Create items by scanning barcodes with Square for Retail
About creating items by scanning barcodes
From the Square Retail Point of Sale app, you can automatically create an item by scanning a GTIN with a compatible barcode scanner or the camera on your iOS device.
Before you start
A Global Trade Item Number, or GTIN, is the source of truth and used to identify trade items and products throughout the supply chain, primarily within barcodes. Learn more about how to use GTINs
To create items by scanning barcodes, you need to have access to your Square Dashboard or the Retail Point of Sale app. You also need a compatible barcode scanner or an iOS device with a camera connected to the Retail Point of Sale app.
View barcode scanners compatible with Square hardware and learn how to connect a barcode scanner to your point of sale.
Create an item by scanning a barcode
You can easily create items by scanning a UPC/GTIN from the Square Point of Sale app with retail mode enabled, or from the Square Retail Point of Sale app on iOS devices, Square Terminal or Square Register.
From your Square Point of Sale app in retail mode or your Square Retail Point of Sale app:
- Open your app, tap ≡ More > Items > All Items.
- Tap Create Item.
- Tap Auto create and scan a barcode using a compatible barcode scanner or the built-in camera on your device. You can also tap Search for items to search by name or GTIN.
- Select the item from the Auto create item screen.
- Scroll down and click Add Variation to add variations.
- Select the grey text below Stock on hand to scan or search for a variation.
- Select the variation.
- Tap Done and Save.
During the item creation process in the Retail Point of Sale app, you may see description hints (highlighted in green) that provide suggestions for category names, as well as words and/or phrases to add to the item description.