Which barcode symbology should I use?

EAN-13 for retail products sold in Europe, UPC-A for North America, ITF-14 for outer cases, and Code 128 for anything internal - it takes the full character set and is the usual choice for your own labels.

Why is my EAN-13 rejected?

EAN-13 takes 12 digits, and adds the check digit itself, or all 13 - in which case the last one has to be the right check digit. EAN-8 works the same way with 7 or 8. A number of any other length, or with a mistyped check digit, is not a valid barcode, so it is refused rather than drawn wrongly.

Will these scan from a screen?

Usually, though a printed code is more reliable. If a scanner struggles, print it, make it larger, and keep clear white space either side.

Will an SVG barcode scan better than a PNG?

SVG for anything printed - a barcode that has been scaled as a bitmap develops soft edges, which is exactly what makes a scan fail. PNG is fine on screen.

Can it make QR codes too?

No, those are a different shape of thing - the QR Code Generator & Scanner on this site does those.

Stays on your computer How this works

Free barcode generator

Thirteen barcode formats, generated in your browser

FormatValue

Any ASCII text. The usual choice when you just need a barcode.

Bar widthHeightMarginText sizeBarsBackgroundShow value

SVG stays sharp at any size, which matters for printed labels — scanners are unforgiving about blurred bars. The PNG is rendered at three times the on-screen size for the same reason.

About this barcode generator

Generates thirteen barcode formats — including EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, Code 128, Code 39 and ITF-14 — and downloads them as PNG or SVG.

Check digits are calculated for you where the format requires one. Choose SVG for anything going to print. It is free to use, with no account and no upload limit, and it runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, and while the page stays open, a feature you have already used keeps working offline.

What you can do

Make Code 128 (A, B, C and auto), EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, Code 39, ITF-14, Interleaved 2 of 5, MSI, Pharmacode and Codabar barcodes
The check digit is added for EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A and ITF-14 when you leave it off
An invalid value is flagged, with the rules for that format
Set the bar width, height, margin and text size, and show or hide the number
Choose the bar and background colours
Download as PNG or SVG, or copy the SVG code

How to generate a barcode

Choose the barcode format you need.
Type the value. If the format has rules about length or characters, you are told when the value breaks them.
Adjust the appearance until it suits where it is going.
Download it as a .png, or as an .svg for print.

Questions

Which barcode symbology should I use?: EAN-13 for retail products sold in Europe, UPC-A for North America, ITF-14 for outer cases, and Code 128 for anything internal - it takes the full character set and is the usual choice for your own labels.
Why is my EAN-13 rejected?: EAN-13 takes 12 digits, and adds the check digit itself, or all 13 - in which case the last one has to be the right check digit. EAN-8 works the same way with 7 or 8. A number of any other length, or with a mistyped check digit, is not a valid barcode, so it is refused rather than drawn wrongly.
Will these scan from a screen?: Usually, though a printed code is more reliable. If a scanner struggles, print it, make it larger, and keep clear white space either side.
Will an SVG barcode scan better than a PNG?: SVG for anything printed - a barcode that has been scaled as a bitmap develops soft edges, which is exactly what makes a scan fail. PNG is fine on screen.
Can it make QR codes too?: No, those are a different shape of thing - the QR Code Generator & Scanner on this site does those.