How to Set Up and Use Barcode Scanning in QuickBooks Desktop

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 and QuickBooks Desktop Enterprise pricing.

Step 1: Turn on barcodes and run the Barcode Wizard

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

Step 2: Scan items onto a transaction

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

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 and how to back up and restore a company file.

1. 1Go to File > Switch to Single-user Mode.
2. 2Go to Lists > Item List, double-click any item, then select Custom Fields.
3. 3Select Define Fields, add a label such as Barcode2, select Use, then OK. If all 12 custom fields are taken, replace one.
4. 4At 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. 5In the exported spreadsheet, type each item's barcode in the Barcode2 column. Save and close the file.
6. 6Go to File > Utilities > Import Excel Files. Select No when asked about Add/Edit Multiple List Entries, then choose Advanced Import.
7. 7Browse to your file and choose Sheet 1. In Choose a mapping, select Add new.
8. 8Set Import type to Item. Map Type to Type, Name to Item, and Barcode2 to Barcode2. Leave the other fields empty.
9. 9Select 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. 1Go to Edit > Preferences > Items & Inventory > Company Preferences, then select Advanced Inventory Settings.
2. 2On the Barcodes tab, open the Barcode Wizard.
3. 3In the drop-down, choose Copy barcodes from Custom field 'Barcode2'.
4. 4Finish the wizard, then select OK twice.
5. 5Open 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. 1Go to Edit > Preferences > Items & Inventory > Company Preferences > Advanced Inventory Settings, open the Site Operations tab and select Add. QuickBooks shows a passcode.
2. 2On the scanner, open the app, enter the passcode, then select Link and Yes.
3. 3Add 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. 4Go to Customers > Sales Order Fulfillment Worksheet, choose the sales order and select Next.
5. 5Choose the items to pick. If you use multiple sites, choose the site for each one. Then select Next.
6. 6Keep the picklist name, choose the picker, and select Create & Send. Without a scanner, select Create & Print.
7. 7The picker scans each item on the device. Select View Progress to follow the pick.
8. 8When 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. Picked orders then move to invoicing, as in How to convert a sales order to an 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 turns supplier spreadsheets into clean SKUs, which helps when barcodes are tied to Item Name or Part Number. The Sales Order Service 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.