Which format should I use?

CODE128 is the most flexible for general use. Use EAN-13/UPC for retail products, and ITF-14 for shipping cartons.

Why does EAN-13 need exactly 12–13 digits?

EAN and UPC are fixed-length numeric formats. The tool will show an error if the data does not match the selected format's rules.

What's the difference between EAN-13 and UPC?

UPC (12 digits) is primarily used in the US and Canada, while EAN-13 (13 digits) is the international standard used in most other countries — many modern scanners can read both.

Can I use this for a QR code instead?

No — this tool generates linear (1D) barcodes like CODE128 and EAN. For a QR code, which is a 2D format, you'd need a dedicated QR code generator instead.

Will the generated barcode scan correctly with a real barcode scanner?

Yes, as long as the format and data are valid and the printed size is reasonable — very small or low-resolution prints can be harder for some scanners to read reliably, so print at a practical size for your use case.

Barcode Generator

Generate single barcodes in CODE128, EAN, UPC, and other formats.

TL;DR: Barcode Generator is a free, browser-based tool that lets you generate single barcodes in CODE128, EAN, UPC, and other formats.

Data / text to encode

Format

Line color

Height (px)

Show text below barcode

Why Use This Tool?

Barcode Generator creates standardized 1D and 2D linear barcodes across major global symbologies: Code 128, EAN-13, UPC-A, Code 39, ITF-14, and Codabar with custom bar widths, heights, and human-readable text labels.

Getting Started with the Barcode Generator

Select your barcode symbology (Code 128 for general logistics, UPC-A for US retail, EAN-13 for global retail).
Enter the alphanumeric data or numeric code.
Adjust bar height, module width, and toggle human-readable text display.
Download in crisp PNG or scalable SVG format.

Pro Tips & Best Practices

Code 128 for Logistics: Code 128 supports full ASCII alphanumeric characters and is the global standard for shipping labels and warehouse inventory.
UPC vs EAN: UPC-A (12 digits) is standard in the United States and Canada; EAN-13 (13 digits) is standard in Europe, Asia, and worldwide retail.
Quiet Zones: Maintain adequate blank margin space (quiet zones) on both sides of the barcode so laser scanners can detect start/stop characters.

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100% Client-Side Privacy Guarantee

All processing runs locally inside your browser using JavaScript and HTML5 APIs. Your data, files, and inputs are never uploaded to any remote server. Complete privacy by design.

Frequently Asked Questions

: CODE128 is the most flexible for general use. Use EAN-13/UPC for retail products, and ITF-14 for shipping cartons.
: EAN and UPC are fixed-length numeric formats. The tool will show an error if the data does not match the selected format's rules.
: UPC (12 digits) is primarily used in the US and Canada, while EAN-13 (13 digits) is the international standard used in most other countries — many modern scanners can read both.
: No — this tool generates linear (1D) barcodes like CODE128 and EAN. For a QR code, which is a 2D format, you'd need a dedicated QR code generator instead.
: Yes, as long as the format and data are valid and the printed size is reasonable — very small or low-resolution prints can be harder for some scanners to read reliably, so print at a practical size for your use case.

Cite This Tool

Referencing this tool in a paper, article, or bibliography? Copy a ready-made citation below.

NexLove.org. (2026). Barcode Generator [Software]. https://nexlove.org/tools/barcode-generator.html

“Barcode Generator.” NexLove.org, 2026, nexlove.org/tools/barcode-generator.html.

NexLove.org (2026) Barcode Generator. Available at: https://nexlove.org/tools/barcode-generator.html (Accessed: 2026).

@misc{nexlove_barcode_generator,
  title = {Barcode Generator},
  author = {{NexLove.org}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://nexlove.org/tools/barcode-generator.html}
}

Embed This Tool

Add the live Barcode Generator tool to your own website with this snippet — it loads the real, working tool in an iframe, not a static screenshot.

<iframe src="https://nexlove.org/embed/barcode-generator.html" width="100%" height="600" style="border:1px solid #e2e8f0;border-radius:12px" title="Barcode Generator — NexLove.org" loading="lazy"></iframe>

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