How to Use Barcode Scanner in Excel (2 Suitable Ways)

The Barcode is a system to represent data in terms of bars. To read barcodes, you need a dedicated scanner. After that, you can extract that information into Excel. We will discuss how to use the barcode scanner in Excel.

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What Is Barcode?

2 Ways to Use Barcode Scanner in Excel

1. Use a Barcode Scanner and Show Scanned Code in Excel Cell

2. Extract Data from Barcodes Created with Excel Code 39 Fonts

Conclusion

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What Is Barcode?

Barcode is an encoding process. It encodes information and represents it in the form of machine-readable black lines and white spaces with varying widths depending on the information. Barcodes are commonly used in packed products, super shops, and other modern shops.

2 Ways to Use Barcode Scanner in Excel

There are two options to scan a barcode in Excel. One is to use a scanner to scan the barcode, other is to use an add-in Excel. Both ways are discussed below.

1. Use a Barcode Scanner and Show Scanned Code in Excel Cell

In this method, we will need a barcode scanner. Then applying the following steps, we can get the output codes in our Excel worksheets.

📌 Steps:

First, you need to manage a barcode scanner. Then turn off the computer and plug in the scanner on the exact port on the computer.
Now, turn on the computer and the scanner.
Open the desired Excel file. Point the cursor to the desired place of the sheet. We want to view the scanned date here.
Now, pick the barcode scanner and place it 6 inches away from a barcode. Or adjust the distance between the barcode and the scanner so that it can perform accurately.
Now, push the button of the scanner to activate that. After that, place the light on the barcode to scan.
Afterward, we will see that data is scanned and viewed on the selected cell of the worksheet.

2. Extract Data from Barcodes Created with Excel Code 39 Fonts

If you have some barcodes in an Excel sheet created with Excel Code 39 barcode fonts, you can use Excel fonts as if they were barcode scanners! Apply the following steps.

📌 Steps:

Say, we have the following barcodes for IDs in Column C.

Now, we will retrieve the alpha-numeric value from the barcode. Copy barcodes into the Result column.

Choose cells from the Result column.
Go to the Font section. We choose Calibri font. You can choose other fonts as well.

Barcodes are converted to alphanumeric values.

Conclusion

In this article, we described 2 ways to use a barcode scanner in Excel or use Excel as a barcode scanner. I hope this will satisfy your needs. Please have a look at our website ExcelDemy and give your suggestions in the comment box.