# How to Set Up and Use Barcode Scanning in QuickBooks Desktop

> Turn on barcodes in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise Advanced Inventory, check your scanner, add or import barcodes, and scan items onto transactions.

- URL: https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/barcode-scanning/
- Section: QuickBooks Desktop Guides, Inventory
- Applies to: QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise
- Steps checked against: Intuit's QuickBooks Desktop help articles, updated August 2026
- Updated: 2026-10-19

**Short answer:** To scan barcodes in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise with Advanced Inventory, open the Barcodes tab in Advanced Inventory Settings, select Enable Barcode, and run the Barcode Wizard. The tab is under Edit > Preferences > Items & Inventory > Company Preferences. After that, a USB scanner adds a new item line each time you scan on sales, purchase and transfer forms. Picking and cycle counts on a mobile scanner use the QuickBooks Desktop mobile app, which you link on the Site Operations tab.

## Before you start

- You need QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise with Advanced Inventory turned on. Intuit's help articles describe barcode scanning as an Advanced Inventory feature.
- For desk scanning, use a USB scanner that reads EAN-13 and Code-128 barcodes and sends a single carriage return after each scan.
- Serial port scanners don't work with this feature.
- Warehouse picking on the QuickBooks Desktop mobile app and the Sales Order Fulfillment Worksheet need a different type of scanner: a supported mobile barcode scanner.
- Decide which item field holds the barcode. Intuit suggests one that's unique for each item, such as Item Name or Part Number.

For which subscription includes Advanced Inventory and what else it adds, see [What Advanced Inventory adds in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/advanced-inventory-quickbooks-enterprise/) and [QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise pricing](https://logistify.ai/compare/quickbooks-desktop-enterprise-pricing/).

## Step 1: Turn on barcodes and run the Barcode Wizard

1. Plug in the USB scanner.
2. Go to Edit > Preferences, select Items & Inventory, then the Company Preferences tab.
3. Select Advanced Inventory Settings, then the Barcodes tab.
4. Select Enable Barcode, then Open Barcode Wizard.
5. Choose the item field to use for barcodes, then select Next.
6. Choose the item types that need barcodes, select Next, then Finish.

## Step 2: Scan items onto a transaction

1. Open the form you want to fill, such as a sales order, invoice or purchase order.
2. Scan the item. QuickBooks adds it to the form as a new line.
3. Scan each other item the same way.
4. Check the lines and quantities, then save.

| Area | Forms you can scan into |
| --- | --- |
| Sales | Estimates, Sales Orders, Invoices, Sales Receipts, Refunds & Credits |
| Purchasing | Purchase Orders, Item Receipts, Bills, Write Checks |
| Inventory | Inventory transfers, and quantity on hand adjustments |

*Transactions Intuit lists for barcode scanning in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise.*

## Step 3: Import barcodes you already use (optional)

If your products already carry barcodes, import them instead of typing them. You need admin access and single-user mode, and you should back up the company file first. See [how to switch to single-user mode](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/multi-user-mode/) and [how to back up and restore a company file](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/back-up-restore-company-file/).

1. Go to File > Switch to Single-user Mode.
2. Go to Lists > Item List, double-click any item, then select Custom Fields.
3. Select Define Fields, add a label such as Barcode2, select Use, then OK. If all 12 custom fields are taken, replace one.
4. At the bottom of the Item List, open the Excel menu and choose Export all items. Select Create new worksheet and in new workbook, then Export.
5. In the exported spreadsheet, type each item's barcode in the Barcode2 column. Save and close the file.
6. Go to File > Utilities > Import Excel Files. Select No when asked about Add/Edit Multiple List Entries, then choose Advanced Import.
7. Browse to your file and choose Sheet 1. In Choose a mapping, select Add new.
8. Set Import type to Item. Map Type to Type, Name to Item, and Barcode2 to Barcode2. Leave the other fields empty.
9. Select Replace existing data with import data, ignoring blank fields. QuickBooks updates your existing items.

## Step 4: Copy the imported barcodes into the barcode field

1. Go to Edit > Preferences > Items & Inventory > Company Preferences, then select Advanced Inventory Settings.
2. On the Barcodes tab, open the Barcode Wizard.
3. In the drop-down, choose Copy barcodes from Custom field 'Barcode2'.
4. Finish the wizard, then select OK twice.
5. Open an item from the Item List and check that its Barcode Number field shows the imported code.

## Scanning in the warehouse with Site Operations

Site Operations is the sales order fulfillment part of Advanced Inventory. It sends picklists to the QuickBooks Desktop mobile app on a supported mobile barcode scanner. Pickers scan items against the list, and the device sends results back to QuickBooks. Intuit also describes the app for receiving items from purchase orders.

1. Go to Edit > Preferences > Items & Inventory > Company Preferences > Advanced Inventory Settings, open the Site Operations tab and select Add. QuickBooks shows a passcode.
2. On the scanner, open the app, enter the passcode, then select Link and Yes.
3. Add each picker as a vendor and set Vendor Type to Warehouse user on the Additional Info tab. That option only shows if the user's role has View Balance in the Vendor Center.
4. Go to Customers > Sales Order Fulfillment Worksheet, choose the sales order and select Next.
5. Choose the items to pick. If you use multiple sites, choose the site for each one. Then select Next.
6. Keep the picklist name, choose the picker, and select Create & Send. Without a scanner, select Create & Print.
7. The picker scans each item on the device. Select View Progress to follow the pick.
8. When the pick is done, select Update Sales Order.

On an Android phone, the app can receive and return picklists, but it can't scan barcodes. The same app runs cycle counts, covered in [How to run cycle counts in Advanced Inventory](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/cycle-counts-advanced-inventory/). Picked orders then move to invoicing, as in [How to convert a sales order to an invoice](https://logistify.ai/guides/quickbooks-desktop/convert-sales-order-to-invoice/).

## If scanning doesn't work

- Nothing appears when you scan: check that the scanner reads EAN-13 and Code-128 and ends each scan with one carriage return.
- A serial port scanner won't work. Use a USB scanner.
- Several items share a barcode value: the field you picked isn't unique. Intuit advises one that is, such as Item Name or Part Number, so run the Barcode Wizard again.
- The mobile scanner says the passcode has expired: on the Site Operations tab, remove the device, then select Add to get a new passcode.
- The scanner says the item isn't on the picklist: the picker scanned a product that isn't on the list. Check it against the picklist item.
- You turned barcodes off: QuickBooks keeps the barcodes in the file, and they come back when you turn the feature on again.

## Where QuickBooks Desktop leaves the work to you

- A scan fills in the item, but someone still checks quantities before saving.
- Picklists start from sales orders, so an order that isn't in QuickBooks yet can't be picked.
- Mobile picking needs a supported scanner, Wi-Fi, a linked device and pickers set up as vendors.
- When a pick comes up short, someone has to create another picklist later to finish the order.

## How Logistify helps around barcode work

Logistify doesn't scan, pick or receive stock. [Product Catalog Cleanup](https://logistify.ai/agents/product-catalog/) turns supplier spreadsheets into clean SKUs, which helps when barcodes are tied to Item Name or Part Number. The [Sales Order Service](https://logistify.ai/agents/sales-order/) enters customer orders into QuickBooks Desktop as sales orders, with a person reviewing exceptions. The orders are then in the file when someone builds a picklist.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Which barcode scanners work with QuickBooks Desktop?

For desk scanning, a USB scanner that reads EAN-13 and Code-128 and ends each scan with a single carriage return. Serial port scanners don't work, and mobile picking needs a supported mobile barcode scanner.

### Can QuickBooks Desktop Pro or Premier scan barcodes?

Intuit's help articles describe barcode scanning only as part of Advanced Inventory in QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise.

### Which transactions can I scan barcodes into?

Estimates, sales orders, invoices, sales receipts, refunds and credits, purchase orders, item receipts, bills, checks and inventory transfers. You can also scan to adjust quantity on hand.

### Can I use the barcodes already printed on my products?

Yes. Import them into an item custom field, then choose Copy barcodes from Custom field in the Barcode Wizard.

## Sources

- [Intuit: Set up and use barcode scanning in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/barcode-scanner/set-use-barcode-scanning-quickbooks-desktop/L16Pqrtov_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Setup and use the Warehouse Manager in QuickBooks Desktop mobile](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/install-products/setup-use-warehouse-manager-quickbooks-desktop/L4bHcI3mp_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Troubleshoot QuickBooks Desktop mobile app](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/regular-payroll/troubleshoot-quickbooks-desktop-mobile-app/L7d2SVDyz_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Turn on Advanced Inventory](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/feature-preferences/turn-advanced-inventory/L6nkAoZzK_US_en_US)
- [Intuit: Turn off Advanced Inventory in QuickBooks Desktop](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/inventory-management/turn-advanced-inventory-quickbooks-desktop/L7GEWZXxD_US_en_US)