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Barcodes that scan, right next to your data

Turn a column of SKUs or product numbers into Code 128, EAN, UPC, GS1-128 or DataMatrix barcodes in Excel. No fonts to install. Windows, Mac and the web.

  • Every value checked first: check digits, lost leading zeros, rounded numbers
  • Real pictures in the workbook that colleagues see without any add-in
  • Update redraws only what changed after you edit or sort
See pricing

Coming soon to Microsoft Marketplace

Excel on Windows, Mac and the web.

From a column of SKUs to barcodes in the next column

Click a cell in your list. BarcodePop picks the barcode type, checks every value, shows a preview and puts one barcode picture next to each value.

A product list in Excel with the columns Product and EAN-13, marked 1. In the BarcodePop pane beside it, the preview of the first barcodes and the check summary with one skipped row, marked 2. In the next column of the sheet, a barcode picture next to each number except the skipped one, marked 3.
  1. Your list, as it isClick any cell in the column. BarcodePop reads the whole column, skips the header row and suggests the type from the values: EAN-13 for 13 digits, UPC-A for 12, Code 128 for everything else.
  2. Checked before anything is drawnWrong check digits, leading zeros Excel dropped and long numbers Excel rounded are caught first. Each skipped row says why, and a click selects it.
  3. Pictures that stay with the fileOne barcode per value in the next empty column, sized to the cell. Sorted the list or changed a value? Update moves and redraws only what changed.

Why a barcode font often does not scan

A font only changes how characters look. A barcode needs more than that, and it has to look the same on every computer that opens the file.

A barcode font

Characters drawn as bars

  • Needs encoding: start, stop and check characters added by a formula or a macro, or the bars do not scan.
  • Does not travel: a colleague without the font sees plain digits instead of bars.
  • Has to be installed on every computer, often with admin rights, and Excel on the web cannot use it.
  • Check digits are your job, and a wrong one prints a barcode that scans the wrong number or not at all.

BarcodePop

Real barcode pictures

  • Complete barcodes with the start, stop and check characters drawn in.
  • Part of the workbook: whoever opens it sees the barcodes, on Windows, Mac and the web.
  • Nothing to install for you or your colleagues: no fonts, no macros.
  • Every value checked first: check digits, lost leading zeros and numbers Excel has rounded.

How it works

Open the pane from the Home tab. Three steps later the barcodes are in your sheet.

Click a cell

Click any cell in a column of SKUs, product numbers or codes. BarcodePop reads the column and suggests the barcode type.

Check the preview

See the first barcodes and how many values are ready. Rows that would not scan are listed with the reason.

Create barcodes

Click Create barcodes. One picture goes next to each value, in the first empty column. Update keeps them current.

The barcode types you need, and the right one picked for you

Retail, general, logistics and 2D barcodes. BarcodePop suggests the type from your values, and you can always change it.

Six barcodes drawn by BarcodePop side by side: EAN-13, Code 128, ITF-14, GS1-128, DataMatrix and PDF417.

Retail

Free
  • EAN-13Free13 digits. Products sold in shops worldwide
  • UPC-AFree12 digits. Retail products in the US and Canada
  • EAN-8Free8 digits. Small packs with little room
  • UPC-EFree6 to 8 digits. Small US packs, a short form of UPC-A

Logistics

Free and Pro
  • ITF-14Free14 digits with bearer bars. Outer cartons and cases
  • GS1-128ProBatch, expiry date, serial number and more, with the GS1 builder

General

Free
  • Code 128FreeLetters, digits and symbols. SKUs, stock, assets, tickets and files
  • Code 39FreeDigits, capital letters and a few symbols. Older scanners and systems
  • CodabarFreeDigits and a few symbols. Older systems such as libraries

2D

Pro
  • DataMatrixProUp to 1,500 characters in a small square, accents included
  • GS1 DataMatrixProGS1 data with Application Identifiers in a square
  • PDF417ProLong text in a wide, stacked barcode

Compact, Standard and Large sizes for every type, text under the bars, and custom sizes in Pro.

EAN and UPC numbers for retail products are issued by GS1 to your company; BarcodePop draws the barcode for the number, it does not issue numbers. GS1 is a trademark of GS1 AISBL. BarcodePop is an independent product by Bosau Digital LLC and is not affiliated with or endorsed by GS1.

Coming to Microsoft Marketplace

BarcodePop installs from Microsoft's add-in store, inside Excel. It is on its way and not listed yet.

Once it is listed, this is the whole install:

  1. 1In Excel, go to Home → Add-ins → More Add-ins.
  2. 2On the Store tab, search for BarcodePop by Bosau Digital.
  3. 3Click Add, open BarcodePop from the Home tab, then click a cell in your list.
Coming soon to Microsoft Marketplace

Depending on your Excel version, look under Insert → Get Add-ins instead.

  • Windows, Mac and the web
  • No fonts, no macros
  • Barcodes are made on your computer
  • The pictures stay in your workbook

Pay once. No subscription.

Every 1D barcode type is free for up to 50 barcodes per workbook. Pro removes the limit and adds GS1-128, 2D barcodes and image files.

Free
$0
Inside the add-in · no account
  • Every 1D type: Code 128, EAN, UPC, ITF-14 and more
  • Automatic type and every value checked
  • Update and Remove
  • Up to 50 barcodes per workbook
Get it free
Personal
$49
One-time payment · one person
  • Lifetime license for 3 devices
  • Every Pro feature
  • Every future update included
  • 14-day money-back guarantee
Team
$129
One-time payment · your team
  • Lifetime license for 15 devices
  • Every Pro feature
  • Every future update included
  • 14-day money-back guarantee

Pro adds unlimited barcodes (up to 5,000 in one run), GS1-128 with a builder for Application Identifiers, DataMatrix, GS1 DataMatrix, PDF417, custom sizes and Save as images: PNG at 300 or 600 dpi, or SVG, with a CSV list.

Frequently asked questions

A barcode font only changes how characters look. A scanner also needs the start and stop characters around the data and, for Code 128 and EAN, a check digit, so the text has to be encoded with a formula or a macro first. Typing a value in a barcode font without that encoding gives bars that look right and do not scan. BarcodePop draws each barcode as a picture with the start, stop and check characters already in it. The full explanation is in the docs.
No. Each barcode is an ordinary picture in the workbook, so anyone who opens the file sees it in Excel on Windows, Mac and the web, with no font and no add-in to install. Only the person who creates or updates the barcodes needs BarcodePop.
Yes. BarcodePop runs in Excel for Windows (Microsoft 365, Excel 2021 and Excel 2024), Excel for Mac and Excel on the web. It will install from Microsoft Marketplace, where it is coming soon, or through your admin. There is no separate installer to download.
The free version has every 1D type: Code 128, Code 39, Codabar, EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E and ITF-14. Pro adds GS1-128 with a builder for Application Identifiers, DataMatrix, GS1 DataMatrix and PDF417. When you click a column, BarcodePop suggests the type from the values, for example EAN-13 for 13 digits with a valid check digit, and you can always change it.
Only if your products are sold through retailers. The EAN and UPC numbers on retail products are issued by GS1 to your company; BarcodePop draws the barcode for a number you already have, it does not issue numbers. For your own stock, assets, files or tickets, Code 128 works with any SKU and needs nothing from GS1.
BarcodePop draws every bar on whole pixels with the quiet zones the standard asks for, and EAN and UPC barcodes get the standard bar height at the Standard size. Print the sheet at 100% (not Fit to page), keep the barcodes at least the Compact size, and test a few with your own scanner before a large print run.
Your barcodes are made on your computer, inside Excel, and stay in your workbook. Nothing is uploaded to make them. The one exception is Save as images (Pro) on Windows and Mac: to build the image files in your browser, BarcodePop stores an encrypted copy of the values on our server for up to 10 minutes and deletes it when your browser reads it. Only your browser holds the key. On Excel on the web nothing is uploaded at all. The details are in the privacy policy.
Everything you need for barcodes next to your data, with no account, no watermark and no time limit: every 1D type, the automatic type, the checks for check digits, lost leading zeros and numbers Excel has rounded, the preview, the Compact, Standard and Large sizes, text under the bars, Update and Remove. The one limit is 50 barcodes per workbook.
Pro removes the limit (up to 5,000 barcodes in one run) and adds GS1-128 with the GS1 builder, DataMatrix, GS1 DataMatrix, PDF417, custom sizes and Save as images (PNG at 300 or 600 dpi, or SVG, with a CSV list). Pro features are visible in the free version, marked Pro. If Pro is not for you, email me within 14 days and you get your money back.
It is a one-time license with no subscription. Personal covers one person on up to 3 devices, and Team covers up to 15 devices. Both unlock every Pro feature and include future updates. You enter the key from your purchase email in the pane menu, and you manage your devices in your account. If it is not for you, email me at contact@pythonandvba.com within 14 days and you get your money back. The full policy is at pythonandvba.com/refund-policy.
Sven Bosau

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Your list, as barcodes that scan.

BarcodePop is on its way to Microsoft Marketplace. The free version will make up to 50 barcodes per workbook in every 1D type, with no account.

Get it free

BarcodePop is an independent product by Bosau Digital LLC. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Microsoft or GS1. Microsoft and Excel are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.