Barcode scanner
Read a barcode from an image file or your camera.
Runs in this tab. The file stays here.
This runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
About Barcode scanner
Read a barcode from an image or your camera and show the number it encodes. Decoding happens in your browser, and nothing is looked up.
The number under a product barcode, an ISBN on the back of a book, a Code 128 label from a parcel, a Code 39 asset tag: all of them are one-dimensional codes, and the reader here handles the usual retail and shipping ones. Drop an image onto the page and it's scanned as soon as it loads, or switch on the camera and hold the code in front of it. The result panel shows the decoded text with the format the reader recognised, such as EAN 13 or CODE 128, and a Copy button.
The decoding is done by ZXing, a well-known open-source reader, running as JavaScript in your tab, with its harder search setting turned on. Camera mode checks a frame about five times a second and stops the camera by itself after the first successful read. A photo needs to be sharp, well lit, and mostly straight-on, with the whole code in view and a little blank margin around it. If the scan fails, you get a "no barcode found" message, and you can try cropping tightly around the bars or retaking the photo. Scan image again re-runs the same image.
It reads the digits and stops there. There's no product lookup, no price comparison, and no history, because looking something up would mean sending the number to a server. It also reads one code per scan, so an image with several barcodes returns whichever the reader finds first. For QR codes, the QR scanner is the dedicated page, and it works with a different decoder.
How to use Barcode scanner
- 1Drop an image of the barcode onto the page, or click Scan with camera.
- 2For the camera, hold the code flat, well lit, and steady until it reads.
- 3Copy the number from the result panel, or use Scan image again after a new crop.
What it won't do
- Reads the number only; no product lookup.
- One code per scan, and it stops the camera after the first read.
- Needs a sharp, well-lit image with the whole code visible; damaged codes may fail.
Common questions
Which barcode types work?
The common 1D codes: EAN, UPC, Code 128, and Code 39 are the ones this page is built around. The reader isn't restricted to those and may pick up other formats, showing the format name when it does, but for 2D codes like QR the QR scanner is the better choice.
Why won't my photo scan?
Usually blur, glare, a steep angle, or a barcode that's too small in the frame. Crop tightly around the bars with some quiet space either side, make sure the image is in focus, and try again. A curved label or a code printed on shiny packaging is harder than a flat sticker.
Does it look up the product?
No. It shows the number only. Looking up a product would need a database online, and this page makes no requests with the number it reads.
Is the camera video uploaded?
No. Frames are read in the tab and discarded, and the camera stops after a successful read or when you click Stop camera or leave the page.
Related tools
Why this one doesn't upload your file
There is no server to upload to. This page is a static file, and the work happens in your browser using the same graphics and WebAssembly code that renders every other site you visit. Your file is read from disk into memory, processed, and handed back as a download. Once the page has loaded you can disconnect from the network entirely and it keeps working. The longer explanation