How to print barcode labels from Excel

Updated 2026-10-29

You have a spreadsheet of SKUs, part numbers or order numbers and a pack of label sheets. Here are the three common ways to get from one to the other, what each is good for, and the spreadsheet mistakes that cause unreadable barcodes.

Option 1: a barcode font in Excel

A barcode font draws bars instead of letters, so a cell formatted with it looks like a barcode. It is the oldest trick and it works well for Code 39: install a free Code 39 font, then wrap each code in asterisks, which are Code 39's start and stop characters.

="*"&A2&"*"

Fonts are much less convenient for anything else. Code 128, EAN-13 and UPC-A need start, stop and check characters calculated for every value, so typing the code in a barcode font does not produce a scannable barcode. You need an encoding formula, a macro or a paid add-in. And Excel is not a label designer: matching cells to the label positions on a sheet is trial and error.

Good for: a few Code 39 labels printed on plain paper.

Option 2: a Word mail merge

Word can lay out data on a label sheet and, since Word 2013, draw barcodes with a hidden field code.

1. In Word, go to Mailings → Start Mail Merge → Labels and choose your label vendor and product, for example Avery US Letter 5160.
2. Select Recipients → Use an Existing List and pick your Excel file.
3. In the first label, press Ctrl+F9 (⌘+F9 on a Mac) and type a field such as MERGEBARCODE SKU CODE128, where SKU is your column name. Other types include CODE39, EAN13, UPCA, ITF14 and QR.
4. Add a normal merge field for the product name, click Update Labels, then Finish & Merge.

It works, but it is fiddly. Field codes are invisible until you press Alt+F9, errors show only as a message on the label, sizing the barcode takes several attempts, and the result depends on your Word version.

Good for: people who already use mail merge and print the same layout often.

Option 3: upload the spreadsheet and download a label-sheet PDF

A bulk barcode generator does the encoding and the layout in one step. With Bulk Barcode Maker:

1. Open the CSV / Excel tab and drop in your .xlsx or .csv file.
2. Choose the barcode column and, if you like, a column for the text printed under each barcode, such as the product name.
3. Pick the barcode type (Code 128 for SKUs, EAN-13 or UPC-A for retail products) and your label sheet: A4, Avery 5160, 5167, 5163 or a thermal roll.
4. Check the preview. Rows that can't be encoded are listed with the reason, so you can fix them before printing.
5. Click Download PDF.

The file is read in your browser and never uploaded. It is free for up to 100 barcodes per download.

Good for: anything from a dozen to a few thousand labels, on any computer.

Prepare the spreadsheet first

Most "the barcode is wrong" problems start in the spreadsheet, not the barcode.

• Keep leading zeros. Excel turns 00123 into 123. Format the code column as Text before typing or pasting codes, or the zeros are gone for good.
• Watch long numbers. Excel shows 12-digit and longer numbers as 2.001E+11, and saving as CSV can write that rounded text to the file. Formatting the column as Text avoids it. Excel also keeps only 15 significant digits, so longer numeric codes must be text.
• One row per label. If you need 5 labels of one product, the row appears 5 times. Copying a row and pasting it into several rows at once is the quickest way.
• Use a header row such as SKU and Name. The generator recognises it and offers the column names.
• Remove stray spaces with =TRIM(A2). A trailing space becomes part of a Code 128 barcode.
• EAN and UPC check digits: you can leave off the last digit and it is calculated for you. If you include it and it is wrong, the row is flagged.

Print so it lines up

• Print the PDF at 100% / Actual size. "Fit to page" shrinks everything and the labels drift off the sheet.
• Print one page on plain paper first and hold it against a label sheet in front of a light. If it is off, use the printer offset setting and print again.
• Using a sheet with some labels already peeled off? Set Skip used labels so printing starts at the first free label.
• Scan a few labels from the test print with the scanner or phone you will actually use, before printing the whole batch.