Barcode scanner

This barcode scanner reads the number stored in EAN, UPC, Code 128, Code 39 and ITF-14 barcodes from a live camera or an uploaded photo. It decodes everything in your browser and hands back the number - no product database lookup.

QR code scanner Barcode scanner

Want to create one? Generate a barcode

Scanner

point at a barcode to read it

the camera feed never leaves your device

Drop a barcode image

or click to choose, png jpg webp

Result

no barcode read yet

Reads any of these

EAN-13
EAN-8
UPC-A
Code 128
Code 39
ITF-14

What this barcode scanner actually does

A barcode reader has one job: turn the bars back into the number or text they encode. This page covers exactly which formats this scan barcode online tool reads, what you get back for each one, and where a plain reader like this earns its place next to a full shopping app.

Which formats this product barcode scanner reads

Search the list below for a format and you'll see roughly what it's used for and how many characters it carries. The camera and upload paths both use the same decoder, so a code that scans from a photo scans live too.

Barcode formats this scanner reads, their length and typical use
Format	Length	Typically used for
EAN-13	13 digits	Retail products worldwide, printed on almost every shop shelf.
EAN-13	13 digits	Small packaging, like a pack of gum, where a full EAN-13 doesn't fit.
UPC-A	13 digits	Retail products in the US and Canada.
Code 128	Variable length	Shipping labels, logistics and inventory tags - carries letters as well as digits.
Code 128	Variable length	Industrial and asset tags, older inventory systems.
ITF-14	13 digits	Shipping cartons and pallets - the outer case, not the retail unit inside.

As a bonus, the same decoder usually also picks up UPC-E, Code 93 and Codabar, and reads a QR code if one is in frame.

A barcode number, not a product name

A retailer's own app can turn a barcode into 'Rowan Vale Oat Milk, 1L' because it checks the number against their product catalogue on a server. This reader does none of that: it decodes the bars in your browser and shows you exactly what's encoded, nothing more, nothing sent anywhere to look it up.

With a product database

A shopping app: scan a carton and see 'Rowan Vale Oat Milk, 1L, $3.49'.

With this scanner

This scanner: scan the same carton and see 2001234567893, tagged EAN-13, with a Copy button.

The name and price come from a product database a shopping app queries; this tool queries nothing, so there's no server call and no account needed to use it.

When a barcode reader like this is all you need

Storeroom stock check

Scan a shelf of cartons straight into a spreadsheet, one EAN-13 per line, without opening a retail app that expects a live catalogue.

2012345678903 - EAN-13

Proofing a label before it's printed

Scan a Code 39 asset tag on screen to confirm it decodes to the right ID before a whole sheet goes to the printer.

*ASSET-0042*

Reading a shipping carton

ITF-14 is built for the outer case, not the retail unit - useful when a pallet arrives and the packing list needs checking against what's on the box.

20012345678909 - ITF-14

Sources

Checked September 2026

Barcode standards are maintained by GS1 and the format authors; check gs1.org for the current rules before assigning real numbers to products.

Barcode scanner questions

No. It decodes the number encoded in the bars and nothing else - there's no product database behind it.

It's built for EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, Code 128, Code 39 and ITF-14, with UPC-E, Code 93 and Codabar usually working too. Stacked formats like PDF417 or Data Matrix aren't part of what this tool advertises.

No, decoding happens in your browser and nothing leaves your device.

If the decoded text happens to be a web address, an Open link button appears alongside Copy - the scanner doesn't know it's a URL until after it reads it.

It decodes them, but this page's camera and result view are tuned for 1D product and logistics barcodes. For links, WiFi and contact cards, the QR scanner adds the actions to open them.

Need to create a barcode?

Generate EAN, UPC, Code 128 and more - print-ready and free to download.

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