The short answer
A barcode is just a pattern that any camera can see, so you do not need a laser scanner to read it. A phone camera, a laptop webcam or even a screenshot is enough, as long as some software turns the bars back into the number. Dedicated scanners are faster when you scan hundreds of items an hour, but for checking a code, entering a product or counting a small stock, the device you already have does the job.
The reader below works in Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox without an app. Press Use camera and point the back camera at the code, or drop a photo, or press Ctrl+V to paste a screenshot. The result shows the number, the type of barcode and, for product codes, whether the check digit is right.
Try it here: Barcode Scanner
Open the full tool pageWhich barcode is which
You do not have to choose the type before scanning, but knowing the common ones helps you understand the result and spot a code that is meant for something else.
| Barcode | What it holds | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| EAN-13 | 13 digits, last one is a check digit | Retail products almost everywhere outside North America |
| UPC-A | 12 digits, last one is a check digit | Retail products in the United States and Canada |
| EAN-8 and UPC-E | Short versions with 8 digits | Small packages such as gum or cosmetics |
| ITF-14 | 14 digits | Outer cartons and boxes of products |
| Code 128 | Letters, digits and symbols | Shipping labels, warehouse locations, serial numbers |
| Code 39 | Capital letters and digits | Older industrial labels, ID cards, car parts |
| QR and Data Matrix | Any text or link, in two dimensions | Tickets, medicine packs, electronics, payment |
Scanning with a phone or laptop camera
Phones are the easiest option because their back camera focuses close. Hold the barcode flat, about 15 to 25 cm away, so the whole code fits inside the wide frame. Avoid glare from shiny packaging by tilting the item slightly, and give the camera enough light. Long codes like Code 128 on shipping labels need the full width to be visible.
Laptop webcams are harder. Most have a fixed focus set for faces at arm's length, so a barcode held close turns into a blur. Move the code back until it is sharp, even if it looks small, or take a photo with your phone and drop the image into the reader instead. The camera only runs while the camera view is open: it stops when a code is found in Single code mode, when you press Stop and when you switch to another tab.
Reading barcodes from photos and screenshots
Sometimes the barcode is not in front of you but in an email, a PDF invoice, a supplier's web shop or a photo someone sent. In that case a screenshot is the sharpest picture you can get.
Each image is searched at full size and at a smaller size, in all directions, and every barcode in it is listed. A shipping label with a tracking code, a postal code and a QR code gives three separate results, each with its own Copy code button.
- Windows: press Windows + Shift + S, select the code, then press Ctrl+V on the reader.
- Mac: press Command + Control + Shift + 4, select the code, then press Command + V on the reader.
- Phone photos: JPG and the HEIC photos from iPhones are both accepted. Take the picture straight from the front.
- Several images: drop them all at once, they are read one after another.
Counting stock with a phone
For a stocktake in a small shop, a storeroom or an office, switch the reader to Count list. The camera stays on and every scanned code is added to a list. Scanning the same code again raises its quantity, but only after it has left the frame for about a second, so one item held in front of the camera is counted once. Turn on Beep on scan to hear each read without watching the screen.
Mistakes are easy to fix: change a quantity with the plus and minus buttons or type the right number. A label that cannot be scanned can be typed into the input field. If you have a cheap USB or Bluetooth scanner that types like a keyboard, click the same field and scan; the code is added when the scanner sends Enter.
The list is saved in your browser, so a closed tab does not lose the count. When you are done, press Download CSV for a stock program or Download Excel for a spreadsheet. In the Excel file codes are stored as text, which matters because Excel would otherwise remove leading zeros and show 13 digit codes in scientific notation.
What the number tells you, and what it does not
A product barcode does not contain the product name or the price. It is a key that the shop's own system looks up. What the number does tell you is limited but useful.
- Check digit: the last digit of EAN, UPC and ITF-14 codes is calculated from the others. The reader shows Correct or the digit it should be, which is helpful when a code was typed by hand.
- GS1 prefix: the first three digits of an EAN-13 show which national GS1 organization issued the number range, for example 400 to 440 for Germany or 868 and 869 for Türkiye. It is not the country where the product was made.
- Books and magazines: codes starting with 978 or 979 are ISBN numbers, 977 is used for periodicals (ISSN).
- In-store codes: numbers from 200 to 299 are free for shops to use internally, often for weighed fruit, meat or cheese with the price or weight inside the code.
When the barcode will not scan
Most failures come from the picture, not the code. Make sure the whole barcode with its white margin on both sides is visible: the quiet zone tells the reader where the code starts and ends. Hold the camera straight rather than at a steep angle, and wipe a dusty lens. Very small codes in screenshots read better if you zoom in before the capture.
If a code is damaged, a scanner can still read it when only a small part is missing, but a torn or heavily wrinkled label may have to be typed in. For product codes the check digit tells you whether what you typed is plausible.