Prepare the sheet
Add the columns you need, for example Barcode, Quantity and Location.
Excel barcode scanning
Barcode Scanner for Excel — Scan Directly From Your Phone
Open your workbook, click a cell and scan with your phone. WiScanner types every barcode into the active Excel cell through the desktop client on your Windows PC or Mac, and an automatic Enter moves the cursor down so the next scan lands in the next row.
Mobile app
Desktop app
How it works
Scan into Excel in four steps
Pair phone and computer
Run the desktop client on Windows or Mac and pair the phone by QR code over the same WiFi network.
Click the first cell
Select the cell where the first barcode should go. No add-in or macro is required.
Scan down the column
Each barcode is typed into the active cell and Enter moves the cursor to the next row.
Sheet layouts
Set up Excel the way you work
One barcode per row
Automatic Enter after each scan moves down one row. It is available on every plan.
Barcode and quantity side by side
Use a Tab suffix to jump to the quantity column, or Quantity Scan to record a count with each barcode.
Clean values before they reach the cell
Prefix and Suffix rules add fixed text or a key, and RegEx rejects values that do not match your pattern.
Keep duplicates out
With Accept Duplicate Barcode turned off, repeated codes go to a Failed list instead of the sheet. Delay on Multiscan prevents accidental double reads.
Other routes
Other ways to get scans into a spreadsheet
- CSV export – scan into a group on the phone, then export it as a CSV file that opens in Excel. See the export documentation.
- Scan to File on Windows – the PC client can save incoming scans to a CSV file in a folder you choose, named by group and device.
- Google Sheets without a computer – sign in with Google and scan straight into a sheet from the phone. See Google Sheets scanning.
Benefits
Why use your phone as an Excel barcode scanner
Fewer typing errors
The value comes from the label, not from someone reading and retyping digits.
Works in Excel on Windows and Mac
The desktop client types into Excel on either platform, and into Excel or Google Sheets in a browser.
Walk while the laptop stays put
Scan at the shelf or the delivery and watch rows fill in on the screen back at the desk.
No extra devices
The phones you already own replace a dedicated scanner for spreadsheet work.
Platforms
Runs on the devices you already have
WiScanner has a phone app and a desktop client. The phone reads the barcode; the desktop client receives it on the computer.
iPhone
Install WiScanner from the App Store and scan with the camera.
Android
Install WiScanner from Google Play; the workflow is the same as on iPhone.
Windows
Install the PC client (MSI installer). It runs in the background and types incoming scans at the cursor.
macOS
Download the Mac client, open it and leave it running while you scan.
FAQ
Excel barcode scanner questions
No. The WiScanner desktop client types each barcode as keyboard input into the active cell, so Excel needs no add-in, macro or special import.
Yes. Install the Mac client, pair your phone and scan into Excel or Numbers the same way as on Windows.
Yes. Use a Tab suffix and type the quantity in the next column, or use Quantity Scan, which asks for a quantity after each barcode. Quantity Scan is available on every plan.
Excel itself runs on the computer, so live typing needs the desktop client. Without a computer you can scan into a group and export it as CSV later, or scan directly into Google Sheets.
Yes. You can type into Google Sheets in a browser through the desktop client, or use Google Sheets direct mode, which writes rows from the phone without a PC.
Fill your next spreadsheet by scanning
Install WiScanner on your phone and your Windows PC or Mac, click a cell and start scanning.