How to create barcodes in Shopify for products that have none

Shopify's product page has a Barcode field, but Shopify leaves it empty until you fill it. AK: PO & Barcode Label Printer's Barcode and SKU generator gives each variant without one a code by your rule, writes it to the variant in Shopify, and prints its labels. A run can be undone.

Published by Aislekit. I make a Shopify label printing app, I name it where it is relevant, and I say plainly when you do not need it.

Does Shopify make barcodes for you?

No. Each variant has a Barcode field, and it stays empty until you type a code, import one, or an app writes one. A label for a variant with no barcode has nothing of yours to print.

Three ways to add them

Type them in

Open the product in Shopify admin and type each variant's code in its Barcode field. Fine for a few products.

Import a spreadsheet

Export your products from Shopify as a CSV file, fill the Variant Barcode column, and import the file back. Good when the codes already exist somewhere else, such as a supplier's list.

Use the generator

In the app, open Barcode and SKU generator, pick the barcode type and the SKU rule, and press Preview: each variant's old and new codes are listed. Write to Shopify writes them. The SKU rule is built from what a SKU starts and ends with, the vendor, the product type, option values and a counter. With New products turned on, each new variant gets its codes by the same rules.

Store codes or GS1 barcodes

The generator makes four kinds of code:

• EAN-13 from your GS1 company prefix
• UPC-A from your U.P.C. company prefix
• In-store EAN-13 starting with 20 (no prefix needed)
• The SKU itself, as a Code 128 barcode

Marketplaces such as Amazon and Google Shopping ask for GS1 barcodes, which need the company prefix GS1 gives you. In-store codes and SKU barcodes scan in your own shop and mean nothing outside it.

Print the labels

After a run, Print labels for these takes those variants to the print screen, on the label you saved.

Undo a run

Undo this run puts back the codes each variant had before the run. Preview is on every plan; writing codes to Shopify and New products are part of Pro.

Common questions

Does Shopify make barcodes for products?

No. The Barcode field on each variant stays empty until you type a code, import one, or an app writes one.

Which barcode should I use?

GS1 barcodes, an EAN-13 or UPC-A from the company prefix GS1 gives you, when you sell on marketplaces such as Amazon or Google Shopping. An in-store EAN-13 starting with 20, or the SKU as a Code 128 barcode, for scanning in your own shop.

Can I undo the codes the generator wrote?

Yes. Undo this run puts back the codes each variant had before the run.

Does the app change anything else in my store?

It writes only the barcodes and SKUs you approve, and it asks for Shopify's permission to edit products only on the generator's screen.

AK: PO & Barcode Label Printer is on the Shopify App Store, and the free plan needs no card. For a whole transfer or purchase order, the guide to printing barcode labels in Shopify walks through it step by step.