Free Barcode Generator

What is a barcode generator?

A barcode generator turns a number or short piece of text into a pattern of bars that a scanner can read back. This one draws six common 1D formats — Code 128, EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8, Code 39 and ITF-14 — live in your browser as you type, so you can see the finished barcode before you ever print or export it. Each format is really just a different set of rules for the same idea: a string of characters becomes a sequence of bars and spaces of specific widths that a scanner's sensor decodes in one pass.

The output is only useful if it actually scans, so every format was tested by decoding it back with an independent barcode reader rather than checked by eye. All six formats were run through eleven test values and in every case the reader returned exactly what was drawn, with the check digits matching the standard published examples for EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8 and ITF-14. That is the thing worth trusting about a free barcode generator: not that the output looks like a barcode, but that it reads back like one.

How to use it

1. Choose a barcode format. Pick one of the six buttons — Code 128, EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8, Code 39 or ITF-14 — based on what you are labelling and where it needs to work.
2. Type or paste your value. The box shows a placeholder example for the chosen format, with a line underneath explaining what it accepts; tick Show the number underneath if you want the digits printed below the bars.
3. Check the preview and download. The barcode redraws itself as you type, so you can confirm it looks right, then use Download PNG for documents and online listings or Download SVG for anything you plan to print.

Which format should you use?

Code 128 is the default for a reason: it accepts any ordinary ASCII text — letters, digits, spaces and punctuation — which makes it the easiest fit for internal stock labels, asset tags and anything with a mixed-character reference number. Code 39 covers similar ground with a much stricter alphabet: capital letters A to Z, digits, and only the characters - . $ / + % and space, with lowercase rejected outright. It is older and less compact than Code 128, but some legacy scanners and industrial systems still expect it.

EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8 and ITF-14 are digits-only formats with fixed lengths, and each ends in a check digit calculated from the digits before it — you do not need to work it out. Type 12 digits for EAN-13, 11 for UPC-A, 7 for EAN-8 or 13 for ITF-14 and the tool appends the correct check digit itself. Pasting the full number including its existing check digit works too, and if that check digit is wrong the tool rejects the value rather than quietly correcting it into a different number — which matters, because a silently corrected barcode is a barcode for someone else's product. Anything else that does not fit the chosen format is rejected the same way, instead of drawing a code that would fail on a real scanner.

A barcode image is not a product number

This is the point that matters most before you put an EAN-13 or UPC-A barcode on anything you plan to sell. Those numbers are issued by GS1, the organisation that allocates company prefixes worldwide, and generating a valid, scannable EAN-13 here only gives you a picture that scans — it does not give you the right to sell a product under that number, and a retailer's system will reject or misattribute a barcode whose number is not registered to you. That makes this tool a good fit for internal stock labels, asset tags, library and warehouse systems, testing, and any barcode you fully control yourself. If it is going on a product for sale in shops, the number needs to come from GS1 first.

The rest of the limitations are about scanning rather than licensing. There are no colour options here, because scanners work by thresholding the image into dark and light, and coloured bars or a tinted background are a common cause of failed scans — black on white is simply the reliable choice, so it is the only one offered. The quiet zone, the blank margin at each end, is included in every download, and cropping it off is one of the most common reasons a printed barcode will not scan. Print size matters too: SVG scales to any size without blurring, which is what a print shop wants, while PNG is easier to drop into a document or a listing. Either way, test a printed label with a real scanner before ordering a run, since a barcode printed too small or on a poor surface can fail even when the file itself is perfect.

Why is it free?

This barcode generator runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, nothing is saved on a server, and reloading the page clears the form. There is no account to create, no watermark on the download, and no paid tier hiding a format or a feature — it is a small, complete tool, free to use as often as you need.