Basic Mode
Generate single barcodes or bulk labels from CSV in seconds.
Basic mode is the fastest way to go from a value to a printable label. Everything runs locally in your browser — no barcode data is ever sent to a server.
Single barcode
Enter your text or number, pick a barcode type, choose a label size and orientation, and the preview updates live. Different barcode formats have different length limits, so the app automatically recommends a compatible format based on the length of what you typed — you can still pick any format manually.
- Select the Single Barcode tab.
- Enter the text you want to encode.
- Choose a barcode type, label size, and orientation in the Settings panel.
- Click Preview Barcode Image to check just the barcode, or Preview Label PDF to see the full label with text.
- Click Print with Browser to print, or Download PDF to save the file.
For product identifiers, serial numbers, or short text, Code 128 or Data Matrix tend to scan reliably even at small label sizes. For linear barcodes like Code 128, landscape orientation usually produces a more scannable result; 2D barcodes (QR, Data Matrix) work well in either orientation.
Bulk generation from CSV
Upload a CSV file to generate one label per row. Your CSV should have a header row — Excel or Google Sheets can both export one.
- Select the Bulk from CSV tab.
- Drag and drop your CSV file onto the upload area, or click to select a file.
- Once uploaded, you'll see a preview of your CSV data.
- Map a CSV column to the barcode value.
- Configure barcode type, label size, and orientation.
- Click Preview Label PDF to check your labels, then Print with Browser or Download PDF to export a single multi-page PDF.
Example CSV:
ProductID,Name,SKU,Price
A12345,Widget Alpha,WA-12345,$19.99
B67890,Widget Beta,WB-67890,$24.99
C13579,Widget Gamma,WG-13579,$29.99The tool can handle hundreds of rows in one file; for very large batches (1000+ labels), consider splitting into multiple CSV files for better browser performance.
Sheet printing
Basic mode supports printing multiple labels per page on standard sheet layouts (e.g. Avery 5160 address labels, 5163 shipping labels, and other common Avery and generic letter-size templates). Toggle between one-label-per-page and sheet layout in the print options — sheet layout lays out labels in a grid with the correct margins and spacing for the selected template, so you can print onto pre-cut label sheets on a standard printer.
URL parameters
Pre-fill the generator by linking to the app with query parameters. This is useful for bookmarkable links or hooking the app up to another system.
https://barcodelabels.io/?text=SKU-123&type=code128&size=2x1&orientation=landscape&qty=4
| Parameter | Required | Values |
|---|---|---|
text | Yes | the value to encode |
type | Yes | code128, qr, microqr, datamatrix, upca, ean13, ean8 |
size | No | any supported label size, e.g. 4x6, 2x1, 50x30 (default: 4x6) |
orientation | No | portrait, landscape (default: landscape) |
qty | No | 1-500 (default: 1) |
Opening a link like this auto-populates the form and opens a PDF preview — it does not download automatically. Only the seven barcode types listed above are available in Basic mode; for the full symbology set (including UPC-E, Code 39, and ITF-14), use Designer mode or the API.
Looking to generate barcodes programmatically instead of through the browser? See the Developers section for the HTTP API, which returns the image or PDF directly and is ideal for scripts and automation.