanner
Scan or upload
Tap Scan with camera and allow the camera, or upload a photo or screenshot of the code. On a computer, you can also drop an image on the scanner or paste one.
Fill the frame
Hold the barcode flat, in good light, so it fills most of the frame. Each new code is added to the list with a short beep.
Copy or download
Copy one code, open the link a QR code holds, or download the whole list as a CSV file for a spreadsheet.
Scan a barcode online from a photo
No camera, or the code is on a screen? Upload an image or a screenshot. The reader looks through the whole picture, finds every code in it, even small or slightly turned ones, and lists them. iPhone photos (HEIC) work too.
Scan barcodes online with a webcam
A laptop's camera works the same way. Hold the code close and still: webcams focus less well than phones, so a photo of the code often reads faster.
How to read a barcode
A barcode is a number written for machines. Its dark bars and the light gaps between them come in four widths, and every digit is a fixed pattern of two bars and two gaps. A scanner measures the widths and turns them back into digits. The number printed underneath is the same data, written for people.
Here's the most common kind, an EAN-13, taken apart.
What the 13 digits of an EAN-13 mean
The first two or three digits are the GS1 prefix: which GS1 office issued the number. 400 to 440 is GS1 Germany, 500 to 509 is GS1 UK. It says where the company signed up, not where the product was made.
Next comes the company's number, then the item's number. How the digits split between the two depends on the company. The last digit is the check digit. A UPC-A is the 12-digit North American version: put a 0 in front of it and you have an EAN-13.
The check digit, worked out
The last digit catches typos and misreads. For 4006381333931, take the first 12 digits and multiply them by 1, 3, 1, 3 and so on from the left: 4, 0, 0, 18, 3, 24, 1, 9, 3, 9, 9, 9. They add up to 89. The next multiple of 10 is 90, so the check digit is 90 minus 89: 1, the last digit printed.
A UPC-A works the same way with the weights the other way round (3, 1, 3…): the first 11 digits of 036000291452 add up to 58, so its check digit is 2. A single wrong digit always shows up, so try it below.
Check a barcode's digits
8, 12, 13 or 14 digits: EAN-8, UPC-A, EAN-13 or GTIN-14.
What a barcode doesn't tell you
Not the price, and on its own not even the product's name. A shop's till looks the number up in the shop's own system, and apps look it up in theirs. This scanner shows the number and the kind of code, and doesn't look anything up.
QR codes and Data Matrix
2D codes store data in a grid of squares instead of a row of bars. A QR code holds up to a few thousand characters: a web address, Wi-Fi details or plain text. Both kinds repair themselves up to a point, so a scratched or partly covered code often still reads, and they read from any angle.
Reading a barcode without a scanner
Read the digits under the bars: they're the same number. Type them into the checker above to make sure you got them right.
When a barcode won't scan
More light, less glare
Shiny packaging reflects. Tilt the code a little, or turn the light on: the scanner shows a light button on phones that have one.
Not too close
Phones can't focus right up against a code. Move back until the bars look sharp, then let the code fill the frame.
Crop the photo
In a busy picture, crop close to the code and upload it again.
Damaged or tiny codes
Torn, smudged or very small barcodes may not read. Type the digits into the checker instead.
Codes it doesn't read
PDF417, Aztec, Codabar and GS1 DataBar aren't on its list. A code on another screen reads fine with that screen's brightness turned up.
Your scans stay on your device
The scanner runs in your browser. The camera picture and the images you pick are read on your phone or computer and never uploaded, and what it reads isn't sent anywhere. On Android, Chrome's own barcode reader does the work. On iPhones and computers, a reader that Hoardo serves loads the first time you scan.
The list lives in this tab only: it's gone when you close or reload the page. Download the CSV to keep it.
Keep track of what you scan with Hoardo
This page reads a code and forgets it. Hoardo, a free home inventory app, keeps it with the thing: scan a product's barcode onto its item, and scanning it again later opens that item and shows which box and room it's in.
Switch on Barcode / SKU in Settings, under Show on items, then scan or type a code onto an item. A code no item has yet offers Add to existing or + New item. Print QR labels for your boxes too, and a scan shows what's inside without opening them. Scanners that type like a keyboard, over Bluetooth or USB, work in Hoardo's search and on its lists.
Hoardo is free, with every feature included, and runs in the browser on any phone, tablet or computer. More on how the labels and codes fit together: barcode inventory system.
Start free
Questions about the free barcode scanner
Is this barcode scanner really free?
Yes. It's free, with no signup and no account. Open the page, scan, and copy or download what it reads.
How do I scan a barcode online for free?
Tap Scan with camera, allow the camera and hold the barcode inside the frame. Without a camera, tap Upload an image and pick a photo or screenshot of the code. Each code appears in the list under the scanner.
Can I scan a barcode from a picture or screenshot?
Yes. Upload it, drop it on the scanner or paste it. The reader looks through the whole image and lists every code it finds. iPhone photos (HEIC) work too.
How do I read a barcode without a scanner?
Read the digits printed under the bars: they're the same number. The last digit is a check digit, so you can check the digits you typed.
Does it upload my photos or camera video?
No. Everything is read on your device, in the browser. Nothing you scan or pick is sent to Hoardo or anyone else.
Can it look up the product name or price?
No. A barcode holds a number, not a name or a price: shops and apps look the number up in their own systems. This scanner shows the number and the kind of code, and doesn't look anything up.
Which barcode types does it read?
EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E, Code 128, Code 39 and ITF barcodes, and QR, Micro QR and Data Matrix codes. It doesn't read PDF417, Aztec, Codabar or GS1 DataBar.
What is the difference between a barcode and a QR code?
A barcode is one row of bars that holds a short number and is read across. A QR code is a grid of squares that holds much more, like a web address or a few sentences, and reads from any angle.
Can I scan many barcodes and save them?
Yes. Every code you scan stays in the list until you close the page, and Download CSV saves it for a spreadsheet. To keep codes with your things, add them to items in Hoardo.
Does it work on iPhone and Android?
Yes, in Safari, Chrome and other browsers, on phones, tablets and computers. Live scanning needs the camera allowed for this page; uploading an image doesn't.
Keep the codes with your things
Hoardo keeps barcodes on your items and QR labels on your boxes, so one scan shows what it is and where it is. Free, with every feature included.
- 100% Free
- No Credit Card
- No Storage Shame