How to Create Code 128 Barcodes in Bulk from Excel or CSV

Start by cleaning the source column. Remove blank rows, trim spaces, and make sure every value is valid Code 128 — the full ASCII set is allowed, so letters, digits and punctuation are fine. If the values are numeric and long, Code 128 subset C will pack them two digits per symbol and produce a narrower barcode; most generators switch automatically.

Format the column as text before exporting. This preserves leading zeros and prevents long numbers from turning into scientific notation. If you also need a caption under the barcode, add a second column and separate the two with a tab when pasting; our generator reads value and caption from two tab-separated fields.

Import the file into the generator, choose Code 128, and preview a few items from the top, middle and bottom of the list. Check the decoded values with a scanner, not just visually — a wrong check digit or a truncated value is easy to miss on screen. Then set width, height, margin and text options once; they apply to the whole batch.

Export as a ZIP of SVG or PNG files, or lay the batch out on label sheets and print. Keep the source file and the exported archive together, named by date and batch, so a reprint months later uses exactly the same data. For recurring jobs, save the setup with the generator’s library feature.