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Version: 1.x

Barcode Scanners

WCPOS scans barcodes on every platform — with the device camera, with an ordinary keyboard-mode scanner, or over a direct connection to a USB or Bluetooth scanner. Most scanners work the moment you plug them in or pair them; the pages below cover guided setup, how scanning behaves at the till, and how to fine-tune detection.

Ways to scan​

  • Camera — available on web, desktop, iOS, and Android. Open the camera from the scan icon in the search bar; it appears as a resizable panel below the filters so the product list stays in view. No extra hardware required.
  • Keyboard mode (HID) — the factory default on almost every scanner. The scanner "types" the barcode and WCPOS recognises the fast keystrokes. Nothing to configure — plug in or pair and scan.
  • Direct connection — for scanners switched into a serial or POS mode: USB serial and HID-POS (via the browser's Web Serial and WebHID support), Bluetooth SPP, and Bluetooth LE over a vendor GATT service. Direct connections deliver every scan straight to WCPOS regardless of typing speed, keyboard layout, or which field is focused. Supported in the Desktop app and Chrome-based browsers; the Desktop app shows a device chooser inside the app.

Get started​

Scanner Setup WizardAnswer a few questions and we'll walk you through connecting your scanner — and help you fix it if a scan doesn't come through.
How scanning worksWhat happens when a barcode is detected, camera scanning, scan sounds, and the online fallback for unknown barcodes.
Barcode settingsTune detection so fast typing doesn't register, strip a scanner's prefix/suffix, test a scan, and turn on scan sounds.
Barcode fieldChoose which product field holds the barcode — the GTIN field by default, or SKU or a custom meta key.
Which field is the barcode?

WCPOS matches scans against a single configured barcode field, which defaults to WooCommerce's GTIN field (_global_unique_id). You can point it at _sku or any custom meta key in Settings; changing it rebuilds the local barcode index automatically.