You get the number, the barcode type and whether its check digit is right, plus the GS1 prefix, ISBN or full UPC-A where they apply. Scan with your camera or from a photo, free and private on your device.
How to scan a barcode
- Press Scan with camera and allow camera access when your browser asks.
- Hold the barcode in view until it is read. Use Torch for more light and Switch camera to change cameras.
- Read the result, then use Copy to take the number, or Open link when it is a web address.
- Press Scan another to continue, or Stop camera when you are finished.
No camera? Press Choose an image to scan a photo or screenshot, or type the digits into Check a number by hand.
Which barcodes it reads
EAN-13 and UPC-A are on almost every product in shops, and EAN-8 and UPC-E are their short forms for small packs. Books carry an EAN-13 that starts with 978 or 979, which is the ISBN. Code 128 and Code 39 hold letters and numbers on shipping labels, asset tags and badges, and ITF-14 marks outer cartons. QR codes are read too, with the same link checks as the QR scanner.
Under Barcode types to look for you can narrow the search, which can speed things up and avoid false reads. Data Matrix and PDF417 codes are available as an option.
What the check digit tells you
The last digit of an EAN, UPC or ITF-14 number is worked out from the others, so a single wrong digit or two swapped neighbours shows up straight away. A verified check digit means the number was read or typed correctly. It does not prove the product is registered, and the GS1 prefix shows only which country's GS1 office issued the number, not where the product was made.
Getting a clean read
Hold the barcode level and close enough that it fills most of the frame, in even light without glare. Curved bottles read best when the bars run up and down the curve. If the camera struggles, take a sharp photo and choose it instead, or type the digits into Check a number.
History and privacy
The camera feed is analysed on your device and never uploaded. If you turn on Keep a history on this device, your scans are kept in this browser only, and Clear removes them. Leave it off if you share the device.
Common uses
- Checking that a barcode you printed actually scans.
- Looking up the ISBN of a book to catalogue your shelf or a classroom library.
- Copying the number from a shipping label or asset tag into a spreadsheet.
- Checking whether a number has been typed correctly before it goes into a stock list.
Need to make a code? The barcode generator creates them.
Questions
Does it tell me the price or product name?
No. It reads the number and checks it. The price and product details live in a shop's own system and are not part of the barcode.
Why will the camera not start?
Check that your browser has permission to use the camera for this site and that no other app is using it.
Can it scan from a screenshot?
Yes. Use Choose an image to pick a saved photo or screenshot.